A School With a Purpose

Remote built the first phase of a new sustainable university using green building materials. This new approach to material-sourcing and construction pushed us to think out-of-the-box and upscale local suppliers and subcontractors to meet the requirements of higher learning design.

We welcomed the first cohort of students to campus at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a completely sequestered and safe educational environment.

From Paper to Reality

The material inputs by weight for the university were 96% sourced locally. The dozen or so buildings that formed the first phase of construction have rammed earth structures, compressed stabilized earth block (CSEB) walling, treated timber trusses, concrete, and steel foundations.

The sustainable design methodology had never been utilized before at this scale or for such large structures, requiring us to bring in global experts from the field to assist not only in design/ engineering but also in training the future tradesmen that we would eventually employ. 95% of the staff we employed as the Main Contractor lived within one hour of the rural project site.

Building in a Bubble

Within 6 months of starting construction, the COVID-19 pandemic hit us hard. The borders were closed and wouldn’t reopen for months. The criteria for restarting work presented an extreme challenge; a physical barrier had to be erected between the first phase of the university, still under construction, and the outside world. The plan was for students & staff to be tested for COVID-19 prior to moving in, and once inside the “bubble,” they wouldn’t be allowed to leave again until the semester was complete.

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle- with the ongoing support of the client, Remote was able to open the first phase of a fully-functional university in total isolation. It was hardest thing we had ever done to date.