2021 Classroom of the Future Competition
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AIA San Francisco Announces Awardees of the 2021 Classroom of the Future Competition

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AIA San Francisco Announces Awardees of the 2021 Classroom of the Future Competition

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) September 9, 2021, | AIA San Francisco (AIASF) is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2021 Future Classroom Competition, an ideas competition spearheaded by AIASF’s Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE). This year’s recipients include two teams: Berliner Architects in the Professional Category, and Team Delta from BRAC University in the Student Category.

For the Professional Category, the five-person team from Berliner Architects was selected for their “Learning Everywhere” idea, which is a “Mobile Strategy for Pedagogy at School, at Home, on Field Trips, and in Transit”. The team, comprised of Richard Berliner AIA, Eric Rutgers AIA, Tannaz Mohtasebi, Ian Fitzpatrick, Miguel Lamas and Kai Telless, stated that “Learning Everywhere is the natural progression of the shift from lecture-based classroom instruction to an individualized, project-based pedagogy, taking advantage of new technologies that enable remote and individualized learning everywhere.” Their winning proposal took inspiration from public television’s Magic Schoolbus and delighted jury members with its playful yet practical approach.

For the Student Category, the four-person team from BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, comprised of Sohana Khan, Mahzabin Marium, Syed Tawsif Munawar, and Ishrak Shalih Talukder, developed “The Classroom for Future in Rural Context of Bangladesh.” The team explored ideas of creating flexible, resilient classrooms for elementary grade students in the context of rural Bangladesh. Their concept employs local vernacular forms and traditional modes of teaching to address the current pandemic, along with many other demands, noting that “before the pandemic hit, the students went to schools which were quite far from their houses. So, a new learning environment can be created. It will be play-based learning.”

Awardees of the 2021 Classroom of the Future Competition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Awardee Projects Pictured, Left: Berliner Architects “Learning Everywhere”, Right: Team Delta, BRAC University “The Classroom for Future in Rural Context of Bangladesh.”

The 2021 Future Classrooms Competition featured a diverse range of ideas and was juried virtually by four esteemed experts in education and architecture. The 2021 jurors included Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Principal of Mark Cavagnero Associates, Dr. Shabnam Koirala-Azad, Dean of the School of Education, University of San Francisco, Tom Rockwell, Senior Creative Director for Global Collaborations, Exploratorium, and Brett Schilke, Faculty at Singularity University, Founder of Irresistible Futures Lab, and Education Strategist at the Center for Humane Technology.

The 2021 Future Classrooms Competition was envisioned as an opportunity to broaden the conversation around how we teach and learn, and the environments that support the same. Participants were encouraged to think big picture about the long-term implications of creating safe space and submit a vision for the classroom, school, or campus of the future with an eye to potential topics of community building, equity, health, and wellness, personal vs. shared space, flexibility, resilience, and technology.

AIASF and the Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) will be hosting a panel discussion on September 21, 2021, as part of the annual Architecture + the City Festival. The panel will include members of the competition jury and representatives from the two winning teams. This discussion will expand on the awarded design concepts and explore the future of learning environments and how we can create safe spaces for education.

For more information about Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) please visit https://aiasf.org/member-services/committees/cae/

For more information about the panel discussion on September 21, 2021, please visit the Architecture + the City Festival Calendar of Events https://www.archandcity.org/calendar-of-events

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Serving the Bay Area for nearly 150 years, the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco (AIASF), is committed to enhancing the quality of life in the Bay Area by promoting excellence in architecture, design, and the built environment. AIASF represents members practicing architecture, as well as allied community professionals in San Francisco and Marin counties. As a resource for our members and the public, AIA San Francisco strives to improve the quality of life in the Bay Area through community involvement, education, advocacy, public outreach, and member services.

AIA San Francisco is working with Aidlin Darling Design, BCCI, Salter, and a Dream Team of collaborators to bring to life the Center for Architecture + Design, a new 10,000 square foot cultural destination located on the ground floor of the historic landmark Hallidie Building. The Center for Architecture + Design will inform, educate, and inspire new ideas about architecture and design in the Bay Area and will serve as the new headquarters for AIA San Francisco.

About the Center for Architecture + Design | www.centersf.org, https://aiasf.org/futurehq | Instagram Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
The Center for Architecture + Design (the Center) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to creating a public-focused dialogue on architecture, design, and the built environment in the San Francisco Bay Area. Established in 2005, the Center enhances public appreciation for architecture and design through more than 400 virtual and in-person exhibitions, lectures, tours, film series, and other programs, including the annual Architecture + the City festival and San Francisco Living: Home Tours. Located within a 10,000 square foot storefront in the historic Hallidie Building designed by an exciting “Community of Builders,” spearheaded by Aidlin Darling Design, BCCI, and Salter, AIA San Francisco’s new Center for Architecture + Design will inform, educate, and inspire new ideas about architecture and design in the Bay Area.