facebooktwittertelegramwhatsapp
copy short urlprintemail
+ A
A -
webmaster
Tribune News Network
Doha
The Education Above All Foundation (EAA), founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, reaffirmed its commitment to taking meaningful action to provide out of school children (OOSC) with access to quality primary education, at the recently concluded World Innovation Summit on Education (WISE).
Deepening its network of innovative collaborations, EAA launched a new mobile classroom prototype, created in collaboration with the late Dame Zaha Hadid.
The classroom prototype was developed in partnership between EAA and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and due to be produced by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) – the organisation tasked with delivering the infrastructure and operations required for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The Supreme Committee has committed to fund a minimum of 100 structures. The classroom features a number of innovative design solutions that will allow it to function as both a learning space and community hub for those living through the realities of current day migration and displacement.
“Our approach was based on the objective of creating spaces that offer customised and transformative solutions focused on education and the support of students’ and communities’ social and emotional well-being,” said Charles Walker, director of Zaha Hadid Architects.
The classrooms represent the evolution in Hadid’s work with tented structures. They are constructed around the following criteria: feasibility, constructability, modularity, flexibility and thermal condition. The design and construction are economically viable, meeting the restraints of their surroundings, including available resources, material and labour.
Each 12 metres by eight metres module will serve as a classroom for 45 students. The modular system allows for flexibility in the assembling and dismantling processes and is optimised for flat-pack logistic demands.
The classroom prototype will also enhance the thermal performance of the currently available classrooms by addressing fabric quality, ventilation possibilities and lighting conditions.
To propel this project forward, EAA formed a partnership with the Supreme Committee.
“We have always said that our vision for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar would be to ensure a legacy was left long after the last ball has been kicked in 2022,” said Hassan al Thawadi, secretary-general of the Supreme Committee.
“This project with EAA and Zaha Hadid Architects perfectly captures that vision. Much like Qatar’s modular stadiums, these innovative structures have been designed with a legacy usage in mind and will be used during the tournament for a variety of purposes before being dismantled, repurposed and reconstructed into classrooms that will be donated to countries around the world and help thousands of out of school children,” he added.
The Supreme Committee, in partnership with EAA, has chosen the project as a key feature of its post-2022 sustainability legacy to further the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly important as Her Highness is a UN SDG Advocate for Quality Education (SDG4).
The converted classroom structures are planned to be deployed post-2022 in Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Palestine, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Uganda.
In another effort to reach OOSC, Director-General for Development Co-operation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Giorgio Marrapodi and Director of UNESCO Iraq Office Paolo Fontani and EAA Representative Leena al Derham agreed on the development of a joint project in Iraq and signed an agreement with both parties, with the support of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
Upon completion, the proposed project will rehabilitate 10 schools and provide 17,000 children in the governorates of Salah Al-Din and Baghdad with school kits and targeted enrolment campaigns.
copy short url   Copy
26/11/2019
649