Inside, the layouts are flexible and functional: during the day, they serve as classrooms; in the evening, they host adult training sessions, film screenings or community meetings. The design reflects a deep understanding of local life. Partially shaded decks become gathering spaces, reading corners or open-air classrooms. Every detail serves a purpose, ensuring that the architecture remains rooted in both utility and care.

At its core, the project represents architecture as empathy – an architecture that listens to its context and grows from the realities of its users. It harmonizes with nature rather than attempting to control it, offering a replicable model of climate-responsive design that restores dignity and continuity in times of disruption. Community participation is integral at every stage: boatbuilders, teachers, mothers and youth groups contribute to the design, operation and maintenance of the fleet. Women’s cooperatives manage solar lighting programmes and training workshops, while young people lead climate resilience education. This participatory model transforms architecture into a living, shared process that fosters agency, self-reliance and local stewardship.

Over the past two decades, Floating Schools have expanded beyond Pabna and are now incorporated into Bangladesh’s National Adaptation Plan 2050. Variations of the model have been implemented in eight other countries, adapting to different geographies and cultural contexts. The project demonstrates how architecture can directly respond to the disruptions of a changing climate through locally grounded innovation. By merging traditional boatbuilding with renewable technologies, it bridges cultural heritage and contemporary design in ways that strengthen community identity and resilience.

More than a series of structures, the initiative operates as a system – linking education, health and environmental awareness through architecture. It transforms an everyday mode of transport into a symbol of continuity and hope, proving that sustainable solutions can emerge from within communities themselves. Each boat is both a tool and a teacher, offering lessons in adaptation, cooperation and care.

The Floating Schools project is led by architect Mohammed Rezwan, founder and executive director of Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, a non-profit organization working at the intersection of design, education and climate adaptation. Raised in a flood-prone village in northwestern Bangladesh, Rezwan’s lived experience has shaped a practice deeply rooted in local knowledge, traditional craftsmanship and long-term community engagement. The organization’s mission is to transform adversity into opportunity through floating infrastructure that brings education, health and skill-building directly to those who need it most. Each design reflects a philosophy of learning from water, working with nature and ensuring that development remains inclusive, adaptable and resilient.

The prize money will fund constructing a scalable, solar-powered floating community hub combining education, healthcare and climate resilience for flood-prone areas in Bangladesh. Conceived as more than a service boat, the hub will act as a living prototype that demonstrates how architecture can adapt to the realities of climate change while maintaining dignity and stability. The modular structure will host multiple functions – a school during the day, a training centre in the afternoon, a health clinic on weekends and a safe refuge during floods. It will also serve as a living classroom where children can learn about seed recycling, plant growth and ecology. By linking education with environmental stewardship, the project demonstrates how architecture can sustain both people and planet in an age of uncertainty.

- Information for the project text was provided by Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha -