British Council

Freetown, Sierra Leone

Refurbishment and extension to the British Council building in Sierra Leone

At the end of the Civil War in Sierra Leone, the existing 1950s British Council building was an important but very run down social and cultural hub in the city of Freetown.

To bring the building back to life, The Manser Practice worked with local consultants, using materials that were available locally and construction techniques that were suitable for the low-skilled local workforce. Refurbishing the building involved stripping it back to its original design and then adding extensions to both rationalise the layout and help improve the natural ventilation that the building had relied on from its inception.

Our ability to work closely within the constraints of climate, skills, materials and political context from the outset allowed the project to be built in very difficult circumstances.