Learning Spaces

We have designed a wide variety of study spaces, ranging in scale from a small studio to a complete new higher education campus. Each of these projects shares a concern for the architectural qualities necessary for concentrated creative working, along with the visual expression of a particular organisation’s identity. Acoustics, colour, light and texture all play a part in creating relaxed, conducive working conditions alongside a practical understanding of efficiency, adaptability and durability. Every project needs a different balance of these qualities; for instance, creating ‘horizontal drift’ between disciplines was an important aspect of the design proposals at the RCA. Students learn by looking at and discussing others’ work, so the spaces are arranged to allow connectivity between different departmental spaces, and programmes organised in highly visible proximity to one another.

Emerging approaches to teaching and learning are replacing static and didactic models with more dynamic and interactive approaches, with a material impact on space. At Kingston University we are designing spaces that facilitate blended learning by applying the concept of ‘flipped classrooms’ that include online tools and can be configured for independent and small group working to enhance traditional forms of classroom-based learning. At Kingston Hill, Knights Park and the RCA we have developed a balance between formal timetabled teaching spaces and un-timetabled spaces suitable for independent or group learning. At Kingston School of Art our ‘Studio 2020’ concept includes robust rotating walls and a flexible grid of infrastructure. The spaces are programmatically flexible and can be reconfigured to suit changing needs of a course or institution as a whole. During the design stages at the RCA we developed the highly innovative ‘Department 21’ concept, an additional ‘non-denominational’ itinerant department that changes location within the campus and could be appropriated by different disciplines, encouraging cross-department exchange and a higher level of innovation.