PROJECT: MY Art Box Prefab Classroom
LOCATION: Anywhere accessible by truck or freight train.
MY Art Box Prefab Classroom is an in-house workshop study to develop a prefabricated classroom and multipurpose space that improves upon the typical portable classroom space. Much work needs done to improve this building type due to a wide range of problems including inadequate space, flexibility, natural light and ventilation. More importantly, the typical portable classroom lacks a sense of establishment which is inherent in a permanent school building and disenfranchises the student through the communities relatively poor investment into their educational experience. The classroom is the front line on developing tomorrows society. It is an environment in which we encounter every aspect of a child’s physical, psychological and emotional development. Their learning environment must represent our beliefs in a better tomorrow. This design is meant to push the barriers of how we think about portable classrooms and what advantages they can provide.
MY Art Box Prefab Classroom is a self contained “kit of parts” containing all components for a functional classroom building including plumbing, furnishings and finishes. This is a “right out of the box” classroom or studio space that can be up and running in short order and with little to no environmental impact. The structural assembly is of a steel braced frame sized to fit on a typical 18 wheel truck bed. The non-transparent skin and roofing systems are factory-mounted to provide additional bracing during transportation. Once placed on site, the prefab transparent panels are installed to complete the shell and temporary bracing is removed where the modular units link together and brace one another.
Sustainable strategies include an integrated solar harvesting and waste/water management systems to operate off the grid. An innovative skin technology called a “transparent” trombe wall. This is a dual glass system with encapsulated solar “fins” which harness the sun’s ultraviolet energy creating convection currents that passively move air within the space. Prefabrication itself is a more sustainable approach to construction due to the efficiency and quality available in factory which lend towards faster production, reduced waste and a consistent product.
Sakoian International is dedicated to research and development of building practices which reduce construction cost, waste and promote better quality control for the owner and occupant. Prefabrication methods like that found in MY Art Box Prefab Classroom, have these advantages and more. When available to the owner or contractor, this method should be carefully considered over in-field construction.
