AOMD


Foni Bintang Karenai, The Gambia

Sited on a cashew orchard 5km south of the Lower Gambian River, Foni Bintang Karenai is a project comprising a house, outbuildings, and sustainable infrastructure. The main house uses the site's orientation, creating three distinct gardens: a shaded pool courtyard at the entrance, a secluded guest courtyard for the bedrooms, and south-facing terraces inspired by Geoffrey Bawa's work at Lunuganga. These terraces gradually step down, offering elevated views of the Foret des Narang to the South.

The interior is designed to be open, allowing the building to serve as a canopy for the exterior, establishing thresholds between the garden rooms. At the centre, a courtyard connects three wings: a lounge that opens to the pool, a kitchen and dining area with a steeply pitched interior, and a bedroom wing with rooms that open to the south-facing gardens.

Working in partnership with local firms, Foni Bintang Karenal is constructed from locally sourced materials, rich, dark tropical hardwood joinery detailing, and mud brick base for the walls are finished with plaster and lime or coloured washes. Tall, deep overhanging eaves are covered in palm thatch.


View of the house from the southern terrace, 1:100, card
Ground floor layout, layout paper
Vaulted kitchen, layout paper
Lower dining room, digital image
Development elevation model, 1:200, card
Central court view, layout paper
Entrance garden view, layout paper
Development model, 1:100, card
View of the guest houses, 1:200, card