Niger is a notoriously dry and very hot country where temperatures can easily reach 40° and more.
In such a climatic context, the use of electricity to cool buildings is almost constant and very high.
In addition to the high costs, if the energy is not produced from renewable sources, it greatly increases the ecological footprint of the building.
In the case of the new EU delegation, since it is an existing building constructed of concrete, we propose to lower its ecological footprint by first of all protecting it from the constant sunlight by juxtaposing double green skins on the east and west sides. Secondly by installing a lightweight structure on the roof covered with solar panels. By doing that, we can not only produce enough energy to cover part of the building's energy needs, but also protect it from the sun at its peak during the day.
Since this is the EU delegation building, we believe that we can send a message of sustainability. Both to the local community and all the other major donors intervening in the country and encourage them to think about new ways of building in this part of Africa and rethink their impact on the climate.