Schools of Scarcity: Rethinking Architecture in Africa through Critical Regionalism and Community-Based Design

Abstract

This study investigates contemporary school architecture in Africa through the theoretical frameworks of critical regionalism and the architecture of scarcity, with a focus on local context and socio-cultural dynamics. Eight schools were examined using qualitative content analysis, evaluating design and construction processes in relation to resource limitations and community needs, guided by locality-based design criteria. The findings indicate that strategies such as the integration of local knowledge, climate-sensitive design, the use of local materials and construction methods, and participatory processes are discussed in relation to environmental performance, cultural practices, social resilience, and collective use of educational spaces within the analyzed sources. The case studies suggest that schools designed under scarcity-driven conditions function not only as infrastructural facilities but also as socially embedded environments associated with pedagogical experimentation, community engagement, and cultural continuity. This paper argues that the intersection of critical regionalism and scarcity-based methodologies provides an analytical framework for examining architectural production in resource-constrained contexts, producing design strategies that are discussed in relation to resistance to global homogenization and debates on social sustainability.