Graduate Thesis Study

the influence of a

creative environment

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Table of Contents

Abstract

Thesis Statement Contextual Significance Personal Statement Structure

Literature Review Bibliographic Essay

Theory Studies Jean Piaget Susan Cain Ken Robinson

Design Research Compare and Contrast Precedent Studies Design Criteria

Testing Criteria Space Studies Site Explorations Design Focus

Reflection

Moving Forward Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Abstract

Human beings are constantly evolving their mind and the environment, as we can not grow one without the other.

Children and young adults specifically need environments that support positive development. The education model of the 21st century is one that is neglected and stuck in the past, failing to consider the humans natural expression and innovative modern day technologies. Architects and school developers must find balance in the building process in order to construct a successful learning environment. If we shift our focus from building ‘bigger and better’ to revitalizing lost fundamentals within our societies, like education, then we can begin to reconstruct our societies from the bottom up truly designing for the user who will in turn build our future.

By studying the process of human development, designers can begin to form spatial relationships that influence the learning process in a way that emphasizes the mind-bodyenvironment connection. Creating schools that support how students express their natural talents will sculpt a path for a brighter future for the person and collectively the world.

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Thesis Statement

By designing educational spaces based on the humans mind/body experience with the environment, learning will be influenced in a way that releases each students full potential and inevitably the world.

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Contextual Significance

Children are the building blocks of the future. We must carefully consider how we design the environments for their massively absorbent minds. Although humans progress through developmental stages all our lives, the beginning stages are the most important. From the ages 1 - 20 we are learning about the most important aspects of ourselves and the world. This is also the time that our thoughts are the purest, untouched by societies influences, the most important part of ourselves to express in order to grow. Because these years are the most influential we must look closer at our education system.

The current education system is one that was modeled in the 1900’s during the industrial revolution. Schools were constructed similarly to factories, creating separated facilities, intensively teaching subjects in a structured time table, and bells to shift between classes. This is a result of the production line mentality, once a goal to produce factory workers that was adapted, over time, to produce academic scholars.

Today a graduate degree is becoming more common, lessening its significance in our developing world. Our generation is in one of the most intensely stimulating periods in history yet our education system remains in the past. Growing companies and organizations are no longer looking for academic geniuses but for creative, innovative talents that we do not support in schools today. Our generation much revolutionize education so there is a balance among disciplines taught in schools that will inevitably be reflected in the architecture, creating a harmonious environment that supports the growth of both the mind and body. In the realm of educational architecture, form must follow function.

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Figure A

Boston Latin School Massachusetts

Figure B

Industrialization; the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group

from an agrarian society into an industrial one, involving the extensive

re-organization of an economy for the purpose of manufacturing.

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Boston Latin School Massachusetts

Figure C

Personal Statement

Through my school career, before college, I struggled greatly with core classes like Math, Science, English, and History but always excelled in secondary classes like the arts and physical activities. As standardized testing only measured the main courses, on paper, I was a poor student. This even continued into my applications for college when I was not accepted into architecture school because of my SAT scores, I was later able to prove myself in other ways after much convincing. This judgment of grades throughout school negatively impacted the way I perceived myself and my potential in the academic world.

Though I felt lost in the world of numbers and facts, I was not alone. I had many friends who also struggled but instead of redirecting their energy positively, they found negative outlets. Students should never feel lost in a building designed for them to thrive. Schools today do not focus on positive spatial environments that encourage students to feel comfortable and safe. Our schools instead lead children to rebel against leaning, feel threatened and untrusted by teachers, looking elsewhere for a comforting hand that often leads down the wrong path.

One of my closest friends was an intelligent and profoundly caring person who never had the chance to realize his own potential before he chose a path that took his life. I strongly believe that if he felt comfortable enough in his school environment to reach out for help, to join more creative activities that aligned with his talents, that he would be alive today. He needed someone to notice his struggle and to give him a positive outlet for his emotions. Our home environment can only go so far to support us, where school can provide students with creative mediums to explore themselves. Many students have felt lost during a period of finding oneself, trying to uncomfortably conform to the ‘normalcy’ of school and turned to irreversible choices like drugs or suicide because no one was there to show them their beautiful mind. All human life is a beautiful gift that should be expressed and celebrated with every talent we express.

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“When a flower doesn’t bloom you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”

- Alexander Den Heijer

Structure

My thesis book outlines my research through five significant sections, the first starting with the Literature Review. Through extensive reading and extracting of key information, I have complied a written essay of my most prevalent sources focusing on education, human development, and positive learning environments. This provided me with the fundamentals of how to design public school environments that focus on the success of the human mind and body.

Secondly, I identify the main child-psychology Theorist’s that support the process of development and the importance of the surrounding environment on our growth and perception of the world.

The third section frames my Design Research through methods of discovery. I approach facts of education and human development by comparing and contrasting in order to emphasis the disconnect between the current education model and how people efficiently learn.

Fourth, I studied space through various mediums Testing Criteria developed through my design research. Using this criteria as rules allowed me to explore many different spaces that are essential to public school environments.

Finally, the fifth section Reflects on my research to date, what I have gained and how I support my argument by creating ideal educational spaces.

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Literature Review

Through in depth studies of various authors that focusing on development and education, I was able to create a clear perspective of the disconnect between our education systems and our process of development. Authors like Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, and Mitsuru Senda examines the importance of our physical environment in order to efficiently absorb knowledge and understanding of the advancing world.

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Bibliographic Essay Humans are naturally imaginative and innovative beings that thrive in diverse environments. Through the study of our human development it is evident that we learn best through mind and body experiences that allow for freedom of self-expression. Todays education model ignores the consideration of how the human absorbs and retains information. Structured education has been heavily ingrained in our societies for many years but never more then during the industrial revolution. This era shaped a linear learning model focused on production that has been manipulated over time but no longer supports the growth of our generation today. The industrial idea of production is translated into the modern day idea of producing graduates. Today’s focus on standardized testing is forgetting a large percentage of students who don’t excel under those circumstances.

We need to consider the spectrum of courses that promote success in all topics of interest from science to art. Today’s society needs creative and innovative individuals that can help guide our future in the right direction. The way we view education needs to be revolutionized to encourage the child’s pure expression of thought while aligning with the advancement of our growing technological era today. We have the power to create environments that help children express and challenge their own creative thoughts in an innovative way that prepare them to be successful builders of our future.

From the moment of birth humans begin the development process of our mind and body, extremely versatile and challenging stages through life that depend on movement and self expression in order to grow into ourselves and to achieve our full potential as people.

Maria Montessori in The Absorbent Mind describes why the most influential years are when we are children because of the influence our environment has on our growth and the importance of learning in and out of school. The attention to the human development process raises debate among the way we design our schools today.

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In Ken Robinson’s book, Out of Our Minds, he sheds lights on why the education system today is no longer working for our children and rather then helping them is actually hurting them. Somewhere along the design path of education we have lost the aspect of the human, becoming over concerned with economy and industrialization.

With this loss of focus on our school environment we have been building stagnant and factory style buildings that not only negate the encouragement of physical movement but focus purely on sitting still and testing our minds. This automatically segregates students into an academically smart category and students who don’t measure up to academic standards. This inevitably suppresses more then half our children in schools today impacting their development and selfconfidence negatively. This model of learning has become out of date and out of touch with our society and our future.

Figure D

Bibliographic Essay Because the old model does not pertain to our current generational needs and environmental changes we cannot just manipulate it we must ‘revolutionize’ how we see education in order to make a positive impact on our children and their future. Montessori supports the importance of movement by delving deeper in to science of our brain. Examining the brain and its complexity is the starting point of analyzing movement. The three main aspects to this are the brain, sense, and muscles, one cannot be expressed without the others, we must design for the mind and body as one. This system of relationships makes up the ‘philosophy of movement’ and as an essential to life we must begin to drastically shift our thinking to incorporate this philosophy into everything we do as humans, especially when we are children. Only by movement can our personality express itself and truly experience our environment. This now points to learning through movement and what that means to children. Montessori argues that the word play can be interchangeable with development emphasizing that play contributes to the formation of our characteristics and quality of life. Play teaches us how to gain confidence, interact socially and physically. Children are extremely good at creating their own play because of their untouched imagination. Looking at development in this light means play as learning, with this realization how do our environments for children become reevaluated? In the book Design of Children’s Play Environments, Mitsuru Senda discusses the influence and redesign of children’s environments for healthier human development. Similar to Montessori, Senda reflects on how concentration and self-development is routed deep in the child’s psychology, the child’s surroundings are the medium in which they discover how to concentrate making their environment the most important tool for learning. Through this discovery they begin to learn about social environments, this adaption to our surroundings is the birth of social life itself. These three authors diligently express the importance of the mind, body, environment connection necessary for positive human development and its essential need to be prioritized in our school systems.

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As the issues in our education system today become identified we move into the realm of possible solutions. How do we begin revolutionizing? Maria Montessori recognizes that education, for years, has become disconnected with laws of life. In an advancing technological generation today we have rich methods of learning within education but are underutilized because we are not using the full potential of both our mind and body. Universities are diminishing our own sense of thought leaving us unable to make fruitful, influential decisions in our own generation. If we begin with the analysis of how humans absorb knowledge then we will inevitably move in the right direction. Ken Robinson introduces, in a structured way, how we format education in parallel with the laws of life. He first reflects on the current system, which deals primarily with standardized testing. Intelligence is being judged through a small window by dividing between the arts and sciences. This causes the death of our creativity and growth within each of us by school focusing on one side of the brain in specific areas.

Schools should encourage the students to positively access all parts of their brain and also be able to express themselves physically.

Figure E

Bibliographic Essay With such a narrow focus to test students, we are focused more on test scores per state then we are the actual development of our children.

Every student has many talents, which they should be able to explore through education. Math, science, literature, music, art, sports and more should all be equally weighed in our schools today. A common misconception is that creativity is only in reference to classes like art or music but it is actually expressed when ‘any activity in which human intelligence is actively engaged’ meaning every medium of which we express ourselves is creative we just simply must be expressing ourselves at all. By doing this students automatically begin to take a bigger interest in how they perform when they are engaged in something they care about. When people take an interest in their own education the possibilities for their own success are endless. Feeling successful in school leads to higher self-confidence, higher class participation, and better social interaction. These are all fundamental for building better character. Education should be a medium for which humans find their own potential. As we redefine how we teach and weigh the development of our children in schools we can also see a change in the spaces we design for them. Mitsuru Senda discusses how the space we give to children is extremely important to how they visualize themselves. Our environment goes much deeper then the physical. His views align well with Ken Robinson’s encouragement to focus on all parts of the brain. Senda gives examples of how different spaces coincide with what we are trying to learn and level of success for which we learn. Spaces for math and science may take place in a quiet and smaller room where as dance and music would happen in a very different room, more open and acoustically oriented. Students also need to feel a sense of independence and trust at times. Often we smother them with protection and watch them, making them more likely to rebel. The architecture of schools should be distinctively aligned with how students visualize the world and the way they absorb knowledge. We have the ability to fine-tune our environment in a way that helps us learn in the best way possible. How does designing with this mentality make a significant impact on our future?

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Changing our methods of education to better align with the process of human development has the potential to drastically change the course of our future for the better. Ken Robinson argues as our generation undergoes an intense technological growth we are leaving education behind. We have not updated our curriculum to help teach students about current events or innovative techniques that help growing environmental issues. Today’s societies are searching for people who have these creative characteristics but our education system is not designed to focus on our creative outlets. We need to be taking advantage of the amazing human resource that is our mind and body and use these skills to sculpt a realistic future in the era we find ourselves in. Maria Montessori reflects on humanity as ‘children are the makers of men’. This is most important because the students we raise today are the men who guide our future tomorrow. A child has an uninfluenced, pure thought that we need harness and hold onto long after childhood and into adulthood because of the freeness of imagination. Through freedom of creativity is how we discover true genius and build a bright future.

Figure F

Bibliographic Essay With the intensity that our mind absorbs information, we must carefully educate our children in a way that prepares them to be leaders for the future, guide children to build confidence, social interaction, and to understand the fundamentals of life. Mitsuru Senda falls again in to the other author’s line of thinking by stressing the study of how children are expressing their creativity and building an ideal environment for them. Children are literally the architects of our future, meaning we need to pay specific attention to how we support their mental and physical growth in a way that will help world. We have the power to mold the environment for which the children of our future can thrive.

The realization that children are the builders of our future is crucial. As humans we have a unique opportunity to analyze and design for our own needs. Over time, with the overwhelming power and speed by which we discover new information, we have lost sight of the essential characteristics of the human we need to design for. This has led us to overlook the wonders of the brain and our potential. Humans learn best through experience both mentally and physically. The importance of play is pivotal because of its association with movement that provokes increased motor skills, confidence levels, and social development. Play also brings a sense of freedom that allows us to have a trial and error mentality that is the basis of how humans learn and reproduce in an innovative way. This idea of play as development should be continued into adulthood, encouraging an environment that promotes ideas and collaboration. Through education we have a unique opportunity to help shape and support the future of the child. Revolutionizing an old education system can begin to incorporate balance among essential topics in school while also teaching innovative techniques that are crucial to help environmental issues today. By creating environments that promote self-expression of the mind and body we are developing a platform for children to explore, challenge, and change our world.

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Figure G

“children are the makers of men.�

- Montessori

Theory Studies

The beginning of an idea is a theory of the unknown. Education is a complex topic to tackle in any generation because of its importance in society and its control over the academic outcome of our children. Some theorist have looked deeper into the phenomena of learning so far as to realize learning happens from birth till death. With this awareness, we can pay more attention to the essential needs of people and the critical designs that we must sculpt in order to fully express the potential of the human mind and body. Studying past theorists is the beginning of a tremendous conversation through history.

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Jean Piaget The Psychology of the Child

Swiss developmental psychologist, Jean Piaget, created the theory of cognitive development, a belief that childhood plays a vital role in a persons development and through these stages the child gradually learns how to acquire, construct, and use knowledge in a way that helps them understand and discover their surrounding environmental experiences. ‘Child centered classrooms’ and ‘open education’ are results of Piaget’s discoveries focusing on the mind / body relationship.

Play provokes a feeling of elation and pride in ones self confidence

Physical Experience

Play teaches us how to deal with problems, conflicts, fear, anxiety

Maturation

Children are allowed to destroy in order to understand, Our environment is so “finished” that change feels destructive Climbing strengthens coordination, learning to overcomechallenges, a complete haptic experience

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Equilibration

Play allows us to feel like integrated beings, emotions and thoughts in harmony Play gives us the feeling that the world is worth exploring

Logical Experience

Movement is the basis for the formation of logical concepts Problem solving and experimentation

Creative and artistic activity described as “regression in the service of the ego�

Play is key to socialization; children begin to realize that everyone stands in relation to everyone else (ego)

Social Transmission

Susan Cain The Power of Introverts, TED Talk

Author of the book Quiet, Susan Cain focused her career on the study of introverts and how the world today is not designed for how people learn efficiently. Although focusing primarily on introverts, she raises points of how we have constructed our world to function as if we all learn the same. Well documented, there are studies of how people tend to fall in three categories of personalities, introvert, ambient, and extrovert. From one extreme to the next, the difference of how these personalities learn is drastic and must be considered during the design of school environments. It is crucial to incorporate quiet learning spaces as well as open collaboration space. Diversity within spaces allows for many different condition to choose from and allows the child to make the choice of where to dwell.

“Extroverts by definition are social creatures. To them, learning is every bit a shared experience.”

“For introverts, silence is an incredibly important tool for promoting learning and teaching patience.”

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ERT

EXTROVERT

INTROVERT

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Ken Robinson Out of Our Minds

A writer and speaker, Ken Robinson is striving to provoke a movement that revolutionizes education in a dynamic 21st century. He identifies three areas we need to develop in order to succeed; first we must create diverse environments that provoke our individualism and creativity within the learning process in order to stay engaged. Second, there must be high teaching qualities that encourage curiosity through guided activities. Third, education should focus on the creativity of the individual and less on the umbrella of standardized testing in order to full utilize the potential of our talents in todays generation.

Robinson stress that the human race as a whole must first recognize that education is an organic system not a mechanical one.

“You cannot predict the outcome of human development. All you can do is like a farmer create the conditions under which it will begin to flourish.�

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Figure H

Figure I

Figure J

Design Research

Through extensive research, ranging from theory studies to spatial studies, I have defined my strongest methods of analysis resulting with compare/contrasting and precedent studies.

By compare and contrasting education and development I am able to look closer at the disconnect between the two.

Focusing on Macro and Micro scale, the analysis of precedent studies helps me study program and its positive and spatial relationships in reference to the user.

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Compare / Contrast

verb; 1. To contrast something is to look for differences among two or more elements, but compare is to do the opposite, to look for similarities. (http://dictionary.reference.com)

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Current Education Model

Year

Day

Class Time

School is segmented into years Students sorted by age

+

Each day students recieve instructions on a subject

+

Every Subject taught during a fixed time period in the day

+

540+/- School Days

+

5+/- Hours / Day

KINDERGARTEN ELEMENTARY MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGHSCHOOL

UNIVERSITY

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The current education model was developed in the 1900’s based around the formality of the Industrial Revolution. Education being structured as a production line creates a static and linear process through school that neglects children’s basic needs through the stages of development.

Degree Awarded

Test

Continue

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Students tested on each subject to see if they meet standard to move on

+

Receive diploma if all standards are met

=

Repeate steps in next grade

+

5+/- Main Subjects

+

Test - pass/fail

=

Move on

Each Subject

Human Development Process

Age: 0-3

DEVELO PMENT

0

1

Early Childhood Age: 0-3

2

Age

Age: 4-5 3

4

5

6

7

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Play Age Age: 4-5

Initiative vs. guilt PROMINANT EMOTIONS INFLUENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS PHYSICAL EXPRESSION EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS

Basic trust vs. mistrust Parents Clothing Themselves

Can I trust the world?

Family Exploring, Artistic Is it okay for me to be myself?

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e: 6-12

Age: 13-19

1 0

1 1

1 2

1 3

1 4

School Age Age: 6-12

Human beings go through many developmental stages throughout 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1first 9 their lifetime.

The twenty years are most important because we absorb so much information so quickly. In early development the child must learn the fundamentals necessary at that time and then carry that information like building blocks to the next stage of learning. Build up our knowledge instead of learn one element and move on to the next.

Adolescents Age: 13-19

Identity vs. role confusion Industry vs. inferiority

Neighbors, school

Sports, Activities

Peers, mentors

Social relationships

Can I make it in this world?

Who am I? Who can I be?

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

EDUCATION MODEL

Compare

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Age: 3-6

Age: 6-11

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

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1 0

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

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1 0

Age: 0-3

Age: 3-6

Age: 6-13

Comparing the education model with the human development process shows a prominent disconnect between the arbitrary way the education system was formed (segregation of age) and the developing stages of growth that align that mark important human milestones.

Age: 11-14

Age: 14-18

1 1

1 2

1 3

1 4

1 5

1 6

1 7

1 8

1 9

1 1

1 2

1 3

1 4

1 5

1 6

1 7

1 8

1 9

Age: 13-19

DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT STATIC EDUCATION

Contrast

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By abstractly contrasting the education model and the human development process, the result is a linear education model vs. a dynamic model. The dynamic model incorporates the idea of building blocks and retaining fundamental information as we continue to learn.

46 SCHOOL PLANNING PROCESS

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The education model also has a linear planning model that contributes to the failure of learning environments in schools today.

The school planning committee and the architectural planning process is extremely disconnected. The architect is never part of the beginning process of spatial relationships therefore automatically neglecting the student who will use the space.

ARCHITECTURAL PLANNING PROCESS

Figure K

Dynamic Planning

A dynamic planning model is how schools should be designed, planned, and constructed. By having all participants in the project communicating in an organized way the architecture will positively reflect the collaboration between disciplines, utilizing all contributors full potential.

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Figure L

Precedent Studies

Precedent noun; 2. any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations. (http://dictionary.reference.com)

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North Middlesex Regional High School Townsend, Ma

The study of this 1900’s school shows the rigid floor plans derived from double loaded corridors, segregated rooms and confined circulation. NMRHS is a great example of a industrial style school designed for test taking and minimal creative expression outside a designated classroom. The interior is brick and concrete making the spaces feel cold and hard. Minimal outdoor area is provided to interact with nature.

Relationships

Building Section

Community Forum Highly Visible Circulation Cluster of Teacher Offices Flexible Learning Spaces Indoor/ Outdoor Transition

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Expressive vs Suppressive Spatial Relationsh

Building Secti

al Relationships

North Middlesex Regional High school Townsend, MA

Building Section

Figure M

Community Forum

Fuji Kindergarten Tokyo Tezuka Architects

This kindergarten is a great example of architecture designed around the way children move. Children like continuous motion and choice with the open floor plan and flexible furniture encourages. The Fuji School incorporates all the fundamental elements for a successful learning environment as well as lets children push their own boundaries by climbing trees with minimal protection.

Relationships

Building Section

Community Forum Highly Visible Circulation Cluster of Teacher Offices Flexible Learning Spaces Indoor/ Outdoor Transition

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patial Relationships Fuji Kindergarten, Tokyo Tezuka Architects

Figure N

Community Forum Highly Visible Circulation

Seabird Island High School British Columbia, Canada Patkau Architects

This high school approaches spatial relationships within the building much more complex then the others. The higher the age, the more activities exist within the building to keep our minds curious and engaged. The school beautifully incorporates all the main elements to create a positive learning environment, most prevalently the garden space for students to learn about nature and growing food, appreciating the environment.

Relationships

Building Section

Community Forum Highly Visible Circulation Cluster of Teacher Offices Flexible Learning Spaces Indoor/ Outdoor Transition

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A

B

Expressive vs Suppressive Spatial Relationships A

B

Seabird Island (elementary/ h Patkau Associa

al Relationships B

ess, 2000.

Seabird Island School, British Columbia (elementary/ high school) Patkau Associates

Commu Highly

Cluster

Flexible

Indoor/

Community Forum Teaching Gardens

Teaching Gardens

Highly Visible Circulation Cluster of Teacher Offices Flexible Learning Spaces Indoor/ Outdoor Transition

Section A

Section B

Dudek, Mark. Architecture of Schools: The New Learning Environments. Oxford ; Boston: Architectural Press, 2000.

Section A

Section B

Dudek, Mark. Architecture of Schools: The New Learning Environments. Oxford ; Boston: Architectural Press, 2000.

Section B Figure O

Harbor City International School Duluth, Minnesota Fielding Nair International Architects

The school in located in an urban environment is a great example of integration into the surrounding context. The school has been placed as a node within all major city buildings this brings children into the community as well as the community to the children. The urban fabric allows for the chance to closely work with and blend the social, political, and economical dichotomies of the area.

Seabird Island Community School Community Buildings Agriculture Major Road

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Urban Connection

YMCA Civic Center

Public Library

Convention Center

Rail

Museum

Aquarium

Figure P

Seabird Island High School British Columbia, Canada Patkau Architects

This high-school approaches education as a central node differently when situated in a rural environment. The school quickly becomes the main focus of the area and feeds the hope of the area with the energy of the youth. Seabird High very successfully incorporated the aspect of farming and learning about nature and the strength of the community by its specific location in the area.

“The Seabird Island Band exists to promote a healthier, self-sufficient, self-governing, unified and educated community. We believe that a healthy community is one that has achieved physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and cultural balance.�

(Patkau Architects)

Seabird Island Community School Community Buildings Agriculture Major Road

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Connection

Island Band exists to promote a sufficient, self-governing, unified community. We believe that a unity is one that has achieved tional, mental, spiritual and cultural

Rural Connection

Agassiz BC, Canada Patkau Architects

Seabird Island Community School Community Buildings Agriculture Major Road

Figure Q

Design Criteria

Human development is a dynamic, creative process that begins with the child’s environment. Because our environment shapes our reality we must be mindful to create spaces that respond to our human nature. Designers must consider the spatial characteristics that will support human growth to utilize the power of our body and mind.

These spatial relationships are diagrams expressed as a set of criteria that are essential to incorporate in the design process in order to create a successful educational building designed for learning.

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Integration into the Community

Criteria: Incorporate schools into the community to

share resources. The building should stay

connected to the contextual dynamic in

order to learn from our peers.

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- Building located in a central location within the urban environment surrounded by key buildings.

Library

YMCA

School

City Hall Housing

Balance within Disciplines

Criteria: Balance disciplines within school to support

all parts of the brain. Spread the focus

spatially on science, math, literature, music,

dance, and art in a way that is true to each

discipline.

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- Design spaces by ‘form follows function’ in order to allow for true human expression within spaces.

Art

MusicG Quiet

Open Class

ym Communal

Open Class

Communal Space

The communal space of a building acts as the main programmatic piece connection all others. The space can take on playful form and expression at long as it stay a central piece of the design. “The core is a community forum for school based management, for shared decision making, and as a community forum for other community functions.

The core of the school becomes the core of the community.�

(Educ. Facilities for the 21st Century - Moore & Lackney)

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Flexible Learning Spaces

Criteria: Encourage experimental learning through

diverse and flexible spaces. Malleable

environments allow for a trial and error

process that helps us develop our ideas.

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- Movable walls, tables and chairs allow for a versatile and intriguing environment that encourages interaction

Load Bearing Walls

Flexible Structural System

Future Extentions Relocate Walls

Teacher Community

It is important in a school environment that there is shared decision making amongst teachers. This is best achieve through clusters of teachers offices surrounded by classrooms that allow for close communication with the fellow facilitator and the students.

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Indoor/Outdoor Transition

The connection between students and nature is the most emphasized spatial relationship. Children must learn about the earth, how to appreciate it and how to utilize its resources in a safe way. Indoor / outdoor spaces also allow for easy physical movement. The human mind body connection is extremely important during the learning process and can stunt development if neglected.

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Testing Criteria

The following work is a compilation of thesis testing of ideas and form through space mapping, physical modeling, and site investigations. This process has explored various mediums to test and re-test the spatial qualities of learning environments.

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Space Studies

After theory research and precedent studies comes the process of making. My past research has prepared me to take an in-depth look at the interior spatial qualities of school environments. As important the over overall building is to the students and community, successful learning comes first in a concentrated space to express oneself.

So how do we know when space is helping us?

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Mapping Spaces

The study of Jean Piaget’s 5 most important developmental characteristics leads to a compilation of the most critical spaces to be incorporated in schools in order to truly support positive learning.

ANALYTICAL THINKING

Closed Classrooms Auditorium COLLABORATION INDIVIDUAL

Quite Rooms Personal Space

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Communal Area Open Circulation Open Classrooms Teachers Offices Cafeteria / Cafe

RELAXATION

Gardening Meditation Courtyard

CREATIVE THINKING

Art Studio Dance Studio Music Studio

MOVEMENT

Gym / Body Strength Climbing / Play area

Interactive Seating

A critical element in the learning environment is to have interactive and exciting aspects incorporated. This can come in many forms like movable walls and seating.

This model is an example of interactive seating. With the seats on a track system the area can become a space for communal seating or at other times be pulled apart for individual or partner seating.

Interactive ideas like this can encourage socialization, choice, and overall developmental growth in students and teachers.

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Personal Spaces

Many school today are design around the ‘one size fits all’ model. This is problematic because, as human development shows, people learn differently. There are many types of personalities and learning styles that school environments need to be considering. Most commonly being collaborative spaces, individual spaced and movement spaces.

This is a model of an individual learning space that allows students to take time to themselves if they want to be alone or learn best on there own. Students need the option to be collaborative or independent at time to best support the way they learn and absorb information.

84

Indoor / Outdoor Gardens

One thing that consistently lacks throughout schools today are garden spaces. Growing food and cooking has been part of the human ritual since we have existed, yet we are not taught how to provide for ourselves through basic education. Incorporating vegetable gardens and flower gardens into school can teach students to be independent but also how to take care of another living thing.

This model shows how architecture can be influenced when incorporating elements like gardens and green houses. This garden is positioned in a way that pushes into the architecture of the contextual building. The walls are designed to completely open during warm months, truly bringing the garden into the space and blurring the boundaries of interior and exterior.

86

Site Explorations

Following the analysis of spaces essential for a supportive learning environment, I have designed mapped the spaces on two sites. This is a method to test and evaluate how students may be able to interact with the interior and exterior, as well as with the context, when mapped on the site in a specific way.

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Urban Environment

Set in the Eliot Norton Park, Boston MA, this site is surrounded by Bay Village, the Theater district, and a major highway. This site tests spaces derived from Jean Piaget’s theory in the urban context, facing challenges with lack of green space and dense city living.

Urban Context Spatial Concepts Set in the Eliot Norton Park, this site is surrounded by Bay Village, the Theater district, and a major highway.

This site tests spaces derived from Jean Piaget’s theory in the urban context, facing challenges with lack of green space and dense city living.

B

Essential Learning Spaces

Urban Context Collaboration Spatial Concepts A

A

Creative Thinking

Set in the Eliot Norton Park, this site is surrounded by Bay Village, the Theater district, and a major highway.

This site tests spaces derived from Jean Piaget’s theory in the urban context, facing challenges with lack of green space and dense city living.

Analytical Thinking Individual Learning Movement Relaxation

B

Rural Context

90

B

Art Studio

Meditation / Movement

Open Classroom

School Drop Off

Community Approach

Central Communal Space

Individual Learning

Section A

Gym / Physical Fitness Art Studio

Quiet Learning

Open Classroom Community Library

Section B

Meditation / Movement

Rural Environment B

Urban Context

Placed in the Boston Commons, this site tests spaces derived from Jean Piaget’s theory in a rural context Spatial Concepts allowing for a larger, more flexible school environment A A and access to surrounding parks and nature.

Set in the Eliot Norton Park, this site is surrounded by Bay Village, the Theater district, and a major highway.

This site tests spaces derived from Jean Piaget’s theory in the urban context, facing challenges with lack of green space and dense city living.

Urban Context Spatial Concepts Set in the Eliot Norton Park, this site is surrounded by Bay Village, the Theater district, and a major highway.

B This site tests spaces derived from Jean Piaget’s theory in the urban context, facing challenges with lack of green space and dense city living.

B

Essential Learning Spaces

Collaboration Rural Context A

A

Spatial Concepts Creative

Thinking

Placed in the Boston Commons, this site tests spaces derived from Jean Piaget’s theory in a rural context allowing for a larger, more flexible school environment and access to surrounding parks and nature.

Analytical Thinking Individual Learning Movement Relaxation

B

Rural Context

92

Individual Learning

Meditation

Community Library

Art Studio

Open Classroom Central Communal Space

School Entrance

Community Entrance

Section A

Individual Learning

Meditation

Art Studio

Community Library

Vegetable Garden

Open Classroom

Cafeteria

Central Communal Space

Quiet Learning

Dance Studio

Section B

Auditorium

Design Focus

After site exploration comes a deeper analysis, that of space itself. I moved my focus from space mapping and site exploration to in-depth spatial study of three specific spaces, the flexible classroom, relaxation space, and a movement space. This aligned the focus back to the user experience and the smaller details that makes a learning environment a positive one.

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Flexible Classroom

To stimulating learning, a few basic things must be incorporated, such as diversity, collaboration, interaction, and reflection. Typical classrooms today are designed for a linear and static way of learning.

With this new, dynamic classroom model comes a new curriculum.

By incorporating elements that encourage our human characteristics to thrive, then truly successful learning can begin for all students.

96

In order to design a flexible classroom space I first broke down the stages of analysis. Locate the problem, research the theory, and last apply the criteria to test if the space is successful.

98

Tranquil Space

Rarely seen in schools today are relaxation spaces.

Many schools have a repetitive and rigid floor plans designed for rooms but not for the program that happens within them. An essential part of learning is the reflection process. By reflecting back on what we’ve learned we better absorb information.

Integrating tranquil spaces into a school environment can help de-stress from the fast pace academic atmosphere, helping students and teachers both mentally and physically.

100

Breaking down the stages again shows the disconnect and the solution. Theory shows that an exposure to the natural elements contribute to de-stressing and relaxation.

102

Climbing Space

The academic focus is primarily on core classes like math, science, history and English. Because of this focus we put more emphasis on the mind and lack a balance of the mind and body. Movement has shown to greatly improve the way we learn by forming stronger neuron connection in the brain.

Creating spaces designed specifically for movement can help students express there energy as well as learn more about themselves and gain confidence.

104

The problem shows that schools tend to separate the ‘play’ area from the school section. Theory suggest that integrating ‘play’ and movement into the school program can greatly influence the development process and self motivation.

106

Reflection

As I have studied the architectural theory behind learning, I have realized that these concepts do not only apply to students but to all people in everyday life. All people have an amazing potential that is sometimes sadly unrealized. We need to tell our children the power and potential that exist within them so they can build a beautiful future for themselves and their children.

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The Influence of a Creative Environment

This image is a reflection of what I take away from my thesis exploration.

Throughout multiple mediums of study I have discovered the true influence of a learning environment and its powerful ability to help or hurt how we view education. My most important finding is that it is not only the walls constructing a space but the overall spacial qualities that support the way each student is learning and the way in which they are taught.

110

Poster

Learning is a dynamic, psychological process about knowledge and ideas, greatly influenced by its environment. Many schools today construct static spaces geared

Acknowledgments

This book is dedicated to a dear friend of mine who’s character was filled with a positive attitude, a smart mind, and a loving heart. I strongly believe had he been able to fully express himself and feel comfortable in our school environment, academically and socially, that his future would have been vivid and bright. Had he been shown his true potential when he walked the wrong path, he may have turned around. Although I miss my dear friend, a much bigger cause has emerged. My focus has become the psychological effects of spatial qualities in the learning environment, a focus that I can carry with me into the rest of my life and I have Jesse to thank for this passion.

Jesse Newcombe 8/3/93 - 9/15/13 Jesse you have been there for me my whole life, just a stones throw away. Every time I saw you, you told me you were proud of me and that I'm going to make something of myself. I've never seen someones smile light up as many faces as yours did. You brought laughter to literally every room you stepped foot in. I wish I had the chance to tell you how much you really do mean to me. You will be on my mind everyday of my life. I Love You. Rest easy my old friend.

112

Bibliography

A compilation of the books and articles that have contributed to the most relevant aspects of my thesis. Without these generous sources I would not speak with the confidence I do today.

115

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