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CONTENTS
Introduction……………………………………………..3 Architectural ideas & strategies………....................4 Approach to the brief…………………………………..5 Users……………………………………………………..6 Key spaces……………………………………………….7 Relation to context………………………....................8 Precedents……………………………………………....9 Technologies / Environmental strategies………….10 Planning issues………………………………………..11 Cost……………………………………………………..12
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Introduction
The site is an existing primary school called St Johns The Divine Church of England. Within the site I have chosen the garden site. The site is used for gardening purposes very rarely, however most of the time it is unused.
My project is therefore a heated storytelling space in the garden for the children to engage with controlled views of nature and their own woodlands. The community such as parents also participate in this learning process by being able to attend show and tell sessions in the evenings.
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Architectural ideas & theories
Sculptural forms and natural landscape Some ideas which I looked into was the use of sculptural forms and different levels within them. Organic sculptural forms allowed me to break up the solid spaces and seating I had for the children to engage with storytelling. The idea of natural landscape also was key in informing my project. This is to allow children to engage with the controlled views during storytelling.
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Approach to the brief
My approach to the brief consisted of creating a warm intimate atmosphere for children to take part in storytelling. The story telling space is a place where children are able to participate in traditional interactive storytelling rather than just reading. Furthermore, the location of the teaching space being in the garden allows the children to broaden their experience of the garden and their connection towards their natural landscape acting as their own privatised world.
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Users The storytelling learning space is for an average size class of 30 children as well as a teacher and 2 teaching assistants. Below the exploration of spatial arrangements of the children and teacher is shown. The arrangements allowed me to understand the best way in which a class of 30 children may stay the most engaged and focused. The most successful arrangement was the the two rows in the formation of a semi circle, which therefore allowed children to interact with each other as well as their teacher.
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Key spaces
Main heated storytelling space This space consists of a heated brick organic seating where The height of seated children are considered. The storytelling space allows the interaction between peers as well as the main class teacher and teaching assistants.
Outdoor heated storytelling space The outdoor storytelling space also consists of a heated brick seating like that of the main heated storytelling space. The view which the outdoor space has is of the bottom of the trees, whereas the main storytelling space has the view of the top of the trees.
Community show and tell space The community show and tell space allows the parents from the community to engage with the learning process of their children.
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Relation to context
The storytelling space engages with its context by drawing in users to the building. The children are drawn in from the playground space through the natural woodlands landscape as well as glimpses of the coloured glass being seen from a distance. Furthermore , the community are also drawn in by the woodlands towards the frontage of the building. The translucent glass allows the community to be curious on what happens in the space. Gordon Cullen – Townscape ‘ We are finding a tool with which human imagination can begin to mould the city into a coherent drama’ ‘it is an instinctive and continuous habit of the body to relate itself to its environment ‘ Cullen therefore explains how the city such as the streets , the buildings, the nature etc. is what forms our townscape therefore it is key to address it. My project therefore addresses the townscape and how the community view it from the main road, Camberwell New road .
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Precedents ‘Curricular instruction’ Illich explores how the national curriculum is only focused on and other activities which are key to a child's skills are ignored. My storytelling space therefore engages with the principle of social interaction as well as people skills.
These range of architectural precedents have informed my design. This therefore consists of the warm atmosphere created for the children as well as the incorporation of organic sculptural forms within the natural landscape.
Gunnar Asplund – Stennas Summerhouse
Bruder Klaus chapel – Peter Zumthor
Bruder Klaus chapel – Peter Zumthor
Studio Weave – Belvue school woodlands classroom
Giillespie Kidd and Coia - St Bride’s, East Kilbride
James Turell - Wedgeworks
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Technologies / environmental strategies
Heated brick seating – ground source heat pumps In order to allow the warm atmosphere to be created, the use of ground source heat pumps generating the heat of the heated brick seating was used. This heat will therefore allow the intimate warm atmosphere for the users. Ground source heat pumps generate heat by using the earths ground as a source. The fluid within the pipes take heat from the ground and passes it through a heat exchanger to generate heat.
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Planning issues
Some issues which may occur during the planning are issues in relation to the residential context. This therefore includes the consultation of the neighbouring house and the residential flats across. How I addressed the planning issues is by ensuring that there are no windows which overlook the neighbours garden.
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Cost
A landmark to the site Contract value - ÂŁ234,000 Although with the use of ground source heat pumps the cost may be expensive, however the maintenance of the classroom space will be cost effective . The space will act as a landmark through being a beacon as well as a place which draws in the community and the children through its woodlands. Furthermore, due to the project being a school, they may require the funding from the local community. This will therefore require the consultation with the parents as well as the school boards and notifying them on what will happen in that space. It is therefore important to let the pubic know.
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Storytelling is an engaging learning process which isn’t given enough focus to in the national curriculum. My project sets a warm intimate storytelling space for children to participate in as well as having controlled views of the surrounding natural landscape. The landscape acts as the children's own privatised woodlands.