Madagascar has a severe school shortage. According to the non-profit Thinking Huts, the country requires roughly 22,000 new schools to address congestion, and the present great distances pupils must travel. The organization has constructed the first in a planned series of 3D-printed schools to solve this issue.

Bougainvillea is the name of the first 3D-printed school located in Fianarantsoa, a city in south-central Madagascar. It was supposed to be the first 3D-printed school in the world, but another school in Malawi beat it to the punch.

Its originally planned corrugated metal roof has been replaced with a wood roof. Solar panels or rainwater collection may be included in later iterations. However, the building’s basic honeycomb shape remains, and the interior is a simple single-story structure that measures around 700 sq ft (65 sq m) and can accommodate about 30 pupils.

The construction method was similar to earlier 3D-printed architecture projects we’ve covered, with a 3D printer extruding a cement-like substance from a nozzle in a pattern to build up the primary walls over 18 hours.

Madagascan builders then completed the project by adding a roof, door, and windows, all of which were constructed locally, and installing any necessary furniture. The project took three weeks to complete, including the effort of the human workers.

Thinking Huts plans to expand this initial school and establish additional where they are needed throughout Madagascar and possibly elsewhere worldwide. “Hut v1.0 (‘Bougainvillea’) will be replicated in both urban and rural locations where the need is greatest as Thinking Huts localizes the design based on community feedback and environmental considerations. Scaled honeycomb campuses of multiple connecting Huts are next on the roadmap.” Thinking Huts explained.

“Drawing inspiration from the beehive, it symbolizes bringing together people to form a community that only thrives if everyone works towards a shared mission. In addition, 3D printing allows for a reduction of construction waste and time.”

The initiative was developed in partnership with Defining Humanity’s Bruno Silva and Yash Mehta, the university Ecole de Management et d’Innovation Technologique, and 14Trees (which also built the school mentioned above in Malawi).