Essentialitas — Architecture of Essentiality
Essentialitas arises from a radical question: what is truly essential? In a fragile context like post-monsoon Nepal, the answer begins with the very etymology of the word "essentiality": that which is indispensable, in contrast to the superfluous. This is where the project finds its foundation, reimagining architecture as a primary tool to meet the real needs of people.
Inspired by Yona Friedman, the project adopts a vision of architecture reduced to its fundamental elements — roof, food, flexible structure — capable of adapting to local conditions and necessities. At the same time, following the thinking of Maria Montessori, space is conceived as an educational environment: a place that fosters autonomy and growth, becoming a co-educator alongside adults and nature.
These two visions intertwine in Essentialitas, shaping a minimal, didactic, and antifragile architecture. The building is based on a 7x5 meter module, which can be assembled according to specific needs. It is raised off the ground to protect interior spaces from flooding and anchored to concrete footings, from which bamboo pillars — a local material — rise. Bamboo beams complete the supporting structure, while brick volumes rest on a platform. Overhead, a wide roof shelters all spaces and serves as a collection and production element: it hosts solar panels for energy and a system for rainwater harvesting. The interior and exterior spaces are designed to be flexible: classrooms open onto an “in-between” space, functioning as extensions of the classrooms and as places for passage and interaction. The heart of the project is a central multifunctional space that connects the two building blocks. Here, children can invent new uses, take ownership of space, and transform it. It is an open environment that reflects Montessori principles of freedom and discovery.
The entire complex is conceived as an educational environment, where nature and architecture collaborate in the learning process. Educational gardens have been introduced for each class, allowing children to engage directly with natural cycles, encouraging a concrete understanding of food self-sufficiency and environmental care. On the opposite side, a playground nestled among the trees invites free play and exploration. Near this area, a biodiversity hub unfolds, designed as an open-air laboratory to promote an active ecological consciousness from early childhood.
The result is an architecture of survival that is also an architecture of learning. A project that does not impose a form but proposes a method: to start from the essential in order to build possibilities.
