“The most important day of a person’s education is the first day of school, not graduation day” Harry Wong
The opaque walls of every school building have shaped futures and created memories of every generation that has passed through its doors. Once a space with long corridors, flanked by classrooms on either side, learning spaces today have evolved with changing times to accommodate the myriad needs of the present day methodology of teaching. Mugdha Thakurdesai takes us through the modern day approach of creating innovative learning spaces that go beyond brick and mortar.
Learning Spaces – Evolution & Approach
Learning environments are on a path of evolution - from being spaces for traditional teacher directed instructions to dynamic multi-functional, collaborative, student-centric spaces. Our approach to designing learning environments is such that they should be inspiring for the end user, which is the child or the student. Every experience counts, and we want to make it a memorable one - the design being an aid to create a positive experience.
The learning journey of every individual is different and hence the spaces need to cater to the ever changing needs of children, and multiple intelligences like visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Our approach to design has been to create spaces to cater to the various modalities of learning. In our designs, one can experience small cave spaces for reflection, informal meeting zones for small group discussions, reading corners for quiet times, project labs for hands-on activities as well as outdoor zones for learning or play based activities - all as part of the learning community space. Student engagement is through design, with inspiring aesthetics that stimulate curiosity while maintaining a sense of comfort and belonging.
Thereby, we are creating environments for effective learning towards fostering a positive atmosphere. At times, one has to go by the mantra of ‘less is more’ - let the designs be minimalist, yet the spaces be inspiring for the children to be innovative. This also allows students creativity and work to stand out as part of the environment’s personality.
Challenges and Preparation
When we receive a brief from the school’s leadership team, it provides us with an overall idea of the requirements such as the student numbers, project area, curriculum as well as the broad program that the school management is looking for. But there is a lot beyond the requirements that goes into the planning and designing of schools.
The vision of the school, culture as well as the pedagogy are some of the parameters which we take into consideration when we start with the design process, along with the overall ethos of the school, geographical location, site topography and typology of the project. Inputs which we receive from the user community like the teachers, representative student and parent bodies form a basis of our approach to design. The concept design phase is a very collaborative process which involves back and forth discussion with the stakeholders in order to arrive at a mutually acceptable design concept. Each design is tailor made and unique, reflecting the ethos of the school community and fostering an environment for its specific learning journey.
Design Process
Educational spaces are diverse which need to cater to various age groups and hence multiple psychologies. There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution for schools, and there is a developmental approach to design. While we may be looking at more play based spaces for early years, the dynamics changes to spaces with more focused activities at a high school level. It is the same child who is graduating from the early years to high school and hence the language of design needs to graduate too, while keeping the tone of design in sync with the overall ethos and theme. That is the best part and the challenging part at the same time.
Innovation and Technology
Classrooms have evolved, and are evolving further from being ‘chalk and board’, ‘teacher as centre stage’ rooms to being more learner centric, where spaces empower exploration, interaction, and self-expression. Our approach to designing 21st century learning environments is to break away from the factory model of schools where corridors were flanked by classrooms, with all students facing the blackboard wall. We design learning spaces to cater to the various modalities of learning, to individualize teaching and learning, and to resonate the students’ voice and choice.
Our spaces are flexible and agile, with a variety of furniture and with seamless outdoor connections wherever possible because learning cannot be restricted to within the four walls of a classroom. We incorporate neuroarchitecture in our designs to create learning environments that are supportive, inclusive and stimulating for the emotional and physical well-being of a child.
Hurdles & Sacrosanct Components
Our main objective is to give form to the vision of the school and work alongside the management as a team. For all projects, we set certain goals at the onset of the design process with the school team and follow through the same. This allows us to minimize conflicts, and at the same time use our creativity within the framework that we have created.
Daylight, acoustics, indoor air quality and optimum stimulus by means of design are some of the elements that are non-negotiable in terms of quality.
Conclusion
Quoting Winston Churchill “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught”. Let the spaces which we design be hubs of inspiration and growth for one and all, spaces designed for agency, creativity, and inclusivity to enhance motivation and participation.
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