A Life In Education And Architecture

This book provides a detailed exploration of the relationships between individual architects, educators, artists and designers that laid the foundation and shaped the approach to designing new school buildings in post-war Britain. It explores the life and work of Mary Medd (née Crowley) (1907-2005) who was alongside her husband and professional partner, David Medd, one of the most important modernist architects of the 20th century. Mary Medd devoted the major part of her career to the design of school buildings and was pioneering in this respect, drawing much inspiration from Scandinavian architecture, arts and design. More than a biography, the book draws attention to the significance of relationships and networks of friendships built up over these years among individuals with a common view of the child in educational settings.

This book provides a detailed exploration of the relationships between individual architects, educators, artists and designers that laid the foundation and shaped the approach to designing new school buildings in post-war Britain. It explores the life and work of Mary Medd (née Crowley) (1907-2005) who was alongside her husband and professional partner, David Medd, one of the most important modernist architects of the 20th century. Mary Medd devoted the major part of her career to the design of school buildings and was pioneering in this respect, drawing much inspiration from Scandinavian architecture, arts and design. More than a biography, the book draws attention to the significance of relationships and networks of friendships built up over these years among individuals with a common view of the child in educational settings.

Narratives of Architectural Education provides an overview of life as an architecture student, detailing how a layperson may develop an architectural identity. This book proposes becoming an architect as a personal narrative of professional development structured around various stages and challenges associated with identity transformation. Using a case study of aspiring architects along multiple time points of their professional education, Thompson investigates the occupational identity of architects; how individuals construct a sense of themselves as future architects and position themselves within the architectural community. This book provides previously unexamined insights into not just the academic development of an architect, but also the holistic and experiential aspects of architectural education. It would be ideal for those in the educational field of architecture, to include students, educators, interns, and mentors.

Examines material culture and the act of institution creation, especially through architecture and landscape, to recount a deeper history of the lives of African American women in the post-Civil War South.

An often-quoted Swedish saying goes as follows: "A child has three teachers: the first teacher is the other children, the second teacher is the teacher, and the third teacher is the room." Students learn best where learning is interesting and fun - so the standards required for school construction are equally high. The continual development of educational concepts and new didactic approaches are changing everyday life in schools and, with it, the functional and aesthetic qualities of this building task.Classrooms and public areas both inside and outside are becoming increasingly flexible and multifunctional. They offer opportunities to retreat for individualized learning opportunities and zones of concentrated work, as well as open space landscapes for inter-year mingling and self-organized group activities. The school projects presented in this volume show how contemporary pedagogical concepts are translated into compelling and very diverse architectural solutions.

“A welcome and timely addition to the subject of school design at a time of great change.”—Professor Alan Jones, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects “Comprehensive but also very practical approach.”—Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills in Paris, France “Any community building a new school should read this book.”—Michael B. Horn, Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation in Boston, USA “Builds a bridge from the simple to the extraordinary... awash in opportunity and inspiration.”—Professor Stephen Heppell, Chair in Learning Innovation at the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela in Madrid, Spain Can school design help us to realize a new vision for education that equips young people for life in a fast-changing world? This is the big question at the heart of Planning Learning Spaces, a new guide for anyone involved in the planning and design of learning environments. Murray Hudson and Terry White have brought together educators and innovative school architects to pool their collective expertise and inspire the design of more intelligent learning spaces. The authors prompt readers to question common assumptions about how schools should look and how children should be educated: •Why have so many schools changed relatively little in more than a century? •What form should a school library take in the Internet age? •Do classrooms really have to be square? The book also tackles vital elements of learning space design such as the right lighting, heating and acoustics, and explores the key role of furniture, fixtures, and fittings. With contributions from leading professionals around the world, including Herman Hertzberger and Sir Ken Robinson, Planning Learning Spaces is an invaluable resource for architects, interior designers, and educators hoping that their project will make a genuine difference. Highly recommended reading for anyone involved with the process of building or updating an educational space.

For the past forty years Anne Taylor has studied how schools, classrooms, playgrounds, homes, museums, and parks affect children and how they learn. As a result, she has developed a holistic, sustainable philosophy of learning environment design. She argues persuasively that architects must integrate their design knowledge with an understanding of the developmental needs of learners, while at the same time educators, parents, and students must broaden their awareness of the built, natural, and cultural environment to maximize the learning experience. In other words, schools and other environments can themselves become "three-dimensional textbooks." When architects are cognizant of newer models of education and educators view the environment as more than a box in which to teach prescribed lessons, the result is an informed architecture that enables children to discover the power of their own learning. The book presents numerous examples of dynamic designs that are the result of interdisciplinary understanding of place. Taylor includes designer perspectives, forums derived from commentary by outside contributors involved in school planning, and a wealth of photographs of thoughtful and effective solutions to create learning environments from comprehensive design criteria. Because the concept of "school" is enlarged to a community campus, the book also spawns a new model of teaching and learning. This book is essential reading for educators, architects, and community members who are anxious to transform education in America and elsewhere. "Anne Taylor is the most outstanding educator, leading proponent, and practitioner in the three-dimensional textbook field. Her work is the finest resource available for connecting students (young and old) to their learning environments, and visa versa."--Edward E. Kirkbride, NCARB, REFP "Before Western man divided the universe into discrete subject matter areas, the order in the universe was (and still is) both interdisciplinary and holistic. The branching of trees, spiraling of shells, meandering of streams, and the radial designs of flowers, for example, represent an analogy of mathematics, biology, and art. The current artificial separation of subject matter is in contrast to the way the world is constructed and the way children perceive it. Architecture and the study of the built, natural, and cultural environment synthesize the world of material things and the world of ideas. Further more, it helps us to realize that we are a part of not apart from the environment. This book is a tool and a gift to designers, educators, and students everywhere to assist them in seeing the meaning behind all that we view and use for living on earth. To know our precious relationship to our surroundings is the intent of this book. In this way, life is a work of art and each of us is an artist."--Anne Taylor