Starlit Learning Centre - a shining example of a fun learning environment

   
The Starlit Learning Centre in Hong Kong has been designed to and been acknowledged as providing kids with 'the best environment for learning'. Designed by The XSS, the centre's design has been awarded an Asia Property Award under The Best Public Services Interior category.



Designed as a relaxing learning environment for children 2-6 years old to call their own.

The central focus or meeting point of the centre - the elevated stage provides the children with a performance area.



The spatial design is based on 'Ancient Rome' city planning - with famous landmarks linked by round plazas and other circular objects along an axial arrangement.



The interior spaces have been designed with the 'adventurous' child in mind - allowing for exploration and elements of surprise, with many secret spaces and blind spots designed to the scale of the child.



Taking inspiration from the 'garden' and the 'city' - the design utilises a imagery from skyscrapers and trees, whilst colour is used to set various 'moods'.

The use of round shapes is intended to give the children feelings of safety and security.

Via ArchDaily and Starlit Learning Centre.

CONTINUE READING

Children, meet AIBO

 
Conceived of and developed by Sony in the early 90's - AIBO, an Artificial Intelligence roBOt is able to "see" its surroundings by camera and understand spoken commands in Spanish and English - described as an autonomous robot, it is  able to learn and mature based on external stimuli from their owner, environment and other AIBO's.




Peter H. Kahn, Jr conducted a study in 2006, which aimed to analyse pre-school aged children's behaviours with the robot toy. The children participated in 45 minute sessions in two parts: one part was spent interacting with the robot AIBO, and the other, a traditional stuffed dog called Shanti. A pink dog toy ball and toy dog biscuit were also used as props.

The children's behaviours were recorded and reviewed. Kahn found that whilst the children spoke about each in the same way, their behavours differed. The children engaged with AIBO in a more apprehensive way and attempting "reciprocity", whereas the children often mistreated the stuffed dog and "endowed it with animation".

For example, half the children said that both AIBO and Shanti could hear, yet they used far more verbal directives to AIBO than to Shanti.

This suggested that the children in fact did not believe AIBO to be strictly an inanimate object - but was 'real' - and therefore were not engaging in 'pretend play' - an important consideration to think about with so many children today engaged in technological play.

The study reveals some interesting concepts of what we consider as 'real' when we confront technological or 'artificial' nature - or how we behave towards to it - i.e. we may know it is not real, but behave as if it is...

Via Technological Nature: Adaptation and the Future of Human Life by Pater H. Kahn, Jr and Sony Europe.

CONTINUE READING

Architects and designers in Italy collaborate to create a range of playful products

   


Play+  aims to "better the quality of children's environments" extending upon Reggio Emilia's wider research on children's environments.

Designers from around the world share one vision, yet offer multiple perspectives through "listening" to children and interpreting them into designs - making richer sensory play experiences for the children.

The Play+Soft range of products are soft furnishings intended to enhance the landscape of the environment for young children - through a variety of textures, finishes (smooth, rough or elastic) and a chromatic range of colours (instead of red, yellow, blue).

The idea behind the range is that an environment for children should not merely be a "backdrop" to a series of activities, but rather a protagonist in the construction of the identity of each child - fostering "self-learning" and creating a place that supports and stimulates the child's growth and development.

3D Landscapes





Dunes, waves, flower & stalk, hills, sandscape, landscapes and 'play' platform...

Microsites





tier, atoll, loop, cocoon, island, puddle, igloo, crossing and holes...

Transformable seating




molecules, snake, on-off cilinder, on-off cube, chaise longue, big, sofa, key stone, bugs...

Seating




u-seat, star-seat, zot, beach bench, dome chair, doum pouf, oumi seat, swiss cheese, chocolate...

Play structures




swing, waves, smell tunnel, mirror triangle, cone swimming pool, lem, 3d hut, cactus, mirror labyrinth, soft dino...

Mats



flower mats, lenses, supergigaballs, quicksand, gum, foldup, discs, leaves, open-close mats...

Modular forms



tetris, slices, sqary, solids, 3d forms and mirror solids.

Quite a range! It is great to see architects and designers from all over collaborating to create furnishings that can easily transform an environment into being playful and 'child-friendly'.

Via Play+.

CONTINUE READING

A brave NZ school design based on 'enquiry' learning

   

Papamoa College is located in a new suburb of the sprawling coastal city of Tauranga and is typified by "a new tide of tarseal and housing developments of relentless uniformity, that still unfortunately characterise the typical New Zealand suburb". (McKay, 2011)



ASC Architects were tasked by the Ministry of Education with creating a new Green Star-rated secondary school - the building was completed a year ago in 2011.



"We approached it with the idea that schools should be about more than students - they should become part of the community fabric", says John Sofo, the lead architect.



The school took a brave approach and decided to embrace a new type of 'project-based learning': "So the challenge for us was defining what sort of teaching environment would allow that to occur..." - Sofo.

The layout of the building is in an x formation - allowing for plently of natural light and ventilation to flood each of the spaces.

The building's spatial arrangement allows for a variety of spatial experiences, "beyond the normal school, laid out block by dogged block". (McKay, 2011)



The building also teaches the students about sustainability - with calculations for earthquake proofing and load bearing drawn onto the buildings' walls - teaching the students about the physics behind the building.



Rainwater harvested is measured and can be accessed by the students on the school's intranet; whilst gardens allow for students to grow their own edible plants.



Instead of traditional classrooms, spaces are arranged loosely as long communal spaces holding about 100 students. Similar to the 1970s "schools without walls" model - enabling for more collaborative learning. These spaces break out into various facilities - break-out rooms, meeting spots, a variety of table and desk forms for different tasks.

The design is similar to that of a work-office (or architects' studio) - "blurring the boundaries between learning and life". (McKay, 2011)

A year on, and the good new is - teachers report that the self-directed learning model has the students more engaged, and behavioural problems have nearly disappeared. (Eichblatt, 2011)

Via InDesign Live and Architecture Now.

CONTINUE READING

Kids now needing to hit the gym?

   
Sure, the fight against rapidly rising child-obesity is serious. But gyms for toddlers?

An article in today's Herald talks of the emergence of gyms for "tubby toddlers" popping up in America and Australia.



Here is a: 'kid-friendly' air walker, exercise bike and bench press with 2kg weights - produced by Australian company PlaySafeKids.

Child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg says however this is not a good thing. "Children should be running around playing in the mud, sandpits and jungle gyms".

Via LilSugar.

CONTINUE READING

The snuffle of the silver dragon

   
I've posted on De Baupiloten twice previously - as I think they have got it spot on when it comes to designing for kids. (De Baupiloten are a group of students from the Berlin Technical University under the leadership of architect Susanne Hoffman.)

Their design for the Erika-Mann Elementary School in Berlin, Germany is another fantastic example of an architectural intervention on an existing building, where De Baupiloten have redesigned the interior - hallways and classrooms.



Here you can see the design process, where De Baupoliten started off with making a cardboard model and then a computer model - this modular seating component is what transforms the school's upper stories' floors and walls. See how it pulls apart for different functions and ways of sitting.





The original building was designed by Ludwig Hoffmann in 1915 and displayed the typical sterile and authoritarian educational architetcure of the 20th century. The re-design works in various spaces for play, interaction and contemplation.

I love this isonometric drawing for its ability to communicate the various retrofit 'parts' - corridors and rooms - transforming the existing spaces.



The school children worked with De Baupiloten in a series of workshops - where they became 'co-designers' - where they created a fantastical and poetical worlds - and where they developed the concept of the "Snuffle of the dragon".

Left - is the "Chill Room" - a landscape of seating pedestals covered with foam, tarp and various textiles. A series of one meter high 'petals' form a protective island around the pedestals - made of wood - and can be individually formed by the children - to manipulate sound, light and laminate.

Right - is the "Snuffle Garden" - a series of horizontal and sloped surfaces there the children can lay, sit, or slide. Particles such as the "wings" and "fireflower" 'float' inside the "snuffle of the dragon". The particles are fold out chairs and sculptures on which the children sit or retreat into. Light covers the seats in a golden glow.



The "Dragon's Breath" - reflecting each other.

The "Silver Dragon" - a playful, fun and experimental design concept transforms the experience of the school's space and the spirit of the space - which alters, resonates, engages and shimmers. De Baupoliten show how with a bit of imagination and collaboration (between architects, students and children) can result in a successful experience for all.

Via ArchDaily and De Baupolitan.

CONTINUE READING

Will Alsop's colourful Fawood Children's Centre using old shipping containers

   
Located in north-west London and designed in 2004 by Alsop Architects - the Fawood Children's Centre has been said to be a groundbreaking design venture for the education of young children - reflecting current thinking on how the environment can affect learning; and is based on the concept that providing integrated services for children and families that are locally based and easily accessible will result in long term benefits for all (OECD).



The centre houses an early childhood centre, offices and training facilities - offering family support and outreach to parents including child and family health services, and access to training and career opportunities.



The imaginative use of open spaces, with natural light and transparency and colourful "playboxes" creates a comfortable environment for dreaming and learning.

Fundamental to the design was also to provide an environment that offers choice to the children - offering space to socialise or to be alone - enabling independent learning.



The centre was built using recycled sea containers - resembling giant building  blocks, linked by wooden decking and warmed by under floor heating.

"This combination of built and adapted internal environments has permitted a rapid construction programme," says Alsop. "It allows flexibility, and for low-cost change in any future internal layout of the building" (The Guardian).



The use of mesh walls or "giant metal circus tent" (The Guardian) which covers and protects the open air play areas creates a colourful social space for development and a decorative focal point for the community. "The children are out in the fresh air without actually being inside" (OECD).



The design stands out from the 'normal' or traditional type of early childhood centre - as Alsop says - "They suffer from what I call pumped-up bungalow syndrome, carefully designed to stifle the childhood imagination" (The Guardian).

Jonathon Glancey from The Guardian describes the centre as 'a ray of light' in run-down Harlesden. A place where "children can eat picnic lunches in a "piazza", chase one another through a "willow tunnel", climb into a tree house, act on an outdoor stage, splash about in a water garden or swing from a climbing frame" - no matter what the weather.

Via OECD, The Guardian and World Architecture News.

CONTINUE READING

Designing Modern Childhoods

   


Designing Modern Childhoods (2008) by Marta Gutman and Ning de-Connick-Smith is a collection of essays that is concerned with evaluating and discussing the growing interest in childhood in our globally conscious 21st century. From fears about the demise of the childhood we know in the Western world since the beginning of the 20th century, as well as from developments within a variety of disciplines. Studies on the material culture of children - their spaces, toys and furnishings have grown with this interest - and in fact, observing the spaces and material objects of childhood, which are designed by adults based on their understandings of childhood is important to this critique in helping to define children's worlds, their experiences and their imaginations.

The underscore thesis of the book is that: 'spaces and settings made for children are pivotal to the construction of modernity in global society; and that children are social actors in their own right who use and interpret material culture on their own terms'.

As the book says, analysing the architecture of childhood is important as 'the architecture of childhood frames, just as it is framed by, culturally constructed views of ideal childhood'.

The book provides a wonderful collection of essays covering a number of themes that have arisen in early childhood scholarly attention including matters on health, education and consumerism. Drawing from a variety of locations from all over the world, including an essay about a kindergarten in Auckland, New Zealand. (See previous post on this.)

CONTINUE READING

A diverse 'play-scaped' space for a centre in Melbourne's Docklands

 
The Harbour Family and Children's Centre's landscaped outdoor area was designed by Hassell. Located on the rooftop of a supermarket in the Melbourne Docklands - the centre aims to showcase Lady Gowrie's vision for outdoor play as a fundamental aspect of early childhood development.



The courtyard is a diverse and tactile series of nature-based play spaces that provide a backdrop for the facility's learning programmes.



Incorporating two sandpits, digging patch, water play zone kitchen garden and a flexible use softball area, the gardens vary in theme to showcase the diversity of the natural world.



This unique learning environment is an important addition to community infrastructure within a fast-growing high density commercial and residential precinct.

Via Hassell Design Practice.

CONTINUE READING