in april 2016, knitknot ? an international collective of architects, urban planners, artists, and thinkers ? unveiled plans for a low-cost school via designboom?s reader submissions. the design team were crowdfunding the project, and were seeking $24,000 USD to complete the scheme. more than two years later, having secured the required funds, the architects behind the ambitious project have shared the first images of the school as it enters its second academic year.

the school is located in el jicarito, a tiny village in nicaragua
image by silvio balladares
 
 
the prototypical project, which knitknot completed alongside local NGO seeds of learning, is located in el jicarito ? a tiny village of just 250 residents in nicaragua. before the school was built, the rural community?s 27 children received classes in a makeshift hut as the nearest primary school was a 1.5 kilometer (1 mile) walk away along difficult roads. as a result, many children did not attend school or dropped out before they completed 6th grade.
the community has a population of 250 people who are mostly farmers
image by silvio balladares
 
 
the school comprises two classrooms, for kindergarten and elementary school students, as well as a multipurpose space and a shared playground. the scheme seeks to explore new building systems to facilitate more participatory and sustainable methods of construction. ?in other words,? say the architects, ?this project is to be understood not only as a building, but ...