At the edge of Forbach, where sugar fields once defined both the landscape and the rhythms of daily life, a new kindergarten now rises from the quiet remains of a labourer’s workers’ camp. This is no ordinary school; it is a building woven into the history of Mauritius.
Honouring a Site of Memory
The Forbach Estate was founded in 1816 by Joseph Staub, a former French officer who established one of the island’s early sugar mills. First worked by enslaved people and later by indentured labourers from India, the camp was organised around the longère — elongated stone barracks subdivided into modest rooms — complemented by stone kitchens, communal wells, and sanitary blocks. These structures, austere in form but dense with meaning, bore witness to generations whose labour shaped the island’s economy and society.
Even into the 20th century the camp remained a place of life and struggle: in 1914, it became the birthplace of Hurryparsad Ramnarain, who would go on to lead workers’ movements for better rights. When the sugar factory finally closed, the camp was left to decay, its stone walls and chimney fragments standing as fragile traces of a complex past.
Architectural Continuity
Two decades later, Architects Studio was invited to reimagine the site — not as a museum piece, but as a place of renewal. The commission: To create a kindergarten that would honour the existing fabric, preserve the architectural DNA of the camp and carry it forward into a new civic life.
The design process began with meticulous documentation. Every wall, elevation and kitchen block was surveyed, catalogued, and analysed. This archaeological precision laid the foundation for a design strategy rooted in continuity rather than rupture.
The long linear longère was stabilised and restored, its stone walls expressed and its openings reinstated in their original proportions. A new roof, echoing the silhouette of the historic profile, was introduced with modern insulation and waterproofing, striking a balance between performance and fidelity. Kitchens were restored with pitched roofs, while intrusive later additions — notably toilet blocks from the 1970s — were dismantled to recover clarity.
Lightweight steel-framed extensions were added in a precise manner, creating adequate spaces for the new classrooms and activity areas. The design is deliberately restrained: new glass volumes are inserted lightly, almost deferentially, allowing the longère to retain its architectural and symbolic dominance within the composition. Thus respecting the site’s Genius Loci.
A Human-Centric, Sustainable Vision
While anchored in heritage, the kindergarten looks resolutely forward. The HEI philosophy — placing people at the centre of design — shaped every gesture. For children, this translated into generous, light-filled classrooms that open directly onto gardens; shaded walkways that link spaces and encourage exploration; and the preservation of mature trees around which new structures were built, anchoring the project in its landscape.
Sustainability is not an afterthought but the core of the project. Passive strategies are integrated seamlessly:
Shaded façades and deep overhangs temper the sun’s intensity.
- Shaded façades and deep overhangs temper the sun’s intensity.
- Clerestory openings and cross-ventilation ensure constant airflow, reducing reliance on mechanical cooling.
- Reflective metal roofing with pergola details minimises solar gain while referencing the geometry of historic profiles.
- Covered outdoor walkways knit the programme together, offering protection from sun and rain while supporting the idea of learning in transitional spaces.
Material choices further underscore resilience and continuity. Locally sourced stone, durable metal roofing, and simple finishes ensure longevity, while aligning the new with the familiar. The architecture demonstrates to its youngest users — and to the wider community — that ecological responsibility is a lived practice, not a slogan.
From Labour Camp to Kindergarten
The transformation of Camp Cottage into the HEI Kindergarten is both symbolic and deeply humane. Where once workers endured harsh conditions, children now gather in an environment of safety, joy, and dignity. The project transcends adaptive reuse: it preserves the longère spirit while layering it with new architectural forms, transforming a place of survival into a place of growth.
This is architecture as cultural continuity. The HEI Kindergarten is not simply a building; it is a dialogue between memory and modernity, between the resilience of the past and the aspirations of the future. It ensures that Mauritius’ youngest citizens step into their future with roots firmly anchored in the land’s history, learning every day in a space that is both legacy and promise.
