Techno Cafe

Successful

   - Dynamic collaboration spaces

   - Technology integrated without overpowering the space

   - "Pods" encorporate adjustable HVAC and lighting to personalize the space

Unsuccessful

   - Collaboration spaces are fixed and leave no room for adaptation

   - No space for individual work

   - Fixed number of seats within each pod

This renovation of an existing project enables students of various needs to inhabit the same space.  The Learning Grid provides various sitting arrangements to suit both the individual and study groups.  The renovations itself in nothing exciting really, the only major addition to the space is a staircase that is on an angle to the rest of the building to break up to grid.  Other then the staircase the floor plan is open.  In the project, I like how every is able to be arranged to the persons needs, and the space can account to a lot of needs and wants.  The only real criticism of the space is its lack of uniqueness or originality, this space holds no real architectural significance. 

The Learning Grid

            The University of Warwick’s study space, titled The Learning Grid, is an attempt at a new age learning environment. It was a 2 story renovation in an existing campus building and provided the students with a place to work outside of their dorms. The space itself wasn’t anything special, they really just emptied out 2 stories and made it all open concept. The thing that works well about The Learning Grid is that it allows students to rearrange and shift things to how they would like to work. They can move everything; walls included and make the study space their own. The one thing that I did not like about it was that there was no noise control and it seems like it could get pretty loud without having any real separation.

The Saltire Center, located in Glasgow, United Kingdom at Glasgow Caledonian University introduces 3 scales of learning; public, temporary and intimate. Conceptually the library presents the idea that learning begins with conversation by providing a space to learn and interact. One of the most successful temporary spaces offered are the inflatable pods. These pods are great additions to spaces that allow for private and public opportunities of communication. This enclosure works in a prosperous adding and subtracting fashion that will allow different measures of light to pass within the space. These inflatable pods can be arguably unsuccessful with the dispute that they take up too much space and they can become distracts to the space they inhabit. This distraction can cause disconnection of conversations and interactions of learning. In conclusion, this temporary space can be a successful addition but can hinder the overall spacious quality of the center.  

Telford College – Edinburgh, Scotland

            In our study of Telford College, I thought of the building as a unique, innovative, sustainable piece that could easily cater to the needs of the students that enroll in the school system. The layout absolutely offers flexibility in the learning environment through the integration of technology and open plan design. The learning streets utilize the great flexibility that the open floor plan has to offer. However, I agree that by eliminating the railings on the ramps and paths that run the length of the room, there could have been a more cohesive blend of diverse educational spaces. The streets offer a great spread of collaborative learning spaces but lack the ability to offer individual spaces to those who prefer or require a solitary learning atmosphere. I could see it becoming quite distracting for someone trying to perform any sort of critical thinking in these spaces. The learning streets absolutely provide great collaborative study locations but are lacking the ability to offer singular study areas.

            Technology plays a huge role in the flexibility of the space. The ease of retrofitting new technology into the building will promote a huge cost savings in the future. Equipment is constantly evolving and it is important that our buildings are designed to adapt to these changes. Passive and active, sustainable equipment saves the school money by lowering operational expenses. This savings can help the school function as a business as well as it can go towards new technologies that the building was designed to adapt to. The fact that technology is embedded into the building itself is important to the efficiency of the learning process. Having a wireless campus and interactive white boards in each room makes for less time setting up equipment and more time for studies. The building was built for maximum learning efficiency and accomplishes this through innovative floor plan layouts and the integration of modern technology.

Centre for Inquiry Based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences

Pro

• The primarily digital services, like plasma screens at the info hub, enhance the spread of information

• The building is able to accommodate 1,350 study spaces

• The color coded floors and large graphics on interior glass make the rooms easier to locate

• The technology provides for studying outside of Information Commons

​Con

• All of this digital technology discourages face-to-face interaction

• There is a lot of foot traffic in this location of campus, so the amount of people inside Information Commons can be overwhelming

• The study spaces are not revolutionary by any means and the “new” finishes are old fashioned

• There isn’t much natural light in the study rooms, which can be depressing

• It’s hard to find a seat because they fill up quickly

Response:

After looking at Telford College’s new building the “Hub, I found most of the ideas rather intriguing, but in regards to others I thought it could have been taken a step farther. First off I really appreciated the idea of flexibility throughout the project. Not only is the project set up for lots of different learning groups and programs, but the building itself is also flexible. Since technology is always changing the flooring in the entire building is a raised floor system with wiring underneath. This allows for very easy changes in wire type and location. The roof was also designed so that later installations of solar panels and wind turbines are not only feasible, but easily achievable as well. This takes flexibility to a whole new level, in asking not only the students and staff, but also the facility itself to adapt to change.

The two learning streets that are located along the long arms of the building are, in my opinion, the facilities main innovative educational feature. And even though I like the idea behind it, and believe most of the moves it makes are in the right direction, I feel it needs some tweaking. The space is essentially a corridor that has been widened to allow for “break out spaces” and more informal learning zones, with the walkway and the spaces beside, separated by a long railing. I understand the need to separate the two functions, but I think this approach created too much of a disconnect. You want students to not only feel that they can access these spaces easily, but to feel encouraged to do so as well. I also felt that these spaces lacked individual work zones. The entire learning street is open, and I feel it could benefit from some 1-4 person alcoves or nooks for more concentrated studying. Going along this same line, the space might get a bit nosy with no noise barriers between the different break out zones. I would be interested to know if noise distraction is a problem these students face.

I do however love the use of moveable, functional, and comfortable furniture throughout the space, as well as the use of more informal couches in some zones, and more formal tables in another. Overall I really appreciate the idea of a “learning street” and I think with some more individualization and smaller quieter zones, the street would be really effective.  

InQbate Creativity Zone

Pro

• The teaching methods are more interactive

• There is a more relaxed rapport between student and teacher

• There is a more relaxed rapport between students in groups

• The space is flexible so it works for the community as well as the school

• This idea can easily be implemented in other universities by renovating an old classroom

• The technology allows easy changes 

Con

• Students should still view the teacher with respect, if they are too comfortable their grades could slip

• This types of interacting learning isn’t for all personality types

• There isn’t much opportunity for individual learning with all of the group events and studios

• The movable partition walls may not provide enough privacy if one space requires quiet and the other is active

The Information Commons at the University of Sheffield in England creates an innovative learning environment for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The building is always open and offers a variety of spaces for group work. The main focus is on Inquiry Based Learning, which is a self-directed, researched based, collaborative style of learning. My favorite part of this project is the thought that went into the details of each space. Everything from the modern furniture designs to the light fixtures were carefully planned out to work together and enhance the building. The Information Commons uses a combination of natural light and diffused lighting to create a nice atmosphere to work in. Some of the interior rooms are enclosed with glass walls to allow natural to reach those areas as well. Acoustic panels and carpeting help control the noise level, since collaborative work environments can get really loud. There are a lot of group seating areas as well as private rooms that can be reserved. The Information Commons provides a library for physical books as well as an assortment of up-to-date technology for research and presentations including plasma screens, web cams, projectors, huddle boards, and copy cams. Most of the furniture allows for flexibility within the spaces. Most of the tables fold up and can be rolled to new locations. Most of the chairs on are wheels and the others are stackable so it is easy to change up the layout of a room or clear it out for an open space. The “figure 8” tables are designed so that small groups can sit around a large monitor without table legs getting in the way and restricting how people sit together. A feature that I really like is the ventilation system on the floor. The vents can be swapped around with certain carpet fillers to control how the rooms are being heated and cooled. Another nice feature is the filtered water stations scattered throughout the building. They did a study on hydration and found that students that drank a lot of water and stayed hydrated were more successful so they provide fresh water for the students. Overall I think the building is really successful, however it fails to provide quiet spaces for individual work and the stress on technology limits face-to-face interaction.

Strengths: Double-height and quadruple-height spaces provide a communal spatial experience; color coordination situates occupants through visual cues; large windows provide exterior views and natural light; uplighting provides comfortable indirect illumination; interior glass partitions provide enclosure without visual isolation, acoustic boards serve as decorative elements

Weaknesses: Over-reliance on furniture, technology, and other devices which are not intrinsic to the architecture; collaborative spaces are generic and only superficially flexible

Conclusion: While I would qualify the Information Commons as a "nice building," I don't feel that it contributes much to the field of innovative educational design. Essentially, the building takes a handful of generic spaces and decorates them with attractive finishes, comfortable furniture, and state-of-the-art equipment. I believe that the architecture itself should be tailored a little more to the learning process; it shouldn't just serve as a storage container for teaching equipment.