Worofila was commissioned in 2021 to renovate the gallery of the Institut Français, a 350 m2 exhibition space in Dakar located in an early 19th century building that served as the former stables of the French army. While both the interior and exterior of the gallery were rehabilitated, the main site of intervention was the courtyard just outside the gallery. The aim of redeveloping the courtyard was to provide a space for socializing while the gallery was open, and to add space for a future outdoor café. The outbuilding was designed as a load-bearing, naturally ventilated BTC building. Worofila worked with Jardin du Sahel to select plant varieties suited to the local climate, including ground covers, succulents, palms, shrubs and some fruit trees for the restoration. The cement paving stones were replaced by handmade ceramic tiles produced just outside Dakar, which also wrap the stairs and benches added to the terrace. In less than 8 months, the project was completed and resulted in a courtyard that has become a green lung in downtown Plateau, showing that trees and plants are an essential component of our physiological comfort in our tropical context where forests are disappearing and trees are cut down to make way for new buildings every day.