Project Description

Mobile Learning Cart – A Sustainable, Transformable Learning Space

The Mobile Learning Cart is a compact, solar-powered educational unit designed to bring learning opportunities to underprivileged urban and semi-urban communities with limited access to formal education. As a movable, child-friendly micro-architecture, the cart provides a safe, engaging, and inclusive environment for children aged 5–10. Beyond a mobile classroom, it acts as a playful learning landscape supporting reading, creative activities, social interaction, and experiential learning.

At its core, the project addresses accessibility and adaptability. The cart travels between neighborhoods and informal settlements, bringing education directly to children. When deployed, it transforms into an interactive learning space supporting reading, drawing, group play, and hands-on exploration within a compact footprint.

Functions and Spatial Organization

The learning cart integrates multiple functions through efficient spatial planning. It includes foldable art and study tables, a LEGO and activity table, a chalkboard, bookshelf units, and dedicated storage for stationery and art materials. Foam sheet flooring ensures safety and comfort for seated and floor-based activities. Portable chairs and tables are lightweight, foldable, and reconfigurable for individual learning, group work, or play-based engagement. Bright, balanced colors applied to furniture, flooring, and activity surfaces create a playful and child-friendly atmosphere.

Solar panels on the foldable roof power lighting and basic needs, allowing operation in low-light conditions without external infrastructure. Solar-powered lighting ensures energy efficiency and self-sufficiency, making the cart suitable for infrastructure-poor contexts.

Folding Mechanism

A key design feature is its ability to transform between closed and open modes. In the closed configuration, the cart is compact and secure, with folded furniture, locked storage, and roof panels closed for safe transportation.

In the open configuration, the base platform slides and unfolds while foldable thatch roof panels extend outward for shade and weather protection. This expands the cart into a usable volume of approximately 10 cubic meters, allowing children to move freely and engage in multiple activities. The transformation process is simple and quick for easy setup and dismantling.

Materials and Sustainability

The cart prioritizes sustainability through vernacular and eco-friendly materials. Bamboo boards form the main structure and furniture due to their strength and renewability. Thatch roof panels provide thermal comfort and natural shading while reinforcing local construction traditions. Foam play tiles ensure safety, durability, and easy maintenance, while metal components are limited to wheels, hinges, and structural supports to balance strength with material efficiency.

Design Intent and Lenses

The cart is a self-sufficient, portable micro-learning environment that integrates learning and play to encourage informal education, social interaction, and early communication skills.

Under Lens 1 – Design Ingenuity, foldable elements and flexible layouts allow transformation from a compact unit to an open learning pavilion.

Lens 2 – Narrative Depth is expressed through its role as a moving classroom that brings education to underserved children. Vernacular materials such as bamboo and thatch create a familiar and welcoming environment fostering curiosity and shared experiences.

Aligned with Lens 3 – Future Resilience, the cart functions as an adaptive system. Its wheeled structure and solar integration enable independent operation across diverse contexts, ensuring continuity of learning in changing conditions