SUPERBLOOM APP GOES LIVE WINTER 2025 ⭐
BloomBox 4.0 [Government]
Malawi Institute of Education
Zomba, Malawi 2024
Our most recent BloomBox was installed in August 2024, at the Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) in the Domasi region of Zomba, Malawi. This is the nation’s center for curriculum development and the Ministry of Education’s home for showcasing innovation in STEAM education. For this site, our retractable roof system was further refined - by shortening its height dimension, we were able to mount it on top of our modified container and meet transportation authority height restrictions, allowing this step to be completed prior to on-site installation. The production of BB 4.0 was the most efficient and streamlined to date, with all materials sourced locally. Although site-specific configuration and logistics were coordinated locally over a few months, on-site Installation took place over the span of 3 days, and the fully functional BloomBox (with Starlink internet connectivity) was ready on schedule. BB 4.0 was warmly received by the MIE, and a memorandum of understanding with BBDL reaffirmed the plan to migrate the national education curriculum to the BB digital environment and to recognize BBDL as the official scaling partner to bring off-grid capable STEAM education labs to all education districts in the country.
BloomBox 3.0 [UNCHR Site]
Dzaleka Refugee Camp
Dowa District, Malawi 2023
The third BloomBox was installed in July 2023 at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. This installation, a collaboration between BB Design Labs, the Malawi Ministry of Education, and the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, brought electricity and education technology to a settlement of 100,000 people with sparse access to STEAM education. BB 3.0 maintained the kiosk dimensions of 2.0, transportability and modularity, but added a newly designed and patented retractable roof system that opens like a flower in the daytime to expose its mounted solar panels to sunlight, and retracts in the evening for safety and security purposes.The production of BB 3.0 was the most efficient and streamlined to date, with all materials sourced locally. Although site-specific configuration and logistics were coordinated locally over a few months, on site Installation took place over the span of 3 days, and the fully functional BloomBox was ready on schedule.
BloomBox 2.0 [RURAL]
Othakarhaka Foundation Community Center
Mulanje, Malawi 2022
Lessons learned from the BloomBox 1.0 process were immediately applied to the creation of the BloomBox 2.0. All steps in the production process were shifted to Southern Africa, where the shipping container was acquired and modified, solar panels and electrical system installed and tested, and furniture was built. Local production drastically reduced transport time and costs and employed local companies, educators, and workers. The solar system was carefully configured to, once again, ensure complete off-grade capability.
BloomBox 1.0 [URBAN]
New Beginnings Secondary School
Blantyre, Malawi 2021
On July 15, 2021, the BloomBox Initiative, in partnership with Water Wells for Africa (WWFA) and New Beginnings Secondary School (NBSS) in Blantyre, Malawi, launched a prototype BloomBox Learning Lab. The proof of concept lab, which is composed of an upcycled front-opening shipping container with bright and welcoming work spaces, solar panels, 20 laptop computers and headphones for student use, digital projectors, speakers, and overhead panels that create an indoor-outdoor learning environment, was assembled in and shipped from Vancouver, Canada, to New Beginnings Secondary School, a secondary school with limited access to electricity and digital resources. The lab was unpacked and reassembled as a free-standing building at a focal point on the school’s campus. The shipping container provided an immediately usable and secure structural core at the center of a multiuse foundation and sheltered by an angled roof supporting the solar panels..The Lab is a hub for education technology, and NBSS administration and faculty determine the way it is incorporated in student life, based on curricular priorities.
Adaptive Infrastructure.
To keep pace with the exponential need for educational spaces, including in rural and remote environments, next generation design and construction must emphasize safety, cost, mobility, modularity (to enhance existing education infrastructure), energy independence, and sustainability.
