Introduction

This thesis stands at the confluence of two fields – architecture and education. Architecture is often referred to as the ‘third teacher’ in a learning environment. The way a space is designed can influence the teaching methods used, the learning experience of the students, and reinforce the educational philosophy of the institution. The architecture of learning spaces, therefore, is fundamentally linked with learning itself. Schools are where all children spend the first decade of their lives. Their experiences with learning can greatly affect their outlook on life and their connection to society. The architecture of schools hence becomes an extremely important factor of a nurturing childhood learning environment. One’s teachers, friends, classmates and family certainly play dominant roles in the formation of a learning experience, but architecture forms the backdrop on which all these experiences happen. The nature of this backdrop, therefore, affects the quality of the learning experience and the kind of interactions that occur among people in schools. According to 2015 estimates, 29% of Indian children are privately educated. With more than 50% children enrolling in private schools in urban areas, budget urban private schools help augment the government school infrastructure and provide education to the urban middle classes.

Adherence to infrastructure, safety and administrative requirements in urban private unaided schools is ensured through regular inspections by governing bodies such as NCERT. However, the architecture with respect to curriculum transaction and learning experience remains insufficiently regulated in the spatial design of schools. Hence there is potential for the architecture of these schools to be designed for a better learning experience. There are many criteria that influence the design of an engaging learning space. User group, location, context, curricula, philosophy of education, number of students and programmatic requirements, infrastructure and safety requirements, the list goes on.

“The large majority of schools are built not to optimize health and comfort, but rather to achieve a minimum required level of design performance at the lowest cost.”

- Gregory Kats, principal, Capital E While studying the marketing strategies of private unaided schools, certain patterns are observed. Often, infrastructure such as ‘smart’ boards, air-conditioned premises, extensive sport facilities and international accreditation become selling points for a particular type of school to attract its prospective students. Other schools display their list of “toppers” or students who score high marks in competitive examinations. These schools advertise their experienced faculty and availability of exam preparation materials to attract students. In every education system, there is a constant need for accountability. A school is scrutinised and frequently questioned by society regarding the efficacy of its educational philosophy and the methods it chooses to employ. In order to communicate their success and responsibility, schools choose many mediums – infrastructure, facilities, success of alumni, marks, achievements in extra-curricular activities, etc. Also involved are marketing decisions from the business perspective – even if private schools are not run for profit, they still need to stay afloat and retain a competitive edge in the education market. Whether we like it or not, private education today is a definitely a business.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis | Sahana Doravari | 4CM15AT012 WCFA Mysuru 2

In this complicated context, the quality of the learning experience perhaps falls low on the list of design criteria in the design of learning spaces within private unaided schools. The learning spaces need to be redesigned, by re-ordering the design criteria such that conduciveness of space to learning becomes the highest priority. Learning is not possible without motivation, of which there are different kinds. Extrinsically motivated earning, which we commonly see in our education system today, is learning for the sake of marks, success, recognition and other external rewards. Intrinsically motivated learning, on the other hand, is learning for the sake of learning – which may extend well beyond one’s school years. The practice of intrinsically motivated learning increases the odds for a rare, highly rewarding phenomena – Flow. This phenomenon occurs during a variety of activities - sports, art, music, to name a few. In learning, it leads to greater fulfilment among students and the desire to keep learning. In a suitable learning environment, they can enter a state of mind where they are intensely engaged with the activity and lose all track of time and their surroundings. Learning becomes addictive. To design a learning environment conducive to Flow, multiple factors must be considered. The philosophy of the institution, amount of choice within the curriculum and syllabus, the teachers and their preferred teaching methods all play a part in encouraging Flow. Of these factors, only some are impacted by architecture, and can be addressed by architects. These include classroom design, program and the intangibles of space-making, and can be considered when designing a school for Flow. There are numerous instances of educational philosophies and built environments within existing schools, which directly promote intrinsic motivation and therefore indirectly promote Flow. By studying these schools and school design manuals, and noting the common design elements across various schools of thought which all promote Flow, a toolkit can be formed. The toolkit will include ideas at the overall institution scale and organising principles, to the detail of openings and classroom furniture layouts for suitable teaching methods. This multilayered toolkit can then be applied and tailored to a specific context when designing a school for Flow.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis | Sahana Doravari | 4CM15AT012 WCFA Mysuru 3