SEMESTER 9 DISSERTATION

REDEFINING CLASSROOMS
INDEX

1.SYNOPSIS

2 . W H AT I S C L A S S R O O M S ?

3 . H I S TO RY O F S C H O O L S & C L A S S R O O M S

4.ELEMENTS

5 . L I T E R AT U R E S T U D Y

6.CONCLUSION

7.REFERENCES
CHAPTER 1
SYNOPSIS
INTRODUCTION
The schools are the place for learning and where the next
generation is educated and prepared for the future.The
current schools is designed in a different context to meet the
needs of the previous century.If we want to prepare children
to live and act in the future society it is not enough to
improve the literacy and numeracy.we want to change the
environment.

Changes in our society like globalization and digitalization

together with the increasing demand of people who can
innovate and collabrate means that we have to rethink study
environments.

In our society in India our culture and tradition is agriculture

and nature depended living.But in our current generation
they don’t have an enthusiasm or interest in farming and
agriculture it also should be changed by the new design
ideology. In our society schools in rural areas have in broken
and unmaintained conditions it is to be changed by
redefining it.

In current scenarios we can see that children were

biophobic Relating to, or exhibiting,having a dislike of nature
or fear of nature and natural flora and Fauna.Its because
they have no connection with nature.It should be changed.

In our current situation students have a

negative thought that its a boring thing it should be changed
students are the designers of the future so their thoughts
should be developed from the school itself & after the
pandemic things have changed a lot that all the old school
thoughts were changed so the benchmarks of school design
should be redefined.

AIM
• My idea is to redefine/redesign the class rooms in a
modern way by changing the study environment in a
sustainable and effective way to level up the total
campus environment to happy learning environment/to
make a better place.
• To implement the design thoughts in undeveloped rural
Govt. Schools
• To set new benchmarks in classroom design
• By studying and focusing on age group class 5-10

OBJECTIVES
• To study the current school and classroom
environment.
• To study the certain age group were the effective
learning takes place (class 5-10).
• To study student psychology.
• To understand students thoughts on current study
environment.
• Want to understand the GOVT apparoches to redefine
school and study environment.
• To study modern/effective classrooms & a better
effective study environment affects the students & the
society
• To understand the concept & its relevance in current &
future scenarios.
• To understand spatial , space, perspectives, proportion
& quality effects the study
environment
METHODOLOGY

LIMITATIONS
• only a small group’s study is possible.
• approval from the authorities.
• design can’t satisfy all the users.
• relevance may change according to the future situation.

SCOPE
• To design better study environments.
• develops students creativity and thoughts.
• To change the biophobic nature in current and future
generations
• can build better campuses.
• increase visual and spatial qualities of the school
campuses.
• It develops new design benchmarks
• to understand the school rehabilitation strategies in
rural area.
• It changes the present and future.
• To understand authorities approaches and thoughts on
the concept.
• To understand the potential and upliftment of children
• o understand how it effects student qualities and its
impact in society
• It can create better tomorrow.
CHAPTER 2
WHAT IS A CLASSROOMS ?

A classroom definition can be understood as a room in a

school where lessons happen. Teachers go here to mark
work, plan lessons, and teach their students. All children
who attend school will go to the classroom on a daily basis
to learn and meet with their fellow students and teachers.
Apparently the term is based upon a mis-translation of a
16th century early guide to schools. The 'early' schools were
based in “solars” – glass room, for longer hours of light. Due
to a typographical mis-reading, these rooms later became
the “class”- rooms with which we are now familiar.

The classroom provides a space where

learning can take place uninterrupted by outside
distractions. A positive classroom environment is one where
students feel comfortable expressing their feelings.
Encourage students to let you know if they or their peers are
feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

TYPES OF CLASSROOMS
Traditional Lecture (LEC) classrooms
Classroom rows, such as tablet arm chairs or tables/chairs
or tiered rooms. Furniture may be moveable or fixed.

Breakout style (BRK) classrooms

Seating in rows but with moveable chairs and/or tables for
the occasional need of break-outs. These rooms may also
be coded as traditional lecture.
Discussion (DISC) or Seminar (SEM) style classroom
Class is always in a circle of chairs or around a seminar
table. If a seminar table is needed (as opposed to tables in a
round), then choose the SEM code.

Tiered (TIER) style classrooms

Classroom has fixed, tiered seating.

Active Learning Style (ALS) classrooms

High-tech rooms with moveable furniture for breaking out
around technology. These include the Versatile Learning
Spaces in addition to other active learning spaces.

Versatile Learning Space (VLS)

Three high-tech rooms with tables/chairs that cluster
students in groups around technology.
.
CHAPTER 3
HISTORY OF SCHOOLS & CLASSROOMS

The formal school/class concept were

followed from the ancient periods in the form of different
studies under different master like
religious,art,handicrafts,science& literature ete.under
different institutions under different time period. It is come to
a systematic way in the period of Byzantine Empire.

In India it in the form of gurukula

system under the gurus(masters) it is were the residential
school system of studying all crafts.During the rule of kings
the schools were under the different religious institutions.

At the period of British rule in India the

proper schooling systems were started and the rules and
benchmarks were followed to the current period it is not
much evolved from that era.

In the current situation it is much

needed a change or upgrade from the old school designs
and after the pandemic the things have changed and
schools and classes were digitalized and schooling systems
also changed so its the time to change/update the design
also.
CHAPTER 4
ELEMENTS

LIGHT
It is an important element in classroom design positively
contributes to a higher academic performance in reading as
well as in science.It also supports attention, the stability of
the circadian cycle and overall health, mental health and
comforts, which in turn, leads to better academic
performance.Studies have shown that exposure to natural
light helps improve a person's alertness and focus. It also
positively affects cognitive function, which pertains to brain
activities connected to knowledge such as memory,
reasoning and language. Lighting is an important factor in
an effective classroom design.

AIR
Increasing the amount of fresh air you have can provide
greater clarity to the brain, promoting optimal function whilst
helping you to think, focus and concentrate better. It also
directly effects the mental and physical health in a better
way.

NATURE
Nature and water can help a student feel more attentive,
less stressed, more self-disciplined, more engaged, more
interested and more physically active and fit. And it can also
provide a calmer, quieter, safer, warmer, more cooperative
setting for learning. Nature is one of the most important
book to learn all learn the things from the nature.Spending
time in nature is essential for cognitive development. Nature
play stimulates creativity and problem solving skills integral
to executive function development. Children who play and
spend time in nature have increased concentration and
cognitive skills, including mitigation of ADHD/ADD
symptoms.

FORM & COLOUR

Color & form has the ability to influence one's mood, health
and performance which means that certain paint colors or
furniture choices have a direct impact on what takes place
inside the classroom as well. Certain colors can capture
attention, increase alertness, or create calmness.Colour
helps us in memorizing certain information by increasing our
attentional level It creates a fun and effective environment to
the children.

SPACE
Classroom Design The spatial quality of the classroom
environment plays an important role in student development
and often serves as an additional “teacher” in the
classroom. The physical environment can promote language
development and socialization, as well as cognitive
learning.It provides opportunities for children to gain social
skills, and improve their imagination, creativity and problem-
solving ability. It can also strengthen their sense of self and
their sense of connection with their peers and to their
community and the environment. The spatial quality always
matters.
CHAPTER 5
LITERATURE CASE STUDY

THE BRITISH SCHOOL, NEW DELHI

It is designed by
morphogenisis Architects
situated in New Delhi on a
area of 297000ft2.The school
is designed or an ideology of
an “International education
with Indian soul” It is
designed strong cultural
challenges & site contexts by protecting the vegetation.It is
designed to meet an age group of 3-18.It is fully designed
on natural lighting and air conditioned by traditional
methods enclosed by vegetations total environment is
designed with interconnecting courtyards, transition
spaces, varandhas,chajjas& nature connected classrooms
Thus create a better learning environment & provides
opportunities to students to engage with nature &
environment.
RANE VIDYALAYA,THEERAMPALAYAM
it is a cbse educational
campus for class kg -12
designed by shanmugam
assosiates CBSE is an
educational campus for K12
and a CSR initiative by Rane
Foundation India Pvt.Ltd.
Theerampalayam, the rural
region where the school is located, has no proper
educational institutions that offer quality learning.
Inspiration came in from the 6th century built Thiruvellarai
temple's walls and the layered
 cross sections of 50 year old
houses in the region.
Kindergarten classrooms are
designed to have individual
gardens that encourage
seamless outdoor and indoor
integration of space.Taking
inspiration from temple
mandapams where huge gatherings took place, there is an
enclosed central courtyard planned with perforated light
wells in the roof. Major openings along the predominant SE
& NW wind direction and minor wind tunnels in east-west
direction between classrooms are created to have a
comfortable micro-climate.It is designed by creating
courtyard spaces which connects the whole enviornment
with nature.

SAUNALAHTI SCHOOL,FINLAND
The school is designed by versatas Architects Finland It is
the best example for futuristic school. In classroom follows
new way of learning the educational activities takes place
outside the traditional learning spaces. The new schooling
 ideology is the collaboration of
art, science & physical
education by interacting with
each other by creating
interacting spaces. Which tends
to Learning by Doing which is
the effective way of learning.
The teaching spaces on
predominant locations of school

and workspaces were open through glass towards street &

school yards.Out of the classroom is spatial arrangement
is learning outside the classroom concept learn things out of
the box is open-minded and orthodox way in every space
were interior or exterior is a learning space.interacting &
collaboration by creating interacting & inter connecting all
spaces. It is an eco-friendly & nature protected campus
environment design which sets a benchmark in classroom &
school design which creates great learning environments.

WOODLAND SCHOOL ,USA

HMFH Architects worked
closely with educators to
develop the concept for this
new grade 3-5 elementary
school. The educational
program of school is to dev-
 lop the individual skill
developing by activities and
group works this reflected in
the design also by creating
learning spaces.Each grade
occupies one floor in the
academic wing, grouped into
three smaller clusters of six
classrooms with a learning commons just outside the
classrooms.These common areas, including a media space,
amphitheater,circular storytelling rooms and an array of
project areas,encourage a range of flexible teaching
approaches.ookending the three-story academic wing are
two wings housing core and community spaces: a
dining/arts wing, which houses a cafeteria/performance
space with stage, kitchen, music rooms, art rooms, a
STEAM room, a viewing balcony, and administrative offices;
and an athletic wing, containing a gym and a multi-purpose
wellness centre.The new school was constructed adjacent
to the existing school, which allowed students to safely
attend school without disruption while the new school was
built.The three-story academic wing is primarily clad with a
concrete panel rain screen system.
HILL TOP PUBLIC SCHOOL, HYDERABAD
A charity school that had been
run by a zakah-funded,
nonprofit educational trust for
the last six years finally
required a building. The site is
located on a hill top, in the
unplanned settlement within
the walls of the Golconda fort
in Hyderabad. The project was riddled with multiple
challenges. Since the school is run solely based on
individual donations, the budget was extremely tight.
Material choices had to be economical as well as durable.
The site is highly contoured and covered with sheet rock
and buried under a blanket of garbage piled on over
decades. Articulating the peculiar and difficult topography of
the site and its surrounds posed a major challenge: due to
proximity to heritage structures and dense urban context,
most of which is residential, blasting the rock was not an
option, and other methods were not affordable.The site,
apart from being a challenge, is also the beauty of the
project.From its topmost level, the entire city is visible: the
Golconda, the Qutb Shahi Tombs, the skyscrapers of Lanco
Hills and the unchecked low-rise, high-density houses
beneath.The school is situated in such a way that it engulfs
the rocks within it.Rocks were taken into the building,
forming the walls of some classrooms, and the undulating
floor of the library, which becomes an informal space.Due to
shared walls with surrounding courtyard houses, a need
arose to light the building from the top.Opportunities for
ventilation were created in the form of light wells that run
through the height of the structure.A series of skylights and
voids bring in light and air, and expand the space
vertically.The school respects the scale of the adjoining
courtyard houses by creating a small entrance into the
kindergarten, also in response to the scale of the younger
students.The building is left unfinished in its exterior, with
exposed concrete walls, that deliberately negate color.And
yet, the color palette of the context is borrowed and
reflected in the windows, doors and grilles.Reds, blues,
yellows and greens create pops of color as accents in
contrast with the gray of the concrete.The same colors
reappear in subtle pastels in the classroom interiors.Each of
the lowest and highest levels of the school has abutting
streets.The varying levels allowed reduction in vertical
circulation, by providing entrances from the street directly to
the ground and first floors.A bright red central staircase
winds around a large atrium, all the way from the ground to
the top floor, where the roofs on the school become a
playground.The top level is left bare, enclosed only with
permeable hollow block walls and trussed glass roof, and
surrounded by different play areas.Older students can enter
directly from this level, which has a more spacious scale.A
series of bridges lead from the wider section of the school
to the narrow far end overlooking the road, where staff
rooms and labs are located.
GHSS KARAPARAMBA,KARAPARAMBA CALICUT
It is a government school in
karaparambu calicut by DAC.
IIA INITIATIVE
IIA Calicut came up with a
solution, namely the Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR). It
presents significant risks and
opportunities to various organization, by implementing
strategies and controls. The CSR is not a fight against the
government as misunderstood, but a revolution aiming at a
social balance in terms of art, literature and architecture.
THE DECISION
The Karapparambu School in the southern Indian city of
Tirunelveli is nearing its golden jubilee. The DAC team has
metamorphosed the dreamy essence of teaching and
learning into a visual reality. Ar. Brijesh Shaijal and team
have put forward an ideal display, out of many, at the very
prestigious and historical government school. And the same
would have been impossible to become a reality without the
immense and grateful support of the MLA Pradeep Kumar.
THE APPROACH
An alternative perspective towards an educational space in
which the opposing voids and valid spaces come together
to bring about a sense of place, independence, and
uniqueness; by replicating the program in specific forms,
the educational building has been spread out and
elaborated as an educational neighborhood. Entering into
the campus, we perceive an experience of building
invisibility and conversion of a building into a smaller
version of a neighborhood or a city.
THE DESIGN
As you enter to main court of the campus, you get a
glimpse of the scale achieved by a series of steps, guiding
you to the first floor of the main building. The explicit design
of the building to its details from the opening frames to the
grains of the furniture is carefully designed to showcase a
vivid panorama altogether. The configuration of various
blocks are intentionally located at specific spots to develop
the interaction within the various activities like studying,
playing, reading, dining etc. and to promote every one of
them towards supremacy. The Karaparambu School is a
four-sided glass volume, with upgraded steel shelves. To
the rear side of the library, an outdoor reading space is
provided with steps, which integrates the literary programs.
The structure is devoid of the contemporary windows with
bars and shutters. Instead, a new feature is created that
displays itself as a door from the interiors, and eludes into a
balcony with metal railings, when opened.
THE CONCEPT
Architects have created an entirely differently-abled friendly
campus, and with solar panels supporting the maintenance
through sustainable forms of energy. The design also
abides by the climate of the region, with sloping roofs and
long eaves to protect the corridors from the monsoon rains,
and the harsh sun in the summers. The connected open
spaces surrounding the structures function as pedestrian
walkway, inhabiting healthy manners of morning walk etc. in
the young minds.
INFERENCE
• High partition walls,cabinet or volumes that would crumble
or divide the space should be avoided.
• Large windows,courtyards,skylights,light shelves,sustainable
materials,clerestory.
• Spaces can be used for multi-purpose use.
• Partition walls can be made of black board materials.
• Natural ventilations passive cooling techniques,sustainablity .
• Plenty of trees and natural vegetations.
• Environment friendly learning.
• Flexible,light,durable,unique furnitures.
• Smart learning zones.
• Separate spaces for different activities and creative learning
zones.
• Barrier free design.
• Security for children.
• Classroom connected to garden,so that students can plant
trees and nature them.
• Preforated walls.
• Stairs with sitting spaces.
• Team teaching methodology.
• Psychological comfort for children.
• Wash-room in accordance with children users.
• Learning while playing.
• Canteen,library,interactive zones,sick room,waiting area for
parents.
• A well planed environment
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
In conclusion,The classroom design benchmark that we
follows is a century older the change on that is very indeed,
because a very big jump is done when compared to the old
days.The pandemic we have gone through is also changed
a lot. All things has been changed from teaching methods to
the thought so we want to create better learning
environments by the out of the box designs.To addition of
technologies and goodness of nature.

It is very important to create classroom in a modernized and

naturally connected way to create better learning
environment also to create connection with nature and
children to avoid the biophobic condition in children
nowadays and create redefined classroom spaces for
learning by doing and interacting and collaboration.
Ways to create better study environments.

Believe it or not it,the way classroom furniture is laid out can

affect children's behaviour and academic success, so it is
important to get it right. The size of the room, type of
furniture, colour of the walls, amount of light and room
layout all influence how children learn. A modern learning
environment, unlike the traditional one, is a learning space
(a classroom) that is more interactive, innovative, and
connected. The primary purpose of a modern learning
environment is to help students learn better and follow the
modern ways of learning to meet future challenges.
Nurturing these Habits of Mind throughout a school
develops the entire school community's capacity to
recognize and apply dispositional thinking to the curriculum
and the unpredictable challenges and opportunities a school
faces. Purpose of modernization to transfer the
responsibilities through education in society, culture, public,
and family. Modernization changes the thoughts of people
with the help of different moral principles. Modernization
helps a lot in adopting modern needs. It used as a
progressive transmission of society. Education transforms
both societies and people in a particular direction by
shaping and reshaping their patterns of thoughts, means of
problem solving and ways of life. This will then contribute to
further individual and social transformation.

In research we can found that creating better learning

environments for redefining the old school classrooms in
modern and naturally connected way to create efficient and
better learning environments.To compete with the much
developed futuristic world Its the time to change.
REFERENCE
• Archdaily
• Wikipedia
• Isuu
• Slide share
• Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education: An
Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York:
Macmillan.
• Mark Duke. Architecture of schools The new learning
environments
• Robert Ian Cullis (2010) Children’s relationship with
their physical school
• Kate E Shultz (2011). Modern classroom: A study on
interactive learning.
• Catherine C Lange (2015). Learning by design, Design
by learning.
• Ester Ehrllich Schwartz (2013) . Sustainable school
design.
• Hand book of educational psychology by David C
Berliner & Robert C Calfee.