As of: April 9, 2024, 7:35 a.m
By: Natascha Berger
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At first glance, you wouldn't think this is a school - but children in Ukraine will soon be taught here. © COBOD
A modern school is being built in the Ukrainian war zone Lviv. It comes from a 3D printer and is intended to give hope again to the region scarred by the war in Ukraine.
Lviv - At first glance, the photo is more reminiscent of a modern wellness center - less of a school that is to be built in the middle of a war zone in Ukraine. But this is what the new educational institution in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv will soon look like. Four new classrooms for refugee children are to be created in the city that was hit hard by Russian attacks. In addition to the architectural features, the resulting school has another special feature: it comes from a 3D printer.
War leaves its mark in Ukraine: destroyed schools and people on the run
The Ukraine war claimed countless victims on both sides. Millions of Ukrainians had to leave their hometowns and flee due to attacks by Russian forces. According to Eurostat, more than 4.3 million internally displaced people have found protection in other EU countries. However, some also stayed in Ukraine. According to UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, around 173,000 internally displaced people will be accommodated in the Lviv region by December 2023. Since 2022, the country has not only been characterized by refugees and war victims, but also by a destroyed infrastructure. Educational institutions were particularly affected. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Education, more than 2,000 schools have been damaged since the beginning of the war and over 330 have been completely destroyed.
Pilot project creates first 3D printer school for Ukraine
In order to accelerate the reconstruction of Ukraine and, above all, to give children some normality again, the non-profit organization
Team4UA
has started a pilot project. Together with a Danish 3D printing company, the organization is creating a school in Lviv. At the end of the pilot project called “Hive”, not only is the first building ever 3D printed in a war zone created. The new educational institution is also the first school in Europe to ever be created using a 3D printer.
As
CNN
reports, the project was first launched in December 2022. But Russian attacks in the following months hit Ukraine's power grid hard, causing power outages in the Lviv region. The 3D printer could not be delivered until the following summer. Actually, the printer could have created the school in just 40 hours. However, since the international team also wants to use the project to train a new generation of Ukrainian specialists who will be able to implement 3D printing projects themselves in the future, they gave themselves six weeks to complete the school. The technology of 3D printers has often proven itself useful for Ukraine during the war.
Ukraine is getting a school from 3D printers: experts see benefits for war zones
Buildings made from 3D printers can save one thing above all compared to conventional construction projects: time. In addition, experts consider 3D printer projects to be more sustainable. Another advantage that was particularly noticeable in the Ukraine war: Only four experts were needed to build the school, as
CNN
reports. Since many Ukrainian construction workers, technicians or industry experts are fighting on the front lines in the war against Russia and have no time for large reconstruction projects, new buildings can serve the population much more quickly.
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Fewer skilled workers needed also means fewer risks for people who would normally be involved in reconstruction, says Jean-Christophe Bonis, founder of
Team4UA. “
There will be fewer people in danger, which we think is important,” he told the US broadcaster.
Completion still pending: Ukrainian school made from 3D printer lacks funding
The new school in the war zone of Ukraine is almost 400 square meters in size and is next to another school. The four classrooms will primarily be used to teach refugee children from other areas of Ukraine. The opening of the 3D printed school was planned for early 2024. But now the team lacks funding. It takes around 370,000 to complete the school with the roof, windows, doors and furniture.
However, as soon as the children can experience a bit of normality again at school, the founder of the project wants to take on two new ones. The next plans to use 3 printers are to build a bridge for Kherson and an eight-story building for Kiev. He told
CNN
he was optimistic: “This war will be over sooner or later. Then we have to find our way back to life, rebuild and turn the page.”
This is what the school should look like from a 3D printer in the Lviv region of Ukraine. © COBOD
In addition to
Team4UA,
other companies are also interested in supporting Ukraine with 3D printers. For example, Diamon Age, a construction company from Arizona in the USA. They are already in contact with Ukrainian officials there and are discussing the pressure on bomb shelters and military infrastructure.
(nbe)