Contents 1- History and Theory: 2- Site: 3- Conceptual Form: 4- Precedent Studies: 5- Programmatics and Child Ergonomics: 6- Design Development: 7- Design resolution:
Design Statement of Intent: To create and combine, at the scale of a child, the Library and the Kindergarten with a language of architecture that invites and engages the child in such a way that it attempts to reestablish an acceptable level of literacy, at the crucial stages of development (between the ages of 18 months and 4 years old) in the next generation of society.
Dahl and Blake
1 History and Theory
Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake are two of the best known and most famous names associated with children’s literature in today’s age. Many people have grown reading the works of Dahl and have been captivated by the depth of story along with Blake’s superb imagery to paint the picture of what was being described. With literacy levels dipping towards an alltime low for the modern day era, something has to be done to improve those skills at the earliest point in life. In 2003, 56% of adults had a literacy level of below a C grade at GSCE, and the academic year of 2006/07 saw that 6% (39000) of students in the UK left school with less than a D to G grade in GCSE English.
Whole Word Method Many children find it hard learning to read and failing to read can have long term effects for children and their motivation to learn. There is a dispute about the two main methods of teaching children to read; the whole word/language method, and the more traditional method of phonics. The whole word method is based on the theory that children should learn reading skills in the same way that they would learn how to speak. The whole word method is exceptionally difficult as it requires children to memorise thousands of words each as an individual entity. Sounding out words is not taught and instead they’re encouraged to sight read. The suggestion is that if children hear the natural language from the books theyre reading, they will quite easily teach themselves to read via trial and error.
Phonics Method There are more than 50,000 words in the English language and by year 5 of school children may have the ability to recognise about 1400 simple words (0.28% of the English language). Knowing the sounds of the alphabet and learning how to properly put words and sounds together is a much more beneficial technique. The 26 letters in the English alphabet have a total of 44 sounds, this leads into the method of phonics whereby if children know the sounds of words then recognising how they’re meant to be read then they will have an easier time learning to read. “It is true that parents’ reading aloud to children forms a psychologically healthy bond between the two participants. In this procedure, children also usually learn that a book contains the content of what the parent is reading. Children may also come to realise that the strings of optical shapes separated by spaces in books are called words.” - Dr Patrick Groff, NRRF (National Right to Read Foundation) Board Member and Senior Advisor. If children know the sounds of the alphabet and can manipulate and put letters together, they will be able to read many more words and will greatly enhance their reading fluency and comprehension. Reading instruction that teaches the rules of phonics clearly will ultimately be more successful.
Harry Potter?
In 2009, an article was published about a story where a class of students that had learning disabilities were able to improve their reading ability by more than three grade levels in less than 2 years just by reading the Harry Potter book series. The year 9’s had previously experienced the series by listening to the audio version of ‘The Philosophers Stone’ and because of their vested interest, the student teacher Amy Bansinski-Long, decided to read the second book with them even though it had no connection with the curriculum and was statistically beyond their comprehensive capabilities.
Montessori Theory Opportunities give a child their independence and therefore the ability to do things for themselves and so it increases self-belief, confidence and esteem which can be developed through life. Part of Montessori’s theory involves the common misconception that correcting a child is the ‘best/right’ way for them to learn. When in fact, correcting them can have an adverse effect and result in them wishing not to attempt anything for fear of making more mistakes. The prepared environment is possibly the most important aspect of the Montessori theory. The development of a child is dependent upon the environment they’re in, including the parents from which the child learns from. “Rooms are child sized with activities set up for success and allow freedom of movement and choice. The environment has to be safe for the child to explore freely. The environment has to be ready and beautiful for the children so it invites them to work.” - Maria Montessori. A child’s mind is like a sponge, children under the age of 3, need no lessons to learn, it’s all done through experience and interaction. Therefore the environment that the child experiences, as they will absorb it no matter if the choice is not to, has a positive set up and is stimulating to them.
Returning to Work “In 1981, only 24% of women returned to work within a year of childbirth; by 2001, it was 67%, and the Department for Work and Pensions says that 76% of mothers now return to work within 12 and 18 months of having a child. There are about 15,000 nurseries in the UK, and the number is growing. Around 277,000 children under three are enrolled in day nurseries, and 21% if children aged under two spend some time in day nurseries. After grandparents, day nurseries are the most popular form of childcare for working parents who have children under 3.”
While of course there are downsides to mothers returning to work within the first 12 months, there are also significant advantages to it, sighting: increases in mother’s income and wellbeing, and a greater chance of ‘higher quality’ childcare. So perhaps it has no effect at all on how a child develops.
A Childs Mind The child’s mind is ultimately a pure untainted gem with so many possibilities waiting to be explored. In a way the mind of a child is a sponge, constantly absorbing information in a never ending quest of learning.
The way a child learns the world around them is by exploration through the senses. When they touch an object, they unearth its dimensions and weight. Through sight they explore the special proportions. By way of hearing they determine its proximity, pitch, timbre and tone. This is where the metaphor ‘like a sponge’ becomes the most relevant as each of these activities take place all day every day. Curiosity is the fundamental of learning. A child is always attempting to determine the what, when, how and why of things. A visual stimulus is most effective to manifest curiosity. “A toddler will be naturally drawn to materials that are bright, attractive and noisy.”
A Childs Mind cont... Should you watch a child play you may notice that there is an intensity at which they concentrate on the activity. This is known as goal orientation and the child’s mind is focused on finishing the given task. It doesn’t even need to, in fact it quite often won’t, make any sense to an adult but that isn’t the point.
All children have an extreme amount of workmanship and pursue perfection. They work for their pleasure until they’ve become satisfied with the result. Self-evaluation plays a big part in satisfaction. The signal that they’ve reached the standard of perfection is where they stop repeating the activity. Lastly the inner sense of order within a child’s mind draws conclusions from careful observation, repetition and prediction in everyday life. You’ll find that when a child is put in unfamiliar surroundings they may start crying because their sense of order has been disrupted.
2 Site
Site
The site has been chosen due to its close proximity to the ‘no longer functioning’ First Public Library of Liverpool. It also offers direct links to Liverpool One shopping centre which handily lends itself to one of the outlines in the brief to allow a parent(s) to ‘drop off’ their child and allow them the alone time that is proven to benefit both the parent and child.
3 Conceptual Form
Conceptual Form
As a child reaches the age of three or four years, their cognitive development is at such a level that the groundworks for logical thinking are taking shape, therefore their thoughts become more cohesive and structured. Thoughts have become linked like architectural routes through between spaces possibly creating a grounds for the building form and layout.
Conceptual Form Cont...
The model represents how children can imagine objects, people and events in their absence but remain unable to manipulate those representations. They show by the way of material choice that the child becomes further influenced by their experiences and in turn, begin shaping their persona into a more solidified form.
Conceptual Form Cont...
An 18 month olds’ mind is a maze full of tangents and dead ends. But the mind of a young child is also very pure and fragile, which is shown by the choice of materials used. The spaces represent the ideas of tangents from activities to other activities by a way of dead end spaces.
Conceptual Form Cont...
4 Precedents Studies
Precedents Studies
Els Colours Kindergarten – RCR Arquitectes: The child take ultimate priority in the architectural form. This is achieved by, on one level, placing windows at a height that only a child can gain an unobstructed view out of them, and on another, the main entrance to the kindergarten makes use of a canopy that drops to a height of a child so that they can simply run into the space whereas an adult has to walk around the obstruction.
Precedents Studies Cont... Kindergarten by Cercadelcielo: Much the same as Els Colours in that the child becomes the major influence of the architecture, although this Kindergarten has the playful aspect the Els Colours is possibly missing. Children have the opportunity here to run and play relatively freely within the building.
Precedents Studies Cont...
Montessori Primary School – Herman Hertzberger: Designed to maximise a child’s learning capability, the school has architectural features well worth exploring. The classrooms for example, are orientated to minimise noise and disruption from the main corridor, and are L-shaped to express multiple zones of concentration. A playful aspect of the corridor are a number of interventions that are either expressed or recessed into the floor whereby children can partake in any number of activities. The quality of them is not really of an innovative design stance, more of a functional and playful element that serves the purpose of education within the Montessori Theory.
Precedents Studies Cont...
Kindergarten Jerusalemer Strasse – Staab Architekten: A main aspect of this building are a number of self-contained, age related, activity pods protruding from the façade that only a child can comfortably play in. The building form was designed with the intention of looking like children’s manipulation of building blocks. Unlike Els Colours and Cercadelcielo Kindergarten, the windows are large bay windows that aim to bring spatial variety in to the interior spaces.
Precedents Studies Cont... Lavender Children’s Centre – John Mcalsan + Partners: Though it is fairly good precedent for construction and sustainability, the main aspect to touch upon is the surrounding landscape. It offers subsequent views to the building that, when linked to the Roald Dahl theme, acts like a house that a child stumbles upon when walking through a forest.
Briar Hill Nursery – Peter Haddon Architects: The simple yet effective use of the covered area linking the indoor and outdoor spaces allows the children to play outside should the weather take a turn for the worst.
Precedents Studies Cont...
Seabird Island School – Patkau Architects: This building has a form that resembles the random and layered effect that had been previously explored in the concept models. Although the reason behind it being here is the use of timber in construction and cladding. Timber is an important material in terms of the project as a whole, the book is made from wood and for the most part, it is quite a sustainable material compared to that of steel and concrete. The expression given by timber is that of a soft nature with a warm quality, which in relation to children is a great material as it should give them a comfort that the likes of steel or concrete would not. The use of the various timbers would give the façade a quality that engages the child in an expressive way.
Precedents Studies Cont...
Sheerness children’s and family centre – Architype: The architectural form of the space is rather unspectacular, but the essence of the space is one of which a group of children can join and partake in various activities like reading and playing.
The arrangement, form and visual appearance of furniture in the Kindergarten will become crucial to the playfulness of the spaces and how they engage with the child’s mind and imagination to stimulate learning. You can see the arrangement is in such a way that it seems random but there is an underlying form that suggests clusters of groups.
5 Programatics and Child Ergonomics
Programatics
Spatial Hierarchy: In terms of the spatial hierarchy of the building the Play Library and its adjoining elements are by far the main aspects of the whole project. The next section on the Hierarchy is the outdoor Learning Library in which the children can play and learn about nature and the outside world by using influences of Roald Dahl. Reading Cave Wet/Art Space
Painting Courtyard
Individual Reflective Spaces
Kindergarten Entrance
Play Library
Cloakroom
Playgroun
Structured Learning
Outdoor Reading Square
Kitchen Matilda’s Tiny House Tree House Sleeping Space
BFG’s Castle with Sophies Little Cottage
The Enormous Crocodile’s Forest Danny Champion’s Hazels Wood
Indoor Reading (in the round)
nd
Classrooms
Outdoor Learning Landscape
James’ Enchanted Trees
(Secret Garden)
Mr Fox’s Burrow
The Twits Brick House (with no windows)
Child Ergonomics
6 Design Development
Design Development
Within this model the aim was to take a portion of the potential design and incorporate aspects of each of the previous conceptual models of a children’s mind. It was the beginnings of an exploration into the spaces that would have existed in the concept models.
Design Development Cont...
Based in the Aldo Van Eyke Amsterdam orphanage, this model was built to develop a concept form that explored, at a small scale, building form and the external space and enclosure that would not only provide a playful landscape to invigorate imagination, but also provides protection to the children within the outdoor space.
Design Development Cont...
The final stage of the model is made up of layers that give the form of the building a stepped profile which in parts become more inviting to the child which is one of the main aspects that will be explored throughout the design process.
Design Development Cont...
The concept has deviated far from the idea of using the forms from which the concept models were formed. It was determined that producing a building form based on building blocks could be a useful tool to create a substantial design. The shown model experimented with a few key elements that were orientated around an outdoor play space.
Design Development Cont...
This model that followed the previous, experimented with more, but smaller, pavilion type forms that when arranged, created two outdoor spaces that could differ in such a way that it determines the activities that would be present in the building.
Design Development Cont...
The model seen in the images took aspects of both the previous block models with the intention of producing a form that could further be taken forward into the design stage. The model takes a step back to a simpler form that creates a larger play space between the buildings but with the added problem of accessibility and protection for those children, for example, the main road of Duke Street.
7 Design Resolution
Design Resolution
Design Drawing Development (Resolution): The first real comprehensive attempt to design the play library space by incorporating the ideas of a cave space for reading, a tree house for sleeping and the wet and art spaces. The form has started to become further modified from the straight blocks that it was first conceived from.
Design Resolution Cont...
1- Play Library 2- Wet/Art Space 3- Art Courtyard 4- Reading Cave 5- Sleeping Tree House 6- Outdoor Reading 7- Group Reading 8- Co-mingling Space 9- Structured Learning Classrooms 10- Entrance 11- Playground 12- Cloakroom/Library Entrance 13- Learning Landscape
Design Resolution Cont...
This ‘up to date’ plan shows the play library taking a more opened plan with the relocation of the tree house to bridge between the indoor and outdoor learning environments. Furthermore it allows for a more dynamic floor plate in a space that was, before then, relatively unable to be incorporated into it.
Design Resolution Cont...
1- Play Library 2- Wet/Art Space 3- Art Courtyard 4- Reading Cave 5- Sleeping Tree House 6- Outdoor Reading 7- Group Reading 8- Co-mingling Space 9- Structured Learning Classrooms 10- Entrance 11- Playground 12- Cloakroom/Library Entrance 13- Learning Landscape 14- BFG Castle 15- Sophie’s Cottage 16- Twits Brick House with no windows (Plant Room) 17- Play Platforms
Final Scheme Images
Suffolk Street - South East Elevation: Main Kindergarten Entrance
Final Scheme Images
Play Library: Main Space
Final Scheme Images
Play Library: Group Reading Area
Final Scheme Images
Learning Landscape: North West View
Structural Strategy
Environmental Strategy
Project Work Featured in Published Article by Dr Charlie Smith, Senior Lecturer - Liverpool John Moores University. Smith, C. ‘Presence, Permeability and Playfulness: Future Library Architecture in the Digital Era’. In Baker, D. and Evans, W. (eds), Digital Information Strategies: From Applications and Content to Libraries and People, Chandos Publishing, ISBN 978-0-08-100251-3.