Refreshed by the recent Easter break, the MAEBB eagerly commenced perhaps the most exciting term of the program – the full scale prototype design+build! Of course, because of ongoing confinement policies and travel restrictions, classes continue to be held online.

To begin, students conducted in-depth research on various topics relating to the project brief: a coronavirus quarantine cabin.

Self-sufficiency is a timeless pursuit. From ancestral agricultural societies through monastic hamlets and up to space exploration vessels, countless groups throughout history have developed self-sufficient practices for a vast range of purposes.

In recent decades, the pursuit of self-sufficiency has been dramatically energized by the reality of global climate change and the associated need to increase the resilience of human habitations.

In just the past few weeks, the realization of resilient, self-sufficient dwellings has gained even greater importance given the widespread instability wrought by COVID-19. Moreover, the contagious nature of COVID-19 demands that individuals attain self-sufficiency while in isolation. In other words, COVID-19 demands self-sufficiency at the domestic scale.

Further, whereas the timeline for achieving self-sufficiency to mitigate global climate change may be measured in decades, effectively leveraging self-sufficiency against COVID-19 requires immediate, rapid implementations.

Accordingly, the MAEBB will meet this challenge by designing and prototyping a quickly deployable, advanced ecological quarantine cabin.