Location // Kazole Village // Tanzania - Zanzibar
Category // CSR Project
Area // 94.5 sqm
Project Year // 2025
In Collaboration // Lei Wa Lakom, Zain Telecome, Best Al Yousifi & KEO
Lei Wa Lakom Library is part of the Parallel Gives program, an architectural initiative that explores how small-scale, socially driven projects can generate long-term impact through thoughtful, context-responsive design.
Situated in Kazole Village, Zanzibar, the library is conceived as a lightweight, climate-sensitive structure that prioritizes openness, adaptability, and human scale. The architectural language draws from Swahili principles of shaded spaces, cross-ventilation, and visual permeability, allowing the building to remain naturally comfortable while maintaining a strong relationship with its surroundings. Rather than separating inside from outside, the library blurs these boundaries, reinforcing a sense of belonging and accessibility.
The envelope is defined by perforated opaque corrugated panels that filter daylight, creating a soft, ever-changing interior atmosphere while ensuring privacy, safety, and air circulation. This environmental approach is complemented by an integrated water feature, which holds cultural and symbolic significance within an Islamic tradition, where water is associated with life.
Timber framing and exposed structural elements express material honesty and ease of construction, reflecting locally familiar building techniques. The roof form extends beyond the walls to provide shade and protection from heavy rainfall, reinforcing the building’s environmental responsiveness.
Internally, the space is deliberately flexible and non-hierarchical. Low furniture, open floor areas, and adaptable zones support reading, learning, discussion, and communal activities particularly for children, allowing the library to function as both an educational and social space.