‘SPACE AND LEARNING
| have been invved in bulking schals for ty years, ding which time many dees about
‘edueton Rave changed, ax Rave the ceria tht afe sped to bldg and arctectare- uth
Ste of these developments in time, the spatal theme: that are cert to my designs have
‘emained constant. What has changes it the slocaton of spat esoures - whlch eb
Imposes carta constants ~ but not how chien learn nchom you can make space for her
todo.
‘Again and again one finds oneself addressing paradoxes that can be resolved primary (or
perhaps exclssvey) through spatial means, sch 2s hw > enabe young people to focus on rt
{ne thng, while atthe same stimatng ther curoaty by srowng attention to the vices of
thal suroundigs. nother one: how to mate the echoc! into a safe, depandable envecment
Wile at the same ie opening I up to the word with athe adventures end dangers tht
Clon wil need to confront 2t some stage and with which they wll noed to familie
‘themselves. Forme, this makes bung scheals a fascinating que for pata rerources tht an
Improve the ciate for both leasing and ving within the dalectes of certainty and rly,
Secusion and openness; the reconciton of 4 house with the world Bascal, there aes
handful f themes that aways recur in sore form or thorn a my srhtectral design,
As an architec, ts imperative to fest being swept up by any specie wen of even and to
use Tt as 2 pont of departure for your desgn. Aretee's should not get swoived n debates
bout edveation; instead they shoud create spatal conations that wil bene faring 8
{general sense. The buldng should provide a gover ramenark or education an earng, whe
Bang euble enough to respond to changing demande and even (m2 spi sense) hold ovt 3
Suggestion of pursuing averues other tan tho id Sonn nthe bit
Precisely because most noting ear the chet’ mas,» dng must be durable, nthe
sense that must remain usabla and capable of respendng to new views abot education
without needing to undergo any fundamental change In sation, expansion Is unavodabe (of
‘ur ten schools completed before 2000, seven have sequted or planed new extensions Of
‘arying sas since they were rst but)
Ir te Idea of designing buliings a completes composts, tke scuptres, hat long caved to
be relevant, this apps pre-eminent to schoo, whic ae more susceptible tothe restlessness
(of eur demanding roe) than any ther bulge,
In-ow" designs, we were constantly searching for themes that woud expand the scope for
‘cation and iering stations. Again and ain, tis meant exploring form that sidestepped
the “archetype” oF a school bung, wth its rows of chssooms and comers running aor
besides them, by designing classrooms loss as enclosed us an the coisrs mare ae learn
Spaces, tus expanding the opportunities for lang station,
Cornors do not belong schools. Those corre that me dominated everywhere and always
by rocksacks and odd its of elothing, and by the endlespuling and showing, E2dgeing sr
‘aping that means they have to be made extra wie, useg wpa lege proportion of whet might
‘thers be Insprtions space, whl they cold instead be del paces for mestng oer, 22
‘wel as heling to sve the everasting problem of cranoed classrooms, Completely lmnting
‘omiders and aking corner ares, making the space sutae for communal use by verse oupe
‘of pupils, crested greater socal cohesion and rere places for smal groups, wile whois
Instetion col continue to take pace in classrooms,
In these stations, te troducton of dass concarna partitions that can be ater to produce
\Gosed or open spaces trl revoatonses th scope for Mei canoe.
‘The Articulation of Space: Spatial Units
Wat matters fest and foremost to artcate the space so as to ceste as many places as
possible where peoplo can werk indvidualy or m ours by fufling the necssay spatal
fetion. Ths means using all nds of achitectualremurces, from fuheght or hal-heght
2 Tg hes weber erat my ink ese ad Leng: Lesson rac 3
pe 14wal to stops, storeys or elovatd areas, a crcl factor being the sie of these erat, which
reed to crnte a sense of Boundaries, protection, and partion fam others, Such s2 may Be
provided by bay windows oc recesza, he retaining te overl fel of uty and emmunty.
DA spatal unt could be desorbed asa space that srhowes#cetan equim Between» sense
of secusor and a sense of communty. Where learhing station Is concerned, te means
fuing the condtions that enale you to concentrate on your work while tthe sre tine
bang aware others and what they are din,
The crucial actor is always the relative mensions of the elements, at least suggest che use or
the Sze ofthe group af users, nt stu determining them. Above pata une must be
made to appear inviting, for 2 smal or arge aroup, depending onthe design
IF a spatal unt 5 conceved as a centre of attentan,afucultng the space wil iereae the
schoo's caacty for centres of atenton flowing on fem ths, we ee 9 schoo uldng a8
Conglomerate of as many contre of attention a5 passe, which can accormmodate nex
umber of aring stuns
‘Ta tend towards more ard smater groups, and towards more holdual work, cals forthe
space to be arteuated, but not fragmented. Spatial cohesion mu always be proseved, Not
nly mast the space continue to aon for large groups (ike oé-siyle dasses) to conggat, but
the buldng must reman a unfie spat en, as 2 pace where peop se aware of each
thers artis and fo! invites ota part open exchanges with han
Spatial Cohesion
Inthe case of tore complex buldings such as an extended ot community schox (Brede
Schoo, 3 tocowaltural complex in which each ofthe patlopating enttas seas to exces te
fw ideney, there Is a danger of fragmentation, whch would frustrate the ited hove oF
Cooperation of working with shaved fastes. Only spatial theme can sere asa Lindng force,
‘and moreover provge sn oppertunty to engage in real joint ventures and to undertake ates
that none ofthe constant nstitutns could have managed on its om,
But even wren an architect appears, ram the cutie, to have sveceeded in creting» coheshve
ace, the ipace will not necessary function as such. The more complex & bung becomes,
the mere it tends to spit in organisational terms) into Separate pats, forall the ‘nial
feectation of unity. Fr instance erent sectens are gen seperate entrances hey wil
Inevitably st apert, and the commana featres wil searcaly go beyond a shared cent heating
Baler ~m ctor woes thoy wil be coined to shred running cont. Ony with 9 sonmunal
‘envance an a intrce square or street from welch people have seeess tothe cfeent unt,
fxch of which can be closed of, cana colectve space be created that n princi Delangs 0 a
‘the bling's users, andin whieh thi sence of communty can be expressed,
In most casts it snot easy, given the mplacabity of franca esticuons, to fre up aeas fo
Communal purposes. that must be ‘appropated’ from the surface ares” of eat of the
partcpatnginstutins. The specfeatios ae almost says sown vp at an agregee ofeach
Teachers stted reeds for Piso” her task within the schoo to mhch the manage who hes
‘ampied the specieatons has ade a certain percentage fr movement around the hulng,
Panned in ‘nis way, schels are im danger of becoming mere calectins ef rove or les
utonomeus element, each of wich may fonction wel on fs om but nots awe, We 30
ot have ary aditon ofa comemural area thats shred and woe importance ie reccQied by
al, 30 that everyone is wing to make certain concessions i relaton to ther own terri
diame
“The spatial theme, encompassing the bling a6 whole, does not jstencapauate the sense of
onmrunity, tse expresses and enphasies Theoretical speaking, ould actual promote
the process hereby each ofthe separate ements aeuirer ts own clear int
Not ony the person responsible for defen the spetietiens bat the designer oo wil often fl
Into the tap of worying many about smat parts of te whale this happens, the gn may
‘asiy end un beng @ealection of frge and sal solitons instead of suborcinatig a these
large and smal souions to a more stracuralprncple tat can accommodate al the diverse
itterests, We are therefore interested In devising 9 syle of schitecture ae kd of genetic
sytem that generates ‘ened! sluts to te vagus problems, thus leading toa rstonsip
Secon at he separate demas stay ste he copatunty fo eve he
a2 of 4‘The Sehool asa City
2 spatal comprehensive thame wil naualy arouse associations with a ystam of streets and/or
Squares. The astincion between oper shared spaces and closed, exclave ones newtaly
recats the puic/private cde whieh withn the urban content serves to define responses,
Within 3 bung, ths pine can in teal easly be interpetes by the se of soaring Megs
and daylight fom above, these Being primary means ofrefrcng the assocaton with the ey.
‘The higher space, the more ie evokes a sve of commun and publ aceen. Of a late ea
Importance in ths conter Is the efference mus, which i the pube zone rates to genera
concerns, whereas within areas designated specfealy for teacing purposes ~ much as n
butangs wih spect designations in the cy =i rltes primary to meters asin within he
frou. I especialy In publ’ areas that You came into contact wih oters, who ae dang
Gtferent thing, and its there that you are confronted with 3 larger word than that of you"
‘dassoom or Scheal, of your parte’ section of a seheo
‘This means that everyone can have parteuar demain In which he belongs, besdes the
‘communal space that provides scope for excanges between different domains. omar do ret
have to be stronghois. Where. the beundares betwen private and communal space ae
permeable and transparent, these wil be preeinetly zones fh whic the ferent sections
‘rors ther ety. eis ely a smal step to hnking in terms of and of shopping street of
Teuring street in which te vee domals, such as castoons, can anfest themselves,
sch at Reon dtnctive character.
With the current less of fath in classrooms as the sole appropriate space for proving
‘seston, some have tended to goto the oter extreme. They Keep everyting open 20 that a
Soundaries become blued, cresting a were & ld weld with entenbly idea opportunities
for exchanges, The fala to take account of the fact thet such a ureng of denies means
theres nothing let to exchange, snee everything flows nto everything ese and nothing has
‘um place any more. inthis situation, people 00 wl be eR without a pace they can al the
‘un and Rave to navigate a confusing worn the manna of nomads
‘isnot jst busnge nat read st-utire: people too need st/uctured envionment, a whlch
‘ech person can feel at heme, You need s home base to which you ean sways return, an from
‘ich you ean venture out to ere the wor
‘Schoo! as Home
‘The igor 3 school biking becomes, the greater the danger of chen fein les. While you
want 19 provide the maximum sn terms of ich and varied experience, is atthe same tne
‘rset to gard agains alienation to ensure that clen fee! at home and have the sense of
‘Ssouity tht comes from sufflent clay 28 to where they belong. Numerous studes have
Shown that chiren aed heme sureundgs that provide a kid of retreat, with space fr
fersona atrbutes end accessors, nthe mare to whch they are accustomed at home = OM,
Some ease, ina manner tat may be qute lacking 3 hme
any architects (and eduetonalsts too) hol fast to the rained Busion of a neat and tidy
‘wold, rating a sense of err, in which the beautfulycenceved forms, materi and curs
‘se expressed as ley a0 posable. The everysoy reaity of school presents a picture that may
‘Stem = (othe eye untaned in ths fa both chetc and banal beneath which the architect's
‘rignal estete intentions can easly be submerged. Just as one cannot exerci any control
‘over the nterir ofa eng (aside fom the occasional owner with an urusaly wel-developed
‘respect for architecture}, na schoo! to, the orgarisaton ofthe bulding’s interes desigred to
‘ves users a sense of being in far surcunangs, So that they fel at home thee, a ach
1 posible
‘The ‘persona’ appropriation of the bung by its ‘residents’ goes beyond Isleted items of
fariture and sccaneores; algo requres a certain encsuragement in eements tat ae Sed
‘sien we corstarty ty) to ieude ining slements or istements, and not nfequenty
‘halenge the buldng’s users todo someting with her
“Town squa
‘The wider the range of facies provided by 2 school ~ nclusng aftenschee actin, for
instance and the more these addtond faite are embeded nthe local neighouthood, the
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