New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Prioritising the places and people that need it the most

Email user
gaul@mes-dreieich.de

Basic information
Initiative title
Inklusive Sustainable Geodome

Full initiative Title
Dome-Pergola built by disadvantaged youth from Germany with and for handicapped people in Spain

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
In this project, we constructed a 9-meter-high and 4-meter-wide geodome pergola in Spain. The participants were disadvantaged youth on
a vocational orientation course. The geodome benefited an organization working with handicapped people in Spain. The organization and the
handicapped people collaborated in the building. The dome was mainly constructed with recycled wood. As a result of this creative and highly
motivating project, all of our participants were offered training contracts.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Cross-border/international

Where was your intiative implemented?
Location 1
Spain

Location 2
Germany

Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries
{Empty}

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Tomelloso / Spain
Dreieich / Germany

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
Yes

Which fund(s)?
ERASMUS

Here you can provide more details about the name of the specific programme, strand/action line as relevant, and the year
We benefited from 12000€ in EU Erasmus+ Funds for a small scale project. Project number 2020-1-DE02-KA102-007065

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): Max-Eyth-Schule Dreieich
  Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local)
  First name of representative: Andreas
  Last name of representative: Gaul
  Gender: Male
  Nationality: Germany
  Function: Coordinator for international exchanges and Erasmus+ programs
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Frankfurter Str. 160-166
  Town: Dreieich
  Postal code: 63303
  Country: Germany
  Direct Tel: +491632971515
  E-mail: gaul@mes-dreieich.de
  Website: https://mes-dreieich.de
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
As winners of the EITA Award we were notified by the Commision

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
this project, we constructed a 9-meter-high and 4-meter-wide geodome
pergola in Tomelloso/Spain. The participants were disadvantaged youth on
a vocational orientation course. The geodome benefited an organization
working with handicapped people in Spain. The organization and the
handicapped people collaborated in the building. The dome was mainly constructed with recycled wood. As a result of this creative and highly motivating project, all of our participants were offered training contracts with companies. They also had the chance to overcome barriers
and prejudice towards handicapped people. The dome turned into a new architectural landmark of Tomelloso. It was planted with jasmine plants
and will provide shade to users and visitors of AFAS Tomelloso for years to come.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Disadvantaged youth

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Inclusion of hadicapped and disadvantaged people

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Developing technical skills

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Sustainable architecture and building

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Social skill development

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
In terms of sustainability, the key objectives were to minimize the use of
materials with negative impacts on the environment and the global
climate. Another goal was to reduce the use of resources in the long
term maintenance, such as water or fertilizers, in the long run.

Against the background of climate change, this arid region is
experiencing extremely (and increasingly) hot and dry summers. The shade
roof will be able to provide a cool and relaxing space without the need
of irrigation and air conditioning. Jasmine plants, adapted to the
region's yearly rainfalls in winter and spring, will be able to provide
shade without additional water.

For the construction, we only used wooden poles that had formerly been
used for fences and recycled them. Using the geodome construction model,
we could minimize the use of resources, as the hemisphere maximizes
stability, allows for the use of comparably thinner struts and does not
need any supporting pillars.

We believe that our project perfectly adapted to the local conditions,
using and recycling local resources and adapting to the local needs and
environmental conditions.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
ur
vision was to build a beautiful, cool, and relaxing green space, where
people can come together in the implacable summer heat of southern
Spain.

- The round form of the geodome is ideal for interactive group
gatherings or cultural events.
- The innovative 3V Kruschke shaped dome is an intriguing geometry that
inspires the imagination.
- Jasmine, a flowering climbing plant, perfectly adds to this quality
experience. It's leaves and flowers embellish the space. Additionally,
it's scent appeals to the sense of smell, and finally and most
importantly, it provides a natural shade relieve from the summer heat.

We believe that the innovative form as well as the way in which it
unites nature, architecture, and perception can be inspirational for
many other developments.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
The
geodesic dome project was initiated as a project to include
disadvantaged youth in cultural experiences and into the job market. By
working together, with AFAS we could create a meaningful building,
benefiting an organization working with handicapped people. During the
building stage, the disadvantaged youth had the chance to work together
with, and to experience the living with handicapped people by sweating,
eating and celebrating together.

In the long run, the building will serve as a meeting place for people
impaired and not impaired, as it is designed especially as a meeting
space for visitors of AFAS facilities, where visitors such as school
groups meet the users of the center.

We believe that the inclusion of disadvantaged youth and impaired people
in such a highly demanding project of craftsmanship is something
exceptional, not many school projects achieve.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
The initiative was created after a participatory needs analysis conducted
by MES Students staying at our partner school in Tomelloso/Spain. The
contact to AFAS was established by our partner school IES Francisco
García Pavón. During a school exchange program, students of MES visited
AFAS and asked if we could build something useful at their facilities.
After some deliberations and site inspections, AFAS came up with the
idea of building a shade roof that could be used as a meeting place at
their greenhouse and riding facilities outside Tomelloso. After
returning home, we experimented with different shapes and consulted AFAS
in the process until finally agreeing on the geodome pergola.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
s
explained above, the local stakeholders in Spain involved were AFAS
association and our partner school.
At European level, we secured the support of Erasmus+ program which
decided to support the project by paying the travel expenses of our
participants in Spain.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
n
this project, we united capacities from a wide array of disciplines.
Apart from the demanding woodworking and carpentry, we had to rely on
expertise and contributions from different fields at our school and
beyond:
In the first place, this was a major pedagogical endeavor of our team of
teachers and social workers, as it was very hard to involve these
disadvantaged youths in the project over a long time, because they
initially often displayed negative attitudes and behavior or were just
afraid. Secondly, it was a major logistical enterprise to build
something so difficult in a foreign country. For over 2 years, we were
shipping and organizing tools and materials to be on site during the
mobility stage. This demanded management skills as well as language
skills. We also relied on our engineering department to calculate the
exact measurements and angles of the parts, and build jigs that would
make it possible for our participants to cut the exact length and angles
using imperfect recycled materials. Moreover, we had arts and social
science teachers involved in completing this technical project with
participatory visits to globally acclaimed museums and UNESCO world
heritage sites. AFAS contributed with their gardening expertise and
provided heavy machinery such as trucks and tractors and a scaffolding.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
We believe that the most distinguishing feature of our project is to
involve disadvantaged youth in a technically highly demanding building
project and that the project directly benefits the community, providing a
space for the encounter of handicapped people and the often prejudiced
youths.
We took these young people out of the school context where they have
often experienced failure and let them be part of something meaningful.
At the same time, we create learning opportunities combining different
fields of knowledge.

As they are often perceived as difficult and unreliable, it is not a
common procedure to engage VET orientation students into international
cooperation or take them on international exchange or study trips
abroad. On mainstream professional orientation courses, participants
often work on small scale projects reproducing simple preestablished patterns.
In contrast, in this project, we set out to create something meaningful and new, even for the instructors. This made the participants experience
that they could have a positive impact on their environment by making an effort and working together as a team.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
This
project is, or course, not easily transferrable to other schools or contexts. It was especially designed to cater for the needs of the
participants and the beneficiaries, as well as the local challenges and resources available.

However, the lesson that engaging challenging students in meaningful activities and projects can have a very positive impact, is something
that we've definitely learned from this project: Project education works, especially if you think big and in a creative way!

We feel, it is possible to adapt the methodology or the technical features to other contexts.

Currently, for example, we are working on smaller models of geodesic domes that can easily assembled by kindergarten or primary school
children. We believe that our students can be good role models and teach younger children how to build these structures

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
Pedagogically, this project has helped us to offer a more integrated way of teaching, involving many 'classical' school subjects into one common project.
Instead of the bilateral (or top down) student teacher relation, we wanted to become a team mastering a common challenge and exploring new
horizons.

Another approach we used a lot was the students-teach-students approach.
For example, we had advanced Spanish and ICT students involved in preparing the participants for the building stage abroad. Some of the
activities carried out by other students were: teaching basic Spanish language and intercultural skills and producing presentation videos in
Spanish.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
hrough the geodome project, we directly address and fight climate change by
using recycled materials and avoiding resource intensive ways of
construction. The choice of a living green cover of locally adapted
plants makes the construction water saving and provides a natural
cooling. In this way, the constriction adapts to climate change in a
resource saving way.

By directly involving and promoting recent migrants, less educated and less wealthy participants, as well as handicapped people, we also address some of the most pressing social challenges of a diverging world society. Through our project, we bridged the gap between cultures, rich
and poor, impaired and not impaired, and created a democratic and accessible place for the encounter of people at the grassroots.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
The dome was inaugurated in April 2022. The jasmine plants are growing, and the construction is already in use.

In the future, we envisage to further embellish the surroundings by landscaping activities and build some outdoor furniture to complete the dome.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
Web link
Web link
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
Our initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability by mobilizing national and EU funds to invest in green and sustainable equipment, by using local resources and infrastructure and creating a supportive learning environment for
sustainability. We link different educational institution using a hands-on learning interdisciplinary learning approach that actively involves students and staff, local authorities and social organizations.

We belive the dome project ...

- is learner-centered, engaging, positive and based on real-life
experiences
- fosters collaboration and partnerships in local and wider communities
- involves young people in meaningful ways
- builds sustainability competencies
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes