There are buildings that feel designed, and there are buildings that feel grown. This circular earth shelter in Dakar, Senegal, belongs to the second category. Its plan is radial and organic — a series of curved walls that spiral inward around a central core, creating rooms that flow into one another rather than sitting in a conventional grid.
The exterior walls use a combination of adobe clay, earth plaster, and rammed earth, chosen for their thermal performance, local availability, and the warm, textured surfaces they produce. The building is single-storey at its perimeter and rises toward its centre, culminating in a rooftop green roof assembly that supports planting, manages rainwater, and softens the building’s presence in the landscape.
Inside, the circular layout gives every room a curved wall — making spaces feel sheltered and particular rather than generic. The green roof assembly is fully detailed in the drawings, including its drainage layer, growing medium, and planting specification. This is a building that takes from the earth in its materials and gives back to it through its rooftop — a small, complete ecological cycle in built form.
SPANTONE 