Capability | Emergent Form

Learning Space Design

May 27, 2012 · by emergentformau

Project: Learning Space Design workshop series

Year: 2012

Client: Architects, Educators and Facilities Planners

By: Emergent Form

The increasing importance of re-thinking the way we design spaces for learning becomes more obvious with each wave of new technology, the increasing pervasiveness of internet access and the need to accommodate the shifts in teaching styles and learning styles. The best way to take advantage of what is known and discovered in Western Australia and indeed the world, is to take advantage of the pilots and experiments and then applying the most appropriate to each unique situation.

The workshop held in November 2011 with Prof Stephen Heppell (#heppelltime) showed a demand for more information on this topic and that there was now an appetite to consider new approaches since most schools had completed rounds of maintenance and update building as a result of the Federal money injected post the GFC. Now was time to consider the next round of building in the context of these shifts. It was with this in mind that Emergent Form, together with Xcite Logic and EIW Architects came together with Prof Stephen Heppell to run a one day workshop at the University Club in Crawley.

Exploring the new cannot be done by schools and education institutions alone and so this workshop series involved architects, facilities planners, builders, furniture makers and educationalists. In fact, the tables for the main workshop were comprised of most of these groups – importantly with Students too. The aim here was to explore the best examples from around the world with Prof Heppell and then look at six WA examples as case studies to be discussed with a panel of experts. Added to this, the students were able to try combinations of furniture and record their thoughts on iPads to bring to the tables for discussion.

The keynote by Prof Heppell is below as is the case study session.

Keynote – Prof Stephen Heppell

WA Case Studies – Paul Houghton, Stephen Heppell, Alec O’Connell, Lara Mackintosh, various others…

#Heppelltime

December 12, 2011 · by emergentformau

This project was about starting a series of conversations to open up the subject of learning in a digital world. There are many dimensions to this and after some discussion with both the various sponsors and participants digital pedagogy (teaching in a digital world) and re-thinking learning spaces emerged as the major themes. The program for the 3 days was broadly about two different one day workshops that were sponsored by Amplified on day 1 and Southern River College with XCite Logic on day 2.

The keynote for the Amplified event was ‘The Opportunity of 21c Learning’ – an exploration of the issues and challenges facing both teachers and learners to a crowd of around 220 people connected with Education in some way. Key messages of the ‘craft’ of teaching, the motivation of learners, flaws of factory learning and the exciting opportunities of a learning future that draw from the best examples from around the world.

Prof Stephen Heppell, Amplified keynote.

The afternoon session began after a playful lunch with the removal of shoes and an exploration of many projects from around the world to draw on to generate local ‘recipes’ and specific actions.

The next day at Southern River was primarily for the teachers. A broader professional development day was developed by XCite Logic and this was punctuated by three sessions by Stephen which again started many conversations around what to do next, where to make changes and how to tackle some of the issues of the third millenium.

The conversations have started. Some people inevitably will revert back to business as usual but many were inspired and committed to a different approach, big or small, that would make a difference in their own world. These conversations will continue through until May next year when Stephen returns and a number of projects will be initiated, inspired by these two days of talks. Me, I had a blast – talking, thinking, getting the fire back. Really looking forward to next year, thank you Stephen.

Freeing Learning

November 30, 2011 · by emergentformau

Wow – just come off the face of a wave of inspiration called Stephen Heppell. Apart from the two of us talking continuously for the three days he was here, it was great to have time to spend with educators, innovators and others interested in doing things differently. There was a genuine buzz at each of the meetings and events we ran and pleasing for the first foray by Emergent Form into the notion of catalytic presences.

So, with potential created there comes a realisation that this is the start of something. A place from which to view the future and one that is considerably different from today which in turn demands some focus. A recurring situation throughout the last 10 years in fact, how do you bridge the gap between the vision of what is possible and the view of here, today.

One big idea that fits that bill and really shakes the trees has become almost a meme in itself. The notion that we can separate learning from education and get much better results is an underlying theme of the talks we had. This has surfaced in the video below (when I get it to embed) but also in numerous articles such as this one in Fast Company.

Taking this concept it is then possible to think about the notions of learning set free, with all of the techniques, philosophies and experience of centuries of teaching given new contexts, fewer artificial constraints and new places to flourish. This is what is really exciting. Allowing learning to find its own level and context and adding new possibilities such as technology, which is a part of all our lives, leaves a gap in the thinking at a strategy level. There is little evidence of a view of learning which can accelerate around obstacles like education systems and factory buildings at a National or State level and yet this could be a wonderful proving ground for new innovations to bring along the whole system.

Aside from that there are new contexts for effective learning such as the home, the corporate world and other areas of cultural crisis where learning of traditions, customs and culture has been neglected. We should continue to explore where we take learning now it is freed, how that might work and how it blows apart concepts such as ‘life long learning’ where that is considered to be a part of education.

New spaces

September 21, 2011 · by emergentformau

Frank Ghery's Stata Centre Building in MIT, Cambridge.

Last year I was able to spend some time with Tim and Laurence of Brand Architects discussing the Classroom of the Future project they had just taken to China. Inspiring stuff that points the way to a future of re-thinking the design of spaces for learning. The connections between this design and its application to other variants across both K-12 and VET learning led to some great ideas but shifting the mindset of the people who minimise risk and repeat formulaic buildings was tough.

This was the latest interaction with such ideas. In the past I have discussed new exhibition spaces and experiences with Roy Stringer, learning spaces with Stephen Heppell, visited places like my first Frank Ghery building, the Stata Centre at MIT and seeing elements of how these might come together in the future such as the Toyota sponsored Auto Mechanic facility in Canberra which borrows ideas from theatre. New thinking about the nature of experience, the changing dynamics of these spaces and the use of technology as an integral part of the experience were common to all.

The recent publication of the new book by B Joseph Pine II, one half of the influential duo who released The Experience Economy 10 years ago, has got me thinking about these things again. ‘Infinite Possibility’ now extends the playing field and also begs new questions about how we design buildings, spaces, furniture and tools to fit this new world? It is not a trivial side issue any more. Learning, innovation creativity and collaboration drive new economies.

How does a space look when a child can pick up their technology (iPad) and explore the world in real time using the inbuilt camera and augmented reality? What sort of nooks are useful for:

Introspection and reflection,
Collaboration in the real world or virtually,
Mentoring, or
Teaching?

Once the industrial presets are thrown out, there can be seen a wonderful array of new possibilities for how we design real world knowledge spaces. This doesn’t stop at learning and schools. If a modern economy is characterised by knowledge work, innovation and collaboration; what do offices, walkways, shops and transit areas now begin to look like. Possibly not what we have developed over the last century or so. The Stata Centre shows what can be done, the portable Classroom of the Future sets an additional set of possibilities and who knows what else is possible. If only we can match the pace of change of technological possibility with the design of spaces, nooks and furniture – it would open up a new world of possibilities that might reverse the trend of shrinking marginal benefit in what we build.