Between the third and the fourth year of school I had the opportuninty to take part in a research done by the Section of Architecture Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georesources, IST in Lisbon, Portugal. I was sent there through a traineeship exchange program called IAESTE and worked as part of the research team for 3 months.
detailed information about the research can be found here: http://in-learning.ist.utl.pt/
In_Learning
Active Learning Environments
Learning is now understood as a decentralized process that takes place anytime, anywhere. 3A should be able to motivate learners and promote learning as an activity, support collaborative as well as formal practice, provide a personalised and inclusive environment, and be flexible in the face of changing needs. This resulted in a growing need for:
flexible learning spaces that promote an interactive exchange of knowledge;
informal learning precincts and student socializing areas where people go for collaboration and share information in a social and casual two-way process;
The main research question is on how the configurative properties of learning settings influence the users experience of space, generate interaction and facilitate their capacity to acquire and share knowledge.
It is argued that the spatial configurations have the potential to position learners and teachers and regulate the ways in which knowledge is shared and learning takes place. The type of rules imposed on users by space constitutes the key condition in how the socio-informational function may arise. The answer to this question requires the development of a space-use analysis model capable of a systematic, objective and non-arbitrary description.
Reserch framework
IN_LEARNING concentrates on:
the formulation of a theoretical framework between the relations of the design of learning facilities and the way people learn in formal and informal modes;
the survey and assessment of 3A, concerning formal and informal modes of learning;
the development of a specific space-use analysis tool (SUA), based on the exploration of video technology for images in motion. Video data is crossover with Space Syntax models. Emerging spatial patterns of space-use and knowledge-sharing are identified by combining spatial description with the motion graphics and post processing analysis.
The universities are being challenged. Learning forms and subject boundaries are changing. New demands for sustainability and flexible building structures have emerged. And we are currently witnessing a different interplay between education, research and the surrounding world. This all combines to make it essential for universities to constantly rethink themselves.
(The Danish university (2009) Campus and study environment - physical framework for universities of the future.
Defining the layers of grid systems that supports the combination of different programs in the same domain while maintaining a functioning academic experience intertwined with a vibrant city life.
Using parametric design methods, the space would hold the code for its continues development and renewal and the ability to satisfy its inhabitants. Linking the possible built volume in each ground unit to the accomplishment of different goals would ensure an adequate deployment of planning efforts throughout the area, not as a function of time but as a function of needs. Different situations would carry different alternatives using an IF:THEN set of rules.
The proposed circulation system is consisted of two intertwined layers. One is the streets and roads that is adjusted to fit the topography and the different urban layouts, the second is the academic system, set to achieve fast and efficient connections between faculties and learning spaces. The entrance halls, stairways and elevators serve as connections between the two systems, allowing the interaction between academy and general public while providing separation where it’s needed
Final project Thesis
Technion - Central Academic District
