"...School space should open material connections 'between
what [the student] does to his environment and what it does to him,' so that 'his
acts and the things about him acquire meaning . . . [and he] learns to
understand both himself and the world of men and things”
"Otherwise, the school’s walls simply enclose the
student’s world, constricting and thinning (rather than 'expanding' and 'thickening')
the sphere of experience to the point of near-irrelevance."
- NEIL GISLASON
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University
of Toronto, Canada
In reference to John Dewey’s writing on educative spaces
In reference to John Dewey's notion of educative spaces, our learning spaces should be made more flexible in order to
support dynamic educative processes. Dewey refers to an environment, the world of experience, as a constantly growing entity, that "grows
larger and, so to speak, thicker”
As an architect, how can we design educative spaces that understands this growth and flexibility? If an educative building shares a reciprocal relationship with its occupant, it will understand its needs and allow an individual's growth to transpire.
So...
How can spaces become adaptive to the individual needs and desires for a student? How can we design for an increase/decrease of stimulus levels for spaces that are conducive for inspiration, collaboration, work and/or relaxation in an educational environment?
With the foregoing in mind, I decided to design a school for the arts, where stimulus levels are vital for focus, inspiration and interaction amongst emerging artists.
Typology: Visual Arts
School for SKETCH on Queen Street West
What is SKETCH? (Project-based initiative working with 'street-involved'
small groups of youth in visual arts)
Currently, this group of individuals are moving to Shaw and
Queen in a former warehouse facility. After taking a look at their floor plans,
it became apparent that the spaces were not flexible and defined by traditional
classroom standards. I felt it was necessary to experiment with a space for
young artists that is more flexible in nature and reflects the individuality of
each artist.
The site chosen remains within the Art & Design District on Queen Street. It is located on the corner of Queen and Fennings St. where currently resides an abandoned repair shop and parking lot. Its conveniently located across from Paul Garfinkle Parkette.
The following are my refined architectural strategies and tactics for Project #2. (With the same architectural position as shown in P1)
Strategy 1: The
Empathetic Building
The
building must be designed as a living organism, one that adapts to its users
and enhances their spatial experience and wellbeing through empathy.
How is this relevant
in this educational context?
Architecture can
foster an educational environment that empathizes with the user's psychological
needs including adaptability for inspiration, focus and collaboration.
How?
Tactic# 1: The building will change shape in
correspondence to the inhabitant’s current physiological and psychological
state, with the intention of stimulating the senses and inducing a healthier
mind and body.
Tactic# 2: The building will vary in material
tactility in correspondence to the inhabitant’s current physiological and
psychological state, with the intention of stimulating the senses and inducing a healthier mind and body.
Tactic# 3: The building will vary in light intensity
in correspondence to the inhabitant’s current physiological and psychological
state, with the intention of stimulating the senses and inducing a healthier
mind and body.
All three tactics act in a symbiotic relationship with the
intention of enhancing the user's spatial experience and wellbeing through
empathy on both a macro and micro level.
Strategy 2: The Utilitarian
Building
The building must be
ever-changing in program and adapt to the user's functional needs, as
opposed to being predefined by
a single application.
How is this relevant
in this educational context?
The artists' space must be
adaptive in nature reflecting their idiosyncrasies and individual needs.
How?
Tactic #1: The building will re-configure
into appropriate environments for the sculptor, painter and fashion artisan.
Tactic #2: The building will re-configure itself to
provide environments for individual work, collaborative work, exhibition, relaxation and socializing.
Sculptor requires:
- More Sq Ft the better
- Multiple Surfaces
- Easy entry & exiting
- Natural lighting is essential (overhead)
- Natural ventilation
- Access to sinks
Painter requires:
- Natural lighting is essential (overhead)
- Multiple Surfaces
- Space to hang reference images
- Space for easel & storage
Fashion Artisan requires:
- Storage Space
- Space to hang reference images
- Large table for sewing or crafting
- A table for sketching
All Artists Require at Times
- A space for relaxation
- A space that is conducive to collaboration and socializing
- A space for focus
- Access to the outdoors
- High Ceilings
Strategy #3 - The Neuroplastic Building
The building will learn from the inhabitant and evolve accordingly over
periods of time; eliciting
the user's stimulus through building variations and thus establishing
dishabituation.
How?
Tactic #1
The building would be comprised of neuromorphic control systems that
would be able to learn
from the occupant
and evolve in real-time.
(At this point, I
will showcase how the building could reconfigure for different artist studio
set-ups over time. I will define probable "what if" scenarios)
Stay tuned for visualization!
