United Kingdom

Georgia

The film documents the journey of a coat worn by various people.

India

A school is built just minutes away from Dhorkin Tanda, a hamlet in Maharashtra inhabited by sugarcane-cutting labor near Paithan, Aurangabad. The district had one school accommodating a total of 30 students, which was dilapidated over time. What the old structure lacked, the new structure had it hacked: ample lighting and ventilation achieved with the help of vaulted roofs, 140 sq ft stand-alone sanitation facility, a kitchen area of 95 sq ft for mid-day meals, and an overall conducive environment for knowledge to reside in and foster with the ‘play and learn’ ideology. The vaulted school is designed to evoke and satisfy the curiosities children are capable of, and answers them in the most natural way possible: the breeze on their faces that flows because of the Venturi effect, the green buffer zones that cut off the UV radiations, and the importance of planting native flora and fauna in and around the school. The planning provides ample space for one of the most essential needs of a school—the playground, tucked on one side of the site. The overall site of 3000 sq ft offers a 420 sq ft classroom equipped with storage shelves for books and educational toys, a 95 sq ft staff room for the teachers, designed with storage units for examination papers and academic journals, and lastly, 205 sq ft multi-purpose hall which doubles up as an additional classroom or a dining hall if and when need be. All these spaces are carefully designed in the 1110 sq ft built-up area the premise offers. The classroom’s orientation responds evidently to the breeze pattern and sun path. Considering the soil conditions present, a pile foundation is constructed to strengthen the substructure on which the load-bearing brick walls find their ground. The process is furthered with the vaulted metal sheet roof that minimizes the heavy structural cost and makes the form structurally rigid with minimal support. As one looks deeper into the shape of the structure and the design of the classrooms, the semi-circular volumes serve as noise buffers to the disturbances caused by vehicles passing by on the adjacent side of the road. A free path for ventilation and light is created by the high ceilings, which on the outer side are made up of non-reflective roofing material to reduce heat gain. Each and every wall is painted with pieces of information the child will imbibe even while sitting idly; one of the prominent being a depiction of The Big Dipper on the classroom’s low-height ceilings which is a craft intervention made by inserting an acrylic rod within the slab. Waste stone pieces are used for flooring, and are painted with mathematical learnings and traditional floor games to utilise the flooring area at its best. Moreover, the playground, just like the classroom, is a product of psychologically backed design thinking, subtly introducing the concept of an amphitheater to its tiny users. The steps under the overhang double up as seats for when the school is to conduct a recreational activity that requires staging and audience areas. The superstructure revolves around recycled timber, cycle rim, plastic bottles, and eco-bricks as infill materials to bridge the gap between technicalities and aesthetics. The project was completed over a period of 6 months under a budget of ₹25,00,000, with a vision to build a sustainable and eco-friendly school, which can become an example for other villages. While following the precept of maximizing the use with minimal available resources, it empowers the community through involvement of local volunteers in a construction that advocates a sustainable design concept in a remote and environmentally fragile location. The school utilizes local materials and construction techniques to derive a role model structure that not only reduces the dependency on conventional water and electricity sources in the village through innovative design but also evolves from a strong set of noble parameters—of climate responsiveness, resource availability, affordable building, and constructional feasibility. Lastly, while taking care of all needs and inclusions, the structure does not fail to accommodate physically disabled students, making it a design worth taking ahead.

Albania

A short film created as a spontaneous action of inclusion of a local taxi driver into the conversation of foreign passengers, three friends. Although we didn’t speak the same language as him, in this short moment in time we let the music he likes become our way of silent communication with him. ‘Marjana therras’ is a personal, poetic view of Tirana, where different simultaneous scenes in a symbolic try to evoke different emotions; scenes of old photographs and bucolic nostalgia, contrasted by estranged people on the streets looking at their phones. While I was staying in Tirana I had a strong feeling of empathy towards older, local people. I saw that often they don’t speak any foreign languages, while at the same time, because of economic challenges Albanian people face they are “forced to” work with tourists. As Tirana is rapidly growing and changing, the city center is full of foreigners, both investors and tourists. Local people don’t take a taxi — they take a bus or they drive a taxi. Local people often don’t go out to eat in restaurants — the eat at home or they work in restaurants. Economic differences between local people and foreigners are felt in all areas of life. In Tirana, I had a strong feeling that local people from Tirana often feel as second-grade citizens in their own city, “occupied” by English-speaking foreigners, surrounded by fancy shops and restaurants, which they, local people — can’t afford. This short film is a documentation of one humble effort of trying to make a local taxi driver feel like he’s at home in his own city, by a simple act of showing an interest in his culture through his own personal — music playlist.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s education culture is built in a way that after graduation from high school those who are capable of having to move to Baku for university education and eventually to start a “better” life there. It is mostly because, unfortunately, there are not many opportunities for young people in the other districts of the country and the decentralization process is very slow in the regions. The situation makes many young people leave their life behind and start a new beginning in a huge and gray city. Many things do not translate the same when you move from a district where life is slower, nature is beautiful and green, people are kinder and know each other and most importantly there is a sense of community around the neighborhood you used to live in. In return, Baku is very hectic, the weather is toxic, people always rush somewhere and the high buildings and city infrastructure leave you with minimum contact with people and nature. Most women who have mental health problems such as general anxiety and depression find it hard to adapt to a new toxic environment. Most women also feel more insecure about their safety and security in Baku due to the higher chances of harassment compared to the regions. The sense of being a “stranger” to a big city you newly moved in also adds up to the general anxiety and mental health problems. Some spaces help to relax and find peace such as the shore of the Caspian Sea. However, it is getting increasingly crowded and dirtier every other day. Conditions in the country leave many young people with little to no choice but to move to the capital city at some point in their lives. The city design with its many problems from transport to overpopulation makes it hard for most to adapt.

Spain