ONCE UPON A TIME | Giovanni Agrò

“ONCE UPON A TIME, in Hiddi and Dillu kebele, there were many children who did not have anywhere where to play, learn and have fun. They were not the only ones though! Their parents and friends needed a place to learn too, and we all know you never stop learning. Luckily, one day, Abay and ArchStorming made their dream come true! They made appear two preschool sites, where no one was left behind. The two sites differed considerably in their sizes; however, the organisation of both floor plans offered a cosy semi-closed shape. This was giving a sensation of familiarity, and protection but at the same time plenty of space for the children to run and jump. There was something that made the preschools even more special… They were modular.

Not only were the buildings modular, but the foundations too! The foundations were prefabricated blocks of reinforced concrete with steel bars, therefore it was possible to fit them together like Lego pieces. This offered the possibility to create modules of different shapes and dimensions easily. The prefabricated blocks were preferred instead of the standard technique of pouring concrete directly into the soil because the foundations could be reused and re-organised.

That had minimised concrete waste and ensured durability and flexibility, whenever more children wanted to attend the preschool. The classrooms were intentionally kept separate, creating a secret place between them, where to hide desks, chairs and every sort of thing. 

The adults were welcomed too in the preschools because some of the rooms could transform. The dining room, with its square shape and open space, was used for many different purposes. More events could be held at the same time, thanks to the nibs which did support the structure, but also could naturally divide the space simply using movable wooden screens.

Hiddi and Dillu had spaces for both leisure and chore activities, accommodating football and volleyball fields, a vegetable garden and coral.
And they lived learning and joying ever after.

Once Upon a Time is a realistic project, aware of the poor conditions and lack of infrastructure for children and adults’ education. For this reason, it is a simple and basic project, which uses local and natural resources where possible. Once Upon a Time is seen as just the beginning of a brighter future, a tale that the children of today will tell to the children of tomorrow.”

The text has been shown as per the competition submission. It has been conceived as a story, both for children and adults, to explain something difficult to understand otherwise. Mainly, the story is for the children who will be thrown into an imaginary world and a “realistic” future, where everything they need to get to learn and enjoy is there within their grasp and their dreams. More detailed information is shown on the drawings as construction and planning strategies.