open
close

WaterSchool can be displayed in various ways such as working exhibitions and temporary knowledge centres, pairing the exhibition with lecture series and designers in residence.

On a smaller scale, they present fragments of the WaterSchool, bringing works together within settings connected to education and the classroom. Within the framework of exhibitions, Studio Makkink & Bey acts as a curator, inviting upcoming artists/designers to present their work in thematic exhibitions and series of lectures.

Projects, research, lectures and presentations are categorised according to themes, being Clean, Grow, Harvest, Make, Build and Document. These themes will also be used to build the architecture and curriculum of the WaterSchool.

Clean

Are there different ways to approach our bodily waste and wastewater? Can we see them as a possible source of material, a future resource? Clean focuses on the act of cleaning, therein not only addressing the act of cleaning a building or a space, but also the act of cleansing oneself for hygienic purposes.

Traditionally, this happens in tiled spaces, which are easy to clean and allow for spilled water to be flushed away, to eventually end up in wastewater treatment plans. Yet, what would happen if we would view our body and grey water as a mine to generate resources from? How would this impact the design of the hygienic spaces in buildings and schools?

Illustration by Juhee Hahm

Grow

Is it possible to develop less water-intensive agriculture, foreseeing that water will become increasingly scarce in the future? Can we integrate these novel forms of food production into our future cities, whom will house more than 60% of the world population by 2025? Grow is a theme relevant not only within schools, but also in agriculture.

Currently, food and agriculture are the largest consumers of water, requiring one hundred times more water than is used for personal needs. Yet, to feed the booming world population, food production needs to be increased enormously, whilst simultaneously decreasing the water footprint. How will this affect agriculture as we know it? Can these innovative forms of agriculture be implemented in the schoolyard of the WaterSchool within the school garden?

Illustration by Juhee Hahm

Harvest

Are there ways to harvest (rain)water and other fluids? If so, what would be possible applications for the yield, if processed close to its origin? Harvest delves into the phenomena of locality and circularity, related to (food)production.

It questions what we eat, where it was harvested, and how this might or might not affect our health. Can a school not only teach its pupils about maths and geography, but also about what it means to live healthily?

Illustration by Juhee Hahm

Make

Can the workshop of a school not only serve as an educational makerspace, but also as a production site for the essentials of the school? The theme make investigates the “joy of making”, and how this can be reintroduced within schools, starting from the workshop.

It questions whether a school can be autarkic, not only in its food, water and energy consumption, but also in the production of its elements. Can a school’s workshop produce all that is needed for a school to function, ranging from bricks to desks to books?

Illustration by Juhee Hahm

Build

How can we adapt our (future) buildings and cities to the ever-increasing amount of rain, in order to prevent cyclical flooding of neighbourhoods, streets and buildings? Within this theme, strategies for novel ways of coping with the increasing amount of (rain)water in cities are studied.

Should temporary water basins be integrated into our cities, in order to temporarily store rainwater, to later be disseminated evenly over time? Or should we abandon the land and start living on water, in order to reserve the land for the much-needed agricultural expansion? How will these conflicting notions influence the design of the WaterSchool building and its surroundings?

Illustration by Juhee Hahm

Document

How to archive and disseminate knowledge in an increasingly digitalizing society? What form or shape will the library have in the near future, and what will its position be in society?

Document delves into archiving and documenting as a discipline, whilst simultaneously studying how these acts can become political once touching upon international disputes concerning territory and ownership.

Illustration by Juhee Hahm
Site by Alsjeblaft!