COLLEGE

Consider a sense of community?

Consider a built environment that we spend close to 1/3 of our youth?

a  School Community.

'This means that we are more shaped by our school experience and school socialisation than we might be aware of'.

WHAT

College 

WHERE

Waterford, Ireland

WHEN

Concept

Should we not re-think a school environment?

A school environment for the most of us in portrays a similar story.

       What did we like?

       What did we dislike?

       Were we comfortably “housed” in a community or

Did we feel lost in an anonymous institute?

What Positive or negative impact did the architectural built environment have on us and our development?

When considering a design brief for a public school for all to share, what should we consider are the key design factors?

Maybe

to form a “sense of community and belonging”: what could be the main architectural qualities to set up a learning environment which encourages Socio-cultural exchange next to individual needs?

Question whether a school building and its facilities contribute to their neighbourhood, to one or several neighbouring housing estates?

​

Could the school building not transform into a Community Hub, with people meeting and enjoying spaces for groups, clubs, culture, sports etc.?

We at Concept tackled these fundamental questions putting forward one possible design solution while exploring deeper into;

• Exploring and interpreting the neighbourhood and the potentials of the location

• Creating a design profile in response to the location and to the conceptual brief

• Developing the scheme as to zoning, flow and circulation

• Implementing space, light and sound qualities into the design

• Re-thinking materials and finishes

Our Thoughts

We believe in one design approach that a school should be kind of polis, a Microcosm. We took particular interest with the zones outside the classrooms. Through greater openness spatially, we ensure that corridors are not just circulation routes, they are space to meet and learn.

Our Just as many activities take place outside the classroom as within them.

‘provide the framework within which the pupils can develop freely’

Natural lighting, visual links and spaces for withdrawal are more important. In traditional school types, there are usually long corridors that serve solely as access routes. From the very outset, Concept were keen to investigate the common spatial programme for all pupils, reviewing the enclosure, protection, and its openness.

a thought.....

A future school design

should be in collaboration with teachers and pupils. This helps to achieve a stronger sense of identity with the school. Monthly meeting could be undertaken with both pupils and teachers alike to understand their needs within the school environment, but would need to manage its productivity and self-interest factors carefully.