KDI is working with Gifted Hands to upgrade existing facilities through a staged investment model. Working from a masterplan developed in 2016, the new site will include a library and classrooms, sanitation facilities, and numerous green and blue infrastructure solutions to remediate the environment and create a productive learning space.
Context
Existing conditions at the site
Gifted Hands School is situated along one of the polluted watercourses between Gatwekera and Kisumu Ndogo villages.
Founded in 2008, the school has approximately 250 students of all ages. The existing facilities are wholly inadequate for the current needs of students, and for the future aspirations of the school.
Process
Workshop at Gifted Hands school
KDI worked with the school board, teachers and students to develop a masterplan for Gifted Hands, which will be known as KPSP09 once completed.
The plan is designed to allow staged investment, enabling the various pieces of the puzzle to be implemented one by one as funding is made available.
Solution
Section view of the school
Proposed developments for the school include classrooms, a library, a sanitation centre, a school kitchen, an administration block, and a central courtyard.
Rainwater harvesting, pervious paving, planted infiltration pits, a planted revetment, and tree planting will create a pleasant learning environment for the students that is protected from flooding.
Impact
Children at the existing Gifted Hands school
The improvements will build towards a safe, pleasant and coherent space that meets students’ learning needs while fostering a strong school identity and sense of pride.
The focus on green and blue infrastructure will help to remediate a particularly polluted watercourse for widespread impact across the settlement.
