In the last decade, three-dimensional printing technology has taken the design world by storm. It’s been used for art, engineering and even printing body parts.
The creator of Thinking Huts, a nonprofit organization run out of Loveland, hopes to use the technology to give more children access to education.
Established in 2015, the leader of Thinking Huts is working on a design to 3D print school buildings. The pilot project will launch in Madagascar within the next few years — possibly as soon as summer 2021.
CEO and founder Maggie Grout is a 20-year-old senior at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying business management. She started Thinking Huts when she was only 15.
“We have a ton of technology here in the Western world, and I feel like if we’re able to distribute it to countries that do not have access to it, we can really make some progress in closing the opportunity gap,” she said.
Working with Hyperion, a tech company in Finland, Thinking Huts will use an architectural-scale 3D printer to create an octagonal building with a pointed roof. The original design can seat 30 students, but this number may grow as the building layouts shift.
According to Grout, using 3D printing will help cut down the construction waste and time needed to build the structures. Printing a school will only take about two days. It also allows Thinking Huts to partner with local businesses for the cement resources needed, instead of shipping them in from the U.S.
Grout attributes much of her inspiration to her dad, Harry Grout. He co-founded MapQuest and has plenty of experience with startup businesses. He now sits on the board for Thinking Huts.
“He was super into startups and technology, and I think that rubbed off on me,” she said.
Asif Khan, a board member for Thinking Huts, has worked in nonprofits for 15 years. He joined the board three months ago when Maggie Grout was looking for someone with experience in global nonprofit work. Thinking Huts stands out to him because of the use of technology and the passionate, youthful founder.
“She leads a nonprofit like a professional who might have 30 years of experience. I like that it’s a young founder with cool ideas,” he said.
When founding or working for an organization, Khan says passion is a key aspect.
“Personal passion just really speaks to a nonprofit and to an organization. Maggie’s passion … is so important. I think that shines through your websites and your socials, and then hopefully the schools,” he said.
Until the 3D technology is ready, the team at Thinking Huts has been distributing “Think Boxes” to communities in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. The boxes contain basic school supplies like pencils, backpacks and notebooks.
In the future, the team hopes to build schools all over Madagascar, or even the world. Harry Grout said once the technology is there to build the first school, the following schools should easily follow.
“They have something like 100 schools that need to be built in Madagascar. And once we get the printer there, and the infrastructure there, that we should be able to crank out quite a few of these schools in a short period of time,” he said.
With all of these efforts, Harry Grout points back to the goal to get education access to as many kids as possible.
“We do think education is probably the most important thing you can give to the planet,” he said.
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