Challenging what is conventionally “mandatory” in school design, Rosan Bosch worked with Swedish school Vittra Telefonplan to create an unconventional learning environment.
With increasing demand for a constructive educational experience, the trend of school buildings has shifted. What used to be dull and unexciting facilities are receiving makeovers and the new ones are emerging with better thought-out designs. Research by the University of Salford in Manchester and the architects of Nightingale Associates of seven primary schools confirms the positive impact of a well-designed learning environment on academic achievement. After more than one year of study, early results show learning improvements as much as 25 percent.
Vittra, a Swedish organization that campaigns for universal education, decided to push it further with the help of Copenhagen-based studio Rosan Bosch, who created the Vittra Telefonplan’s interior design, space distribution and custom-designed furnishings to facilitate differentiated teaching and learning in a school where the physical space is the most important tool for educational development. Instead of the classic classroom setup with desks and chairs, most of the walls were eliminated to create learning zones that encourage group interaction.
The tricky part is in how to balance the open space with spatial divisions, which are necessary so that students can focus, concentrate and work individually as needed. The solution is to create several closed rooms for special purposes such as a sound-proof Dance Hall and Multimedia Lab, separated so that the sounds and music don’t disrupt the others. More subtle partitions come in the form of decorations and furniture like tall study nooks called ‘Conversation Wall’ and ‘Window Pods’ resembling cubicles. Even one zone can be divided into several smaller areas, like The Tree, the roots of which cleverly double as room partitions.
Apart from that, the school is in one big open area that surrounds the amphitheatre, designed like a giant floating iceberg in the middle. The only chalkboard one will find is outside The Chalk House, which students might be encouraged at times to draw on. In the Vittra schools, each child gets their own laptop which will be their main tool, so they like sitting side by side to be able to peek at each other’s screens. Rugs, sitting islands and tables are provided to accommodate various preferences. The Village, for instance, houses tables in several house-shaped frames with no real walls while The Lunch Club is a cafeteria-style area with tables for working, eating or both.
The effectiveness of the uncon-ventional educational system and environment is yet to be assessed, but the spaces present a multitude of experiences, allowing the children to learn on their own terms. But the bright-colored, stylish yet functionally designed modern school shows a lot of promise. l
www.rosanbosch.com
vittra.se
