A University of Minnesota architecture grad student has designed a unique elementary school and clinic, and now he's part of a team that's raising money to build it in an Ethiopian village.
The project started when Andrew Blaisdell was connected through the College of Design with Wosen Kifle, a Minneapolis resident and Ethiopia native who was looking for help designing a facility for his family's land near Addis Ababa.
Blaisdell made the school project the centerpiece of his thesis, focusing specifically how a school could be designed to reflect changing technology and encourage learning through curiosity. His paper revolves around the theory that computers are going to make all information accessible to everyone within a couple of decades, and how that will change the role of a teacher.
The initial expectation was for a very modern, very Western-style building, but, says Blaisdell, "As you can see from the
renderings I've put on the website, it's anything but western."
The open structure is made from compressed earth block, a labor-intensive but low-cost material that is widely available in the area. One of the centerpieces of the design is a wall of television-shaped cubby holes, where Blaisdell imagines students could place interesting things they discover to share with their peers.
Kifle has set up a nonprofit, and he and Blaisdell are trying to make the school a reality by raising $470,000 through its website,
http://www.furischool.org.
Source: Andrew Blaisdell
Writer:
Dan Haugen