The maternity center, inspired by the cocoon, creates a sanctuary celebrating life, culture, and community through warmth, functionality, and promise. Guided by the philosophy of Harmony in Gardens, it welcomes mothers, families, and caregivers while reflecting South Senegalese heritage and sustainable design, integrating passive cooling, rainwater harvesting, and natural materials. Sunlight, shadows, and spatial arrangements narrate the journey from conception to birth.

A sequence of gardens marks stages of life: the Garden of Invitation welcomes families, the Garden of Conversation fosters learning and dialogue, the Garden of Anticipation offers calm reflection, the Garden of Birth provides a Zen-inspired birthing space, and the Garden of Purification supports postnatal rituals and bonding. Together, these spaces transform the center into an immersive, culturally rooted experience that honors birth and community.

About KODA:

KODA is a practice devoted to designing innovative and meaningful educational environments, crafting complete educational ecosystems encompassing campus planning, architecture, interiors, educational strategy, and wayfinding with pedagogy at the centre guided by Neuroscience. Our process reverses the typical order: spatial organisation grows from pedagogical strategy. This approach allows us to create environments that respond directly to how learners think, move, and engage.

This project was developed together by Concept Architects, Akshaya Ramesh Muskan Rochlani, Design and Visualisation Architects Hafis Muhammed and Ria Deshmukh, with the support of Khadeeja Zayan, Risin C.K. and Dain Dominic. Together, committed to creating spaces rooted in community, sustainability, and the evolving future of learning and humanity.