On any given school day, over 1 billion children around the world head to class. More children and adolescents today are enrolled in pre-primary, primary, and secondary education than ever before. Yet, for many of them, schooling does not lead to learning – and this was before COVID-19 shuttered schools and disrupted learning across the globe, creating an urgent need to reimagine education. 

With its campaign ‘Education for All’, UNICEF aims to educate children and help them find a school, making them capable of effectively facing the burgeoning challenges of the changing world.

Despite its significance, millions around the world lose the opportunity to learn, owing to inaccessible locations and lack of facilities, a situation that needs immediate attention and remediation.

With the COVID-19 pandemic transforming society in many ways, it has utterly disrupted the education systems adding to the pre-existing problems. There is a proven link between a well-designed building and a sense of belonging and wellbeing for pupils and their educational attainment. 

This has presented an opportunity to retool reimagine schools that not only foster a good educative space but also establish a sense of community and social value adhering to the new challenges caused by the pandemic.

Challenge

We believe that architecture and design can considerably help in rebuilding children’s lives around the world by bringing education closer to them. Spaces have a great impact on the lives of the people that inhabit them and by designing one that imparts education; millions of children can be benefited.

It is our responsibility as designers to redefine our role in the process of tackling social issues using design as a primary tool. The participants are to design a multifunctional educational space to accommodate a capacity of 200 students from the age group of 5 to 11 years. These spaces should also function as an interactive space for the local community post-school hours.

The chosen site should be in a region where education is inaccessible. The built-up area of the school should not exceed 500 square meters. The designed spaces should be innovative, encourage learning for children as well as strengthen the communal spirit while also maintaining some sense of social distancing. The space should incite a healthy dialogue amongst the local communities. These spaces can work in unison during school hours or after. Thus, enhancing social development.

Participants should not only consider classroom areas, but also the in-between spaces for informal learning and quiet places while designing. The approach is to extend learning outside the classrooms as well, into the landscape by providing alternative spaces for recreational activities. 

We encourage the participants to develop their own program. The spaces designed should not be limited to the standard activities viz. educational spaces, sanitary and administrative areas; the designs should promote innovative activities that stimulate accelerated learning and development.

The competition aims to focus on architecture and infrastructure as an instrument of social change.

Site Selection

The participants are to select a remote location that needs accessibility to education. The entries will be evaluated on the basis of the site justification given.

Awards

Prizes of total USD 4000, broken as follows.

1st prize USD 2000 + Certificate + Publication

2nd prize USD 1200 + Certificate + Publication

3rd prize USD 800 + Certificate + Publication

10 Honourable mentions: Certificates 

Winners and Honourable Mentions will be published on Volume Zero website and several international architecture and design magazines. 

To show our appreciation, all the participants would receive participation certificate.

Schedule

Early Bird Registration: 13th November 2022 to 21st January 2022

Standard Registration:  22nd January 2022 to 24th February 2022

Last Day for Queries: 19th February 2022

Closing Date for Submission:  3rd March 2022

Announcement of Winners:  5th May 2022

Fees

Early Bird Registrations: 

Participants from India: 1800 + 18% Tax (per team)

Participants from other countries: USD 70+ 18% Tax (per team)

Regular Registrations:

Participants from India: 2400 + 18% Tax (per team)

Participants from other countries: USD 85 + 18% Tax (per team)

Eligibility

Re-School 2021 - Architecture Competition is open to all, irrespective of their professions or qualifications, to join the competition and present their ideas. Alongside individual entries, team entries are also allowed. A team can have a maximum of three participants. Interdisciplinary teams are also welcome to join.

For more information, please visit the competition's website.

Top image courtesy of Volume Zero.

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