Busajo Campus: a place in Ethiopia where street children can begin life anew, with design by Studio Benaim

In Soddo, in southern Ethiopia, Studio Benaim was commissioned by Busajo Onlus, a non-profit social organization based in Florence, to create the Busajo Campus as a refuge for street children, offering them a space to begin life anew and to regain respect for themselves and for others. The Campus provides dormitories, classrooms, vocational training workshops, sports facilities and recreational areas, all articulated as a small village spread over 33,500 square meters. It has been conceived as a welcoming structure, where young people find shelter, education and community.

Architecture of belonging

The greatest challenge of the project was to create for the children a familiar, recognizable environment that would respect the visual and material traditions of the local population. The architectural language of the Campus draws from the tradition of Ethiopia’s spontaneous constructions, yet reorders them into clear, protective compositions. The inner courtyards of the main buildings evoke the Mediterranean typology and become places of encounter and learning, safe spaces for play and togetherness.

The demanding climate of Soddo—with its intense heat and seasonal rains—was another challenge ingeniously overcome. Facades are protected with eucalyptus wood filters that act as brise-soleil, while deep eaves and balconies provide shade and passive ventilation. These intermediate spaces, halfway between interior and exterior, function as verandas that shield from the rain and allow outdoor activities to continue throughout the wet season.

Materials of the earth

The architecture is rooted in materials deeply tied to the place. Eucalyptus, Ethiopia’s national tree, is used from the scaffolding in the construction phase to the roof structures, solar screens and railings. Local stone paves the courtyards, while red clay tints the architecture, giving the spaces a direct bond with the land.

The Campus is also conceived as a self-sufficient organism: it includes vegetable gardens, small spaces for animal husbandry, and its own well that supplies water not only to the residents but also to the surrounding community. Children take part in these activities as part of their education, integrating formal learning with direct experience of the land and the practice of shared care.

A printing workshop: a place of production and learning

In December 2024, a new dream came true: the birth of a printing workshop within the Campus. Arriving in a container from Italy, with digital printers, cutters, binding machines, toners, blades, glue and 25 pallets of paper, this space represents a turning point, becoming a true center for the production of schoolbooks.

Before, schools in Soddo had barely any copies, and children had to learn from a single worn-out textbook. Today, thanks to the workshop, textbooks are printed and distributed free of charge, while young residents are trained as artisans of knowledge. Two specialized technicians teach the first apprentices the craft of bookmaking and binding, planting a seed of educational autonomy that will endure over time.

Project: Busajo Campus.
Location: Soddo, Etiopía.

Site area: 33.500 m² (parcela) – 4.300 m² (contruido).
Architecture: André Benaim, Studio Benaim.
Client: Busajo Onlus.
Consultants: AeI progetti, Florencia.
Photography: Pietro Savorelli.
Construction: 2015-2020. Extension 2025.

Studio Benaim

In Florence, Studio Benaim is a workshop of architectural creation founded by visionary André Benaim, who brought with him the heritage of his training and a deep sensitivity towards the patrimony of his adopted city. The studio is composed of a group of talented young architects coordinated by André, generating a dialogue between youth, tradition and modernity. Its philosophy is nourished by both rigor and poetry: “we know how to be romantic and rigorous,” as the studio itself declares.

The work of Studio Benaim is defined by a profound commitment to the history and environment of Florence, capable of reinterpreting spaces full of memory with a contemporary gaze. Such is the case of Villa Bellosguardo, in the hills of Florence: the studio restores and harmonizes a fragmented building, incorporating a clean Mediterranean geometry and integrating sustainable solutions such as thermal insulation, solar control glass and efficient envelopes.

This dedication to restoration and conscious transformation is also evident in projects like the welcoming Fattoria di Capezzana, where an old farmhouse becomes an agritourism structure sensitive to its historic setting.

In every intervention, Studio Benaim reveals an essential quality: a balance between respect and reinvention. Its architecture invites dialogue: history remains, modernity emerges, and space breathes.

Project by Studio Benaim