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The main focus of this project idea is based on mobility and transformability that can be used in educational crises and emergencies to provide knowledge which is the pillar of society.
One of the crises that we are dealing with at the moment is the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian refugees tend to migrate mostly to neighboring countries, and according to the statistics, Germany is one of the most desired ones, although its educational facilities were overcrowded even before the Ukrainian refugees.
In a state of emergency, everything should be easily assembled, disassembled, and transformed. Emergency means feasibility, a practical design solution that should be simple and sustainable.
For the educational crisis of the Ukrainian refugees and overcrowded educational facilities, we propose a mobile school that can be transported to different locations and can be ready to use in numerous situations. This structure can also be applied worldwide wherever there is a need for this kind of emergency architectural intervention.
This proposal for a mobile school is a caravan that consists of six trailers that can be transformed into multiple spatial variations.
Flexibility and transformability are important because in that way the installation can adapt to its surroundings. It is even possible to form “internal” spaces for socialization.
Four of the trailers are designed as fold-construction tents that can be opened up to become two classrooms, a library, and a computer room. The classrooms can also be joined and used as one room, as well as a dormitory space during the night. The tents are easily assembled using the force of the vehicles. The other two trailers consist of toilets, a small kitchen, and a back-office room which can also be used as storage when the school is transported. The idea is for the school to be self-sustainable by implementing solar panels and rainwater collectors at the top of the trailers.
emergency
resilience
transformability
education
mobility
The project can contribute to the overall sustainability of a city through several aspects. It is self-sustaining, meaning it includes its own rainwater collector and solar panels. The whole structure is fully prefabricated and produced in a factory, which produces minimal waste. No permanent space is occupied by the vehicles. The structures are easily demountable and movable, so they can be used in different ways and for different functions. The materials used can be recycled. All these aspects contribute to environmental sustainability, by preserving the percentage of green space, and they can especially contribute to the social sustainability of a city by providing access to services within a short distance and citizen participation.
Lastly, the fast assembly, disassembly, and movability of the caravan contribute to a quick reaction during crisis situations, which adds to the resilience of a city and quickly bounces back when some disturbance happens.
The aesthetic of the movable school is expressed through its simple design and it is tightly intertwined with functionality. The movable school can adapt to different existing contexts. Different spatial configurations can be achieved and with that, the structure can be adapted to multiple programs. Its configuration can form open spaces for social interactions, enabling them to experience both indoor and outdoor learning spaces.
The core principle of the project is “design for all, equality for all”. The project can help in providing education in critical situations, by making the educational facilities easily accessible to all. This is a solution that can be used in transitional periods after earthquakes, during wars, refugee crises, or simply to solve the problem of overcrowding of existing facilities. It can be implemented in big cities, small cities end even remote villages, so it really is a design that can fit everywhere and everyone.
In places where the education system can collapse as a result of a lack of school facilities for the current number of students (as in migration situations), the proposed mobile structures can come into help by facilitating part of the schooling process as long as it is needed, rather than building a permanent building that may be useless after the influx drops. With this, the citizens and the migrants will be able to enjoy the right to education and/or transition schooling period, without any due and without affecting the environment with new permanent buildings. This can be applied as well in other facility crises since the proposed mobile structure can be easily adapted, dissembled, and assembled in a different location according to the needs.
The impact of small-scale interventions can be meaningful and might have a global impact in the long run. Having in mind the benefits and the usage possibilities of the mobile structure, mentioned above, this structure might be requested for several instances following the need of having a certified production company for its production. This production can engage the stakeholders at a national level, while the local and regional government, citizens, and NGOs will be engaged by securing and suggesting locations for this type of intervention.
The added value of this engagement can be economical, logistical, and resilient.
For a well-rounded design, different fields should be involved and collaborate during the entire process. The bellow mentioned fields are seen as crucial, and the added value of their collaboration process is mutual and simple – a useful and successful design.
Architects – responsible for the idea of this concept, managing the development process of the project with the other involved experts and disciplines.
Mechanical engineers – applying the concept idea into development plans, exploring the possible ways of transformation of the structure and its self-sustainability (solar panels, water collectors...)
Sociologists, psychologists, and educators - consultants of these fields may benefit in the development process and the phase of prototype testing in a real situation with the community, together with the architects, finding the best ways for it to be accepted and used by the community.
While there exist initiatives for emergency cases like shelters or temporary housing, the innovative character of this project is the aspect of mobility which enables the structure to be quickly transportable from one place to another. It is an advantage in emergency cases, everything to be easily assembled, disassembled, and transformed. Another innovative aspect of this mobile school is transformability, where the six trailers can be transformed into multiple spatial variations according to the needs of the group of people that will temporarily use it. Flexibility and transformability are important because in that way the installation can adapt to its surroundings.
It presents a simple solution that can impact creating and rethinking new ways of architectural concepts that are mobile, transformable, and self-sustainable.
The whole concept of this mobile school, from its construction logic to its implementation, can be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries, and contexts. It can be applied worldwide whenever there is a need for this kind of emergent architectural intervention.
The global challenges that this project idea addresses are:
- Not enough access to educational facilities in different emergency cases or crises
- Contribution to more inclusive societies that fight together all the natural or political obstacles
- Rethinking architecture and searching for “different” architecture models in practice, while experimenting with concepts like mobility and transformability as important factors for sustainable and resilient spatial solutions for critical situations.
