The Contortionist
When a person becomes so flexible that he can contort his body in a myriad of configurations, it becomes grotesque. An overabundance of flexibility in a human is unsettling and freakish. The open classroom, if it took on a human form, might take center stage at a freak show. Standing beside the "open classroom" at the freak show would be the multipurpose room. Designed for physical education and dining, this space never performed either function particularly well. When a space has one function it becomes very easy for a school designer to create the space to work well. When a space has two, three, or four functions, there is the potential that none of the functions will work particularly well within the designed space. If we are not careful, we add more attractions to the "flexibility freak show."
And the Two Shall Become One
The most simplistic example of flexible space that works well is making two smaller rooms into one larger area by combining them, often with an operable partition. A nicely detailed example is the St. Philomena School in Portsmouth, R.I., designed by Newport Collaborative Architects, Newport, R.I.
Yesterday's old-style multipurpose rooms have been replaced with today's separate cafeterias and gymnasiums, often with a partition that opens to create one large space. The larger spaces hold most, if not all, of the student body. The benefits for after-school programs and community uses are endless. When HMFH Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Silver Hill School in Haverhill, Mass., they created this type of space.
Open Minded About Open Classrooms
There's no benefit in stirring the debate about open classrooms. In the over-reacting, pendulum-swinging school design community it seems to be "all or nothing." So, when the energy crisis hit in the '70s, large expanses of exterior glass were eliminated and students were punished with no windows in the classrooms. The open classroom concept suffered a similar fate in that we have spent decades fearful of trying something different lest we fail. But there is great benefit to having more flexible and open space, particularly in the classroom. Being able to open two classrooms into a large space can expand team teaching and other opportunities.
Yes, it is a simple concept but often ignored. Providing more open areas for both small- and large-group interaction can be a blessing to an otherwise stagnant learning environment. While there has long been a perception that an open environment is problematic, the reality is very different: In many schools it works. Australia-based Woods Bagot created a very open plan at The Australian Science and Maths School in Adelaide, South Australia.
Go Outside the Box to Think Outside the Box
So, what if you are double-jointed or can actually put both legs behind your head? Probably not very useful. What if your school could increase the learning environment area by more than 50 percent? Would that be useful? Well, look out the window! The new frontier in classroom expansion is just outside. Growing gardens, studying wetlands, and exploring the depths of a pond are examples of what can be done in the flex-outdoors. Partners in Architecture, Mount Clemens, Mich., created a learning pond that enhances a courtyard at Westview Elementary School in Warren, Mich. This is just one example of many ways schools are using the exterior to enhance learning.
Similarly, when the weather is nice, a room can be easily opened to include the outdoors when a movable wall is used. Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, Calif., incorporates a fully expanding wall so that the cafeteria opens to the exterior. Designed by Deems Lewis McKinley Architects, San Francisco, this is a beautiful example of moving outside the box.
It's All Right to Stop and Stare
Flexible design in schools can take on different forms. As stated, there are some basic forms of flexibility that look different in each school and that may or may not work in your specific school. They are worth at least looking at. It's even okay to stop and stare.
A hallway or corridor, if designed with the adequate width, can be turned from a passageway into a display center. An example is what was done at the Williamstown High School in Victoria, Australia, designed by Melbourne, Victoria-based Spowers.
Positioning a stage so that it can be viewed from both sides creates a flexibility that performs well. Cordogan Clark & Associates, Aurora, Ill., designed Aurora, Ill.-based Greenman Elementary School with this feature.
Break-out spaces or overflow spaces can be incorporated in a school's interior, as can be seen at Branksome Hall Junior School in Toronto, Ontario, designed by &Co, Toronto.
Incorporating a large lobby that doubles as a cafeteria gives a majestic presence to a school like Oswego High School in Illinois, designed by Kluber Skahan +Associates, Batavia, Ill. The potential for utizing this area for a variety of activities is almost endless.
When thoughtfully created, flexible spaces can provide more opportunities for enhanced learning and creative instruction. It is time to think more about how to incorporate these types of spaces, even if flexing the creative muscles is required. |
