EDC Enterprise Development Center. Lagos, Nigeria

This new build project houses the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), a school for young entrepreneurs in Lagos (Nigeria), where learning takes place not only in classrooms specifically designed for this purpose but all over the building.

It is what is known as a ‘Green Building’, with flexible, well-connected spaces, where natural light plays a key role in reducing energy consumption.

When designing the volumetry of the building, we took local climate conditions into consideration. This prompted us to create a number of irregular volumes oriented to allow the breeze to enter and to reduce the high temperatures. The centre sits on a renewable water layer which freshens the air throughout the year.

The building features two blocks built around a large central hall, a triple-height glazed area which serves as a circulation route and linking space between the two blocks. The thinner of the blocks houses offices, meeting rooms and workspaces. Meanwhile, the smaller block with two floors houses mostly classrooms and other rooms used to deliver training courses.

The architecture reflects the ethnic culture of the site and is brightly lit and highly versatile. The construction elements on the façade have been carefully designed and implemented, taking the need to provide protection from the intense sunlight into consideration.

We carried out this project in collaboration with Jess Castellote from the architecture studio Laborda Associates in Lagos.