Campus de Ouidah Bénin

The Ouidah campus in Benin is a major academic project carried out by the Sèmè City development agency as part of the Government Action Program (PAG 2021-2026). Hardel Le Bihan is coordinator architect of its realization, in team with the Taller de Arquitectura Ricardo Bofill (RBTA, Barcelona), Cobloc Architecture in Cotonou and the landscape designer Niez Studio. On an exceptional natural site, the ecocity dedicated to Made in Africa innovation will eventually spread over a 336 hectare site, developed by urban planners Atelier LD. The campus will be built around five innovation clusters. Hardel Le Bihan is building the Sports Academy, the incubator-makerspace, the conference center, academic buildings and student housing. The project is based on a bioclimatic and resilient approach, an active step to develop and strengthen local eco-construction sectors. Sustainable construction methods are favored, using standardized structures and frames for the academic (8m) and residential (6m) buildings, which, with their adapted heights and dimensions, offer modularity and scalability to adapt to programmatic hazards.