Discussion: Can schools be the most influential buildings in our lives?
6 Comments have been posted so far
A school is the first structured environment a child will experience. It is a place where learning is encouraged and inspired. Schools are places for intellectual, creative, physical and social activity. Our communities are organised around them. They form an integral part of our built environment.
We believe in the potential of education to enable individuals to achieve their full potential and to participate fully as members of society. We educate our young people so that they can contribute to Ireland’s social, cultural and economic development.
We all have vivid memories of the buildings in which we were educated. To some it was a bright, vibrant classroom, to others a cramped, damp prefab; a schoolyard of endless adventures or a memory of the absent - nowhere to play sports or to sit down for lunch.
Architecture should support and enhance our lives. The school environment is arguably the most important of our built spaces. Education fosters in us a sense of our individual and collective possibilities.
We ask - what makes a good educational space?
In Ireland, there is a growing awareness of the need to improve school design and make better spaces in which our children can be nurtured and empowered.
The national issue of better school design is being championed by the Irish Architecture Foundation with our new education project, ‘A Space for Learning’, which will see transition year students across the country working with architects to develop ideas and designs for educational spaces.
We welcome your comments. It is in sharing our opinions that we can help shape our society.
Dave Goodison Says:
January 12th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Schools are one, if not the most influential buildings of our lives.
My memories of school are very vivid. From an over-heated box during spring and autumn in my early primary school to an aging, cold, damp and draughty building through 3rd-6th class.
Other countries who put the education of their citizen’s higher on the agenda than we seem to be doing, have shown that by educating the chidren from an early age in a building that is adapted and designed for their specific needs is an important step. One example being the ‘Taka Tuka Land’ kindergarten in Berlin developed by the students of Berlin Technical University. By working closely and getting a childs perception of what they want from their school, it combines play, education, nature & architecture.
‘Friluftsbarnehager’ in Norway is an educational concept gives the children a respect and knowledge of their environment on a micro and macro level from an early age. This combined with a more user friendly building can be an exciting time and undoubtably a fond childhood memory.
Oh, how easy it would be for the Dept. of Education & Science to take some of these ideas on board and make (in my opinion) learning a more enjoyable experience.
kathleen james-chakraborty Says:
January 13th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
I was enormously lucky to go for two years to a secondary school with truly outstanding architecture. Ten percent of my class became architects no doubt in consequence above all of the experience of a single building — Lou Kahn’s library. Although his dining hall, in which I ate daily, was much less impressive, the library really helped inspire me to become an architectural historian. I’ll never forget the first time I walked up the stairs to find the astonishing atria, all the better because I had no idea it was there. Since then, unfortunately, most of the new buildings there have been relatively undistinguished. This is an unusual example, but I do believe that almost everyone who experienced that building ended up taking architecture seriously.
John O'Connor Says:
January 13th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Schools are influential in our lives, even after many many years I still love to remember the old national school in Monkstown, Co Dublin. A little happy piece of heaven, important because, it was the first time away from home.
But them to the over powering building in Eblana Ave. Cold damp and frightning.
Kay Saundeers Says:
January 13th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Children retain very strong memories of their childhood. A beautiful, well planned school would be a wonderful way to encourage young people to learn and maybe even to become involved in architecture in later life. I believe we should all be surrounded by beauty. Sometimes this is hard to achieve but children in this country all go to school so it is an ideal opportunity for the authorities to give them something positive and life enhancing to remember all their lives.
Paschal Doherty Says:
July 24th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
We seem to have failed to teach APPRECIATION of architecture, or the broader arts for that matter. This is like an elephant in the room that architects and architectural enthusiasts fail to see. The world of architecture with it’s awards etc is not even engaged with by most of the population. The emphasis at school seems to be on subject choices with a purely vocational remit. I suspect that teaching of APPRECIATION is a very different skill to teaching of syllabus subjects and it might not be possible right now to roll this out in any significant way.
Failing that (and back to the subject), I presume that immersing students physically in good design might inspire some to be interested, learn and appreciate.
The IAF is a vitally important cultural effort but daunting in terms of the distance to be travelled.
Best of luck with it.
Celtcia Says:
January 8th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Schools are not the most influential buildings of our lives.
Only a thousand or so people use each school a year.
It would be impossible to replace all schools.
A new stop could have 100,000 people per year.
A ratio of 100:1