{"id":100893,"date":"2021-11-12T09:15:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T14:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/?p=100893"},"modified":"2021-11-12T17:04:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T22:04:32","slug":"3d-printed-schools-thinking-huts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/industry\/3d-printed-schools-thinking-huts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Architecture: How 3-D Printing Can Transform Access to Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have a project that uses innovative construction methods or unlocks new ways to build? \u00a0<\/strong>Consider entering the brand new\u00a0Architecture +Experimental Design<\/strong><\/i> or <\/i>Architecture +New Technology <\/strong><\/i><\/b>categories in Architizer\u2019s <\/i>10th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Start Your Submission Today<\/a><\/p>\n

Six years ago, when she was a sophomore in highschool, Maggie Grout approached her father to voice a frustration. Given the advanced technology that we have today, why weren’t more technological innovations humanitarian-driven?<\/p>\n

Fast forward six years and Maggie’s established non-profit, Thinking Huts, is breaking ground on their highly anticipated 3D printed school in Madagascar. With a focus on education in Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 50% of youth aren’t in school, her organization is harnessing 3D printing to make a difference in an area of the world that most designers overlook. The impact will be resounding \u2014 and replicable across the continent.<\/p>\n

There are 34 million out-of-school children in sub-Saharan Africa; many remain uneducated simply by virtue of the fact that the nearest education centers require long, dangerous walks of up to 9 miles. While traditional construction methods take months or even years, Thinking Huts’ stroke of genius is a hybrid design that combines 3D printed walls with locally sourced materials. The former decreases construction time from months to days, and the latter reduces the buildings’ carbon footprint by using less concrete than other methods, as well as emitting less carbon dioxide compared to traditional concrete. Taking a beehive as inspiration, the design anticipates the attachment of additional schools as the community grows.<\/p>\n

Thinking Huts positions architecture as the nexus of social justice, technological innovation, and models for sustainable growth aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty in some of the world’s remote regions. In the following article, Maggie Grout discusses the collaborations with designers and technology partners that have helped to make her dream a reality, as well as the need for more awareness about humanitarian-driven design.<\/p>\n