Winners of the Mongolian Cool School Design Challenge

After attracting more than 180 entries last month, the winning proposals have been announced for the Cool School Design Challenge, the Building Trust International's 6th international design competition. Entrants worldwide submitted their designs for an extreme climate-resilient school for 100 students in the community in Khovd, Mongolia, where local inhabitants have to face subzero temperatures during the winter months.

In the end of the competition, the jury — which comprised of representatives from Building Trust International, World Vision, UNICEF, The Mongolian Education Alliance, GIZ and most importantly the local Khovd Government and school committee — selected the proposal by  Kyle Wylde, Nathan Woodward, Stephen Hawkins, and Charley Burrough of UK-based architectural practice PLACE by Design as the winner. Nine honorable mentions were also announced.

Throughout this summer, Building Trust international will now work closely with World Vision Mongolia and local partners to eventually realize the winning design.

Check out the winning design below.

"Situated in the remote town of Khovd, at the foot of the Mongol Altai Mountains in western Mongolia, the current facilities at Tsast Altai school are dilapidated and out of date. The existing school building is the oldest in the area. More than 500 children squeeze into 8 dark classrooms daily, seeking out an education."

Winning project summary:

"The new extension incorporates the functions of two new class rooms with three integrated toilets, a ‘learning hub ‘(multi-functional room), storage and renovating of the existing store to provide more indoor toilets for the whole school. The experience of learning begins upon arrival on the school site, by the pedestrian access the volume of the hub stands proud."

"The 78m² hub provides a facility that the local community would own and be able to identify with, a ‘community learning hub’. The approach adjacent to the hub becomes a secondary entrance/exit that supports the main entrance which provides separate and immediate access to the ‘learning hub’. Through its architectural form it creates a sense of safety, enabling natural, passive supervision."

"In principle, the response to the brief is achieved through the way learning areas, entrance related areas and the circulation areas have been integrated. Incorporating the existing facilities into the scheme such as the library and the small external store/toilet creates a well integrated school with an improved learning environment."

"'The whole team at PLACE By Design were thrilled to receive news that our design won the Cool School competition,' the winning team said in a statement. 'Being involved in any project that promotes and enables the education of children is an honour and a vital asset for any community both locally and globally. Judging by the honourable mentions, we were clearly up against a number of quality design ideas and never expected to win, we simply aspired to put forward a scheme that fulfilled the brief to improve the learning environment for the children at Tsast Altai school in Khovd, Mongolia. Our design ethos evolved in order to overcome the challenging climate along with a limited construction budget...'"

"The jury selected the winning design due to the team's knowledge of Mongolian buildings, which resonated in their design maintaining tradition while creating a modern building. The jury liked the creative use of color and layout of school classrooms. The jury were impressed with the high level of thought given to the needs of the end users and the use of limited materials in a way to provide the highest levels of thermal comfort."

Find the full proposal here.

For the honorable mentions, click through the thumbnail gallery below.

More info on the honorable mentions here.