The architectural project "100 Classrooms and Football Fields" for refugee children, run by the NGO Emergency Architecture and Human Rights (EAHR), recently won the "Building of the Year" award from Archdaily, one of the most widely read architectural websites in the world.
One of the world's most widely read architectural websites, Archdaily, recently gave its "Building of the Year 2018" award to an architectural project for refugees. The winning building is a school in the village of Zaatari in Jordan, which was built with simple materials and innovative design, by refugees and for refugees.
The project, called "100 Classrooms and Football Fields," was organised by the NGO Emergency Architecture and Human Rights (EAHR), and also won at the XX Architecture and Urbanism Biennial in Chile. It aims to give an entire generation of Syrian refugees a chance at education.
An opportunity for the community of Zaatari
Refugee children have difficulty accessing education, healthcare and safety, with two refugee minors out of three unable to continue their education due to the lack of adequate facilities. With these facts in mind, EAHR decided to launch its project in Zaatari, where a refugee camp hosts tens of thousands of people.
The first classroom built in the Jordanian village was completed in September 2017, in partnership with the local organisation founded by Syrian refugees called, Acting for Change. "When we visited Jordan in 2014, we realized that most of the problems related to education are outside and not inside the camps," EAHR Director Michele di Marco told the Jordan Times, explaining why the project was built in the village and not inside the refugee camp itself.
Efficient, sustainable architecture
The way that the project was actually built came through consultations with the local residents. "In their situation, refugees need simple, fast, low-cost and sustainable solutions, which is what we are providing with these classrooms," Di Marco said. That's where the decision to use the "SuperAdobe" design came from. The design, developed by architect Nader Khalili, uses long sandbags, barbed wire, soil, and a few simple tools. This innovative system is more efficient than traditional architecture and allows for an additional five to six degrees of heat in winter as well as a reduction of six to seven degrees in summer.
Local refugees were paid salaries for their work in building the structures, and local materials were used, with an average cost of 5,000 euros per classroom. "This way, we also help in providing by livelihood for the underprivileged host communities and refugees," Di Marco said. "It is amazing to see that a construction built by refugees, for refugees, has won this prestigious award."
"Syrian children and youth are at the verge of being a lost generation with a severe decrease in quality of life and a vivid perception of social injustice. We believe that education is key in creating change and strive to see every child having the right to education and the right to play," he said.