Page 113 - AIT0524_E-Paper

E veryday school routines designed to impart knowledge to children and adolescents through
teacher-centred teaching for eight hours a day is largely a thing of the past. This is evidenced
by the educational goals, which have changed significantly over the past 100 years. The OECD study
from 2003, which explored the “key qualifications for a successful life and a well-functioning socie-
ty,” emphasises two qualifications that are expected of school graduates: “The ability to act inde- 8 10
9 2
pendently” and the ability to “cooperate in heterogeneous groups”. Traditional corridor schools, 11 3 12 12
where specialist and regular classrooms are lined up along corridors, undoubtedly do not meet the 1
promotion of these new educational goals. It is a fact that such rigid floor plans not only do not
promote but actually hinder the pedagogical formats with which many schools want to work today.
7 6 5 4
Space as the third pedagogue

The concept of “space as a third pedagogue”, which we know from Reggio pedagogy, is associated
with the fact that a school space in itself can be not just a shell but ideally a helper, and at worst
an obstacle. Italian educational scientist Loris Malaguzzi developed this pedagogy, according to Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
which the classmate is the first, the teacher the second and the space the third pedagogue. Since
January 2021, the approximately 180 pupils attending the senior classes at Alemannenschule Wutö- Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1
schingen (ASW) have been able to use an innovative, two-storey new building of almost 2,500
square metres. Its spatial structure is characterised by a well-thought-out division that supports the
different phases of learning. It was developed based on the so-called CiC structure – the temporal
rhythmisation of contemplation, input and consolidation. For this, the needs of the various benefi-
13
ciaries were analysed. The minutes of a meeting held before the start of construction, in which the
school’s educational objectives were discussed, state: “The learning partners (i.e., pupils) should
be able to achieve their goals as autonomously as possible, even without a learning guide (i.e., tea- 14 14 14 15 15 14 16 16
cher).” This statement illustrates what constitutes the backbone of educational work: The learning
guides do not have the overarching task of being “knowers”, but they should coach and accompany 13 13 13 18 17
the children and adolescents on their way to the Abitur. As an interior design firm, we made it our
mission to do everything we could in terms of architecture and design to support the school’s way
of working. As an interdisciplinary team, we worked with architects Harald Jäger and Christiane
Hoch to develop a room schedule with a floor plan that one wouldn’t expect from a school. Clearly 1 Garderobe • Wardrobe 10 Co-Learning • Co-Learning
2 Administration • Administration 11 Creator Space • Creator Space
identifiable room functions make it easier for the learning partners and learning guides of the seni- 3 Passage • Passage 12 Rückzug „Stuben“ • Retreat „Stuben“
4 Musik • Music room 13 Input • Input
or classes to find their way into everyday learning. Classrooms or a teachers’ room are nowhere 5 Naturwissenschaften • Natural sciences 14 Coaching • Coaching
to be found in the new building. Against the trend that classrooms should be as flexibly usable as 6 Kunst • Arts 15 Kollaboration • Collaboration
7 Bewegung • Exercice 16 Meditation • Meditation
possible, it was our concern to define rooms with fixed usage scenarios. Throughout the building, it 8 Worldcafé • Worldcafé 17 Ruhe • Silence
9 Sitzungen • Conferences 18 Prüfungen • Exams
is also not allowed to move furniture from one room in another. Each piece of furniture makes sense
for the respective zone, and intuitively these are rarely moved. Flexibility is thus not offered by the
diversity within each room but by the free choice of the many different zones. Nora F., a learning Längs- und Querschnitt • Longitudinal section and cross section
partner at ASW, notes: “There are many places here to learn, whether standing, lying down or sit-
ting, alone or in a group. I can decide for myself where I want to learn and am not bound to a chair
and table. Also, objects, furnishings and people are treated with much more respect.”

Co-learning space: the heart of the senior classes

The centre of the building is the two-storey co-learning space with its visible timber structure. Schnitte: Architekt Harald Jäger, Lauchringen
This is the heart of the building and, with its huge yet comforting appearance, makes the school’s
identity visible. After all, children and young people are made to be part of the social fabric. The
feeling of identification with the school community and its culture is the key to people wanting to
make their valuable contribution. This is immediately noticeable on entering the building. Glazing
between the rooms and corridors a transparency that favours open exchange. The seating stairs Meditationsraum • Meditation room
connect the ground and upper floors in the open co-learning space. Large windows along the stairs
provide views to the outside. Custom-made furniture, which is repeatedly used in structure, propor-
tion and detail throughout the building, conveys a sense of calm and continuity. The corridors are
used both as circulation zones and as extended learning spaces. Here, pupils meet spontaneously
or arrange to work collaboratively in groups. Semi-transparent curtains, with which room-in-room
solutions can be arranged easily, make it easier for young people to create an undisturbed retreat.
All input rooms have access to the outdoor terraces and can therefore be included in the every-
day learning routine. The architectural mix of materials, using fair-faced concrete, plastered walls
finished in earthy shades, carpets and oak parquet floors, elements and window frames made of
wood, creates a warm envelope. Three years after its opening, it can undoubtedly be said that the
building is a success. This is due to the entire planning and construction process, in which from the
very beginning, all stakeholders from politics, education, teaching staff, pupils and specialist plan-
ners were involved. The model character of the school attracts interested parties from far and wide.
However, the greatest proof of its success for us is the positive feedback from the learning partners.

AIT 5.2024 • 113