Ideas submitted to the Future Proofing Schools Design Ideas Competition responded to a complex brief which outlined best international practices in education, prefabrication, sustainable design and landscape integration.

An international jury chose an ‘app’ by Architectus as winner in the Melbourne School of Design’s competition to revolutionise thehumble re-locatable classroom.

Another notable entry came from the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA), which received a Jury Special Mention in December last year after entering a new concept in classroom design aiming to be sustainable, cost–effective and adaptable to different climatic and teaching situations. (pictured below. Images LAVA)

The title of the project is ‘Classroom of the Future’ and a range of green elements were used in the design including modular roofing and solar panels linked with hot water cylinders. There is also a water collection membrane and a light-weight structure that has thermal mass and is well ventilated.

Chris Bosse whose credits include the Watercube at the Beijing Olympics, is a director at LAVA, who says that the traditional portable classroom of a square box with a teacher at the front is ‘old fashioned’ as well as ‘unsightly… cheap and unpleasant.”

Bosse said the competition was sparked by the recent initiatives in building and infrastructure led by the governments’ Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan which has so far funded 24 000 infrastructure projects across 9500 schools Australia-wide.

The conceptual building had no estimated cost value but due to the pre-fabricated nature it can be assembled off-site therefore reducing construction costs.

“The idea was to come up with a new generation of schools.” Bosse said.