The proposal by Site-Specific for the Burma School competition aims at escaping from social depression, as Karen people are searching for freedom and are displaced from their homes. They are residing on a borrowed piece of land which they can never owned. They are living in a country that they are not considered parts of society – many of them without citizenship. So they believe that the right kind of architecture can create the sense of belonging and the sense of ownership in the hearts of the displaced Karen community members. They want to create a school that this community can say ‘made by us’ and ‘made for us’. Thus, this school can become the center of the community. More images and architects’ description after the break.
We believe that architecture is not merely just a trophy of one’s success in capitalism, but one of the tools to solve social issues. In searching for the answer, we came across the ‘Sliding Puzzle’. We were interested in this toy because they are both modular and rearrangeable, yet it maintain the integrity of the grid system. By using the ‘Sliding Puzzle’ as an architectural paradigm, we can create a school complex that has flexibility of usage simply by the rearrangement of the modules. This allows the school complex to be use for community functions such as cultural ceremonies or community meeting place when the school is off.
