Ethiopian Satellite Preschools Competition

The Ethiopian Satellite Preschools Competition asked teams to think beyond one school site. Communities needed an affordable early-learning model that could be repeated, adjusted, and built with local participation across Walmara. Journeyman International’s entry advanced to the third round with a modular concept organized around child-scaled rooms, protected outdoor learning, and a construction logic that could respond to different plots without losing its core. Scalability was not treated as sameness: orientation, courtyards, openings, and assembly could shift with climate, terrain, available materials, and community input.

The proposal sought to balance a recognizable educational environment with the economic discipline required for multiple small campuses. This was a competition submission for a preschool network. The proposed components can be adapted to each community’s land, climate, and construction skills.