How to increase access to education around the world? This is the question that the futuristic Pilgrim Skyscraper project by Michal Wachura and Kamil Wróbel of the Silesian University of Technology seeks to answer. Their idea received an honorable mention in this year's eVolo competition.
eVolo is a competition dedicated to architecture and design, focusing on technological progress, sustainability and innovative design for the 21st century. The competition aims to promote and discuss the most avant-garde ideas created in schools and professional studios around the world. Established in 2006, the annual award recognizes visionary ideas that, through innovative use of technology, materials, programs and aesthetics, change the way we see vertical architecture and its relationship to the urban fabric and the natural environment.
Pilgrim Skyscraper project received an honorable mention
© Michal Wachura, Kamil Wróbel
honorable mention for polish students
This year, 492 projects were submitted to the competition, from which the jury consisting of: Koray Duman (Büro Koray Duman), Reza Najafian (ReNa Design), Arto Ollila (Aarti Ollila Ristola), Eric Parry (Eric Parry Architects), Isa Ye (Young Bird Plan) selected three winners and twenty honorable mentions. Among the honorable mentions was the Pilgrim Skyscraper project, by Polish students, which touches on the problem of education in less developed countries. The work was developed under the scientific supervision of Janusz Poznanski of the Silesian University of Technology.
The task of the project is to create educational centers
© Michal Wachura, Kamil Wróbel
Today, the world's illiteracy problem affects more than 700 million people, and almost three times as many do not have access to a stable education system. Without such a foundation, people are cut off from information and knowledge, and thus become more vulnerable to manipulation, social inequality, exploitation, objectification and even slavery.
We believe that each of the above-mentioned problems can be solved in two ways: on an ad hoc basis - through policies and recovery programs, and on a long-term basis - by providing the necessary knowledge and tools to regions of the world that need support. This will raise the level of self-awareness and sense of global community. This grassroots proposal also helps address issues such as mass migration, climate change and the post-pandemic economic crisis, the authors say.
students proposed to build a knowledge bank
© Michal Wachura, Kamil Wróbel
the solution is education
The project by Kamil Wróbel and Michal Wachura consists of three stages: the first is the production of specialized research and education units in assembly towers. The second is the transportation of the units using flying modules with a carrier system based on airship technology to selected locations on the globe. The units would reach places where learning systems do not exist or are at a low level. The third stage is the creation of educational centers that will give access to the knowledge, tools and technologies of the modern world, providing opportunities to level the playing field.
The project consists of three stages: production, transportation and creation of educational centers
© Michal Wachura, Kamil Wróbel
knowledge bank
The students proposed to build a knowledge bank, which is located in places far from civilization. The bank stores knowledge in digital form in underground server rooms and produces flying modules for specific tasks in an assembly tower. A designed vertical warehouse allows for the storage of parts and the construction of units in the form of a vertical production line. Each level of the workshop is prepared for the installation of categorized module parts. Construction begins on the +2 level and ends on the roof. On the roof of the tower is an airstrip where modules are put together into a larger package. They are then picked up by drones, which are responsible for delivering the data cloud to its destination.
The modules can be transported to different parts of the world
© Michal Wachura, Kamil Wróbel
educational modules
The carrier, or standard module, consists of three parts: the first is the functional zone, the second is the technical-communication zone and the load-bearing zone. The type of foundation, thickness and material of the walls or ceiling are selected according to the challenges of the particular climate for which it will be designed. The modules are designed to work in any climate and can be expanded to form research centers, schools, field laboratories, relief centers, hospitals, greenhouses, etc. Each of the new centers is equipped with a research core for measuring and reporting ecosystem parameters.
The modules can be expanded to form, for example, research centers
© Michal Wachura, Kamil Wróbel
We believe that by educating people around the world, we can deeply heal the red zone areas on our planet. Education and science as a modern luxury commodity will become available to everyone. This will significantly increase environmental awareness, but also restore the subjectivity of each individual, and thus open the door to a more democratic, sustainable and peaceful world, the authors conclude.
