Evolution of spaces With respect to child psychology

Evolution of built environment with respect to child psychology

Devvrat Chowdhary

2010barc009

Structure of the presentation

AIM

OBJECTIVE

SCOPE & LIMITATIONS

BACKGROUND STUDY

METHODOLOGY

LITERATURE REVIEW

PARAMETERS

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

OBSERVATIONS AND INFERENCES

AIM

The aim of the study is to provide a strategy of built environment for the children catering to their perceptual requirements.

OBJECTIVES

To enlist the relationship of form proportion and children.

To enlist the needs of the children in terms of perceptual space.

To arrive at possible design strategies to provide an environment for positive cognitive development.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The study will focus only on cognitive response to space.

The sample for the study will be children from the age of 0-15 years.

No live case studies will be considered.

BACKGROUND STUDYChildren shape the environment and

The environment shapes them

What is the Built environment? The built environment is the urban area around you. Our world is becoming increasingly developed and

crowded. Much of where we live is man-made from the roads and city parks to the houses and apartments we live in. The built environment includes all of these spaces. The study of the built environment promotes a quality physical environment that protects health and prevents illness and injury. A quality physical environment is one that does not put our health at risk, and encourages activities that promote physical, mental, and social health, such as daily physical activity. Advocates for the built environment promote the idea of Natural Learning, which is the use of the natural environment as a setting for children to learn and play.

Well-designed spaces can keep children safe as well as enhance their organizational and academic skills. Good design can strengthen families by reducing conflict over personal and shared spaces. The first consideration when designing spaces for children should be safety. Children need safe places to explore and learn.

Most important is the recognition that children need to be observed and listened to in order for their priorities to be understood within a complex urban environment. Each contributor has this priority in mind, acting as an interpreter of their subtle needs and aspirations, often outside the traditional educational and economic conventions.

Children to occupy and use spaces not prioritized by adults.

Young childrens spatial working memory (SWM) responses are biased toward the center of a homogenous space whereas older children and adults subdivide the space along the midline symmetry axis, and their memory responses are biased away from the center of the space.

BACKGROUND STUDY

Three-year-olds produce the spatial terms in, on, and under, whereas 4-year-old children produce more complexterms such as back and front. Very little is known about childrens production of the complex terms between andmiddle. These terms require comparison with two reference objects, which involves considerable conceptual and syntactic complexity.

What mechanisms might facilitate young childrens mastery of such complexity? One potentialmechanism is scaffoldingthe process by which experts provide support to help children accomplish more than theycould do on their own (Vygotsky, 1978).

RESEARCH QUESTIONTo identify the key elements in the living environment from the perspective of the children What are the important physical qualities of the environment? What are the important social qualities of the environment? What are the important cognitive qualities of the environment? Are there some design strategies to achieve such qualities

ISSUE

THEORIESPerception Parameters

Literature Review

Spatial need

Literature case study

Design Strategies

Observations

Result

METHODOLOGY

LITERATURE STUDY

- Striniste and Moore, 1989

Physical

Bodily growth

Maturation

Interaction of children with surroundings

Social

Transaction with peers and elders affords them to assimilate and accommodate the actions of others.

Cognitive

the perceptual responses of the children with the spaces and features.

SPACE

LITERATURE STUDY Cognitively, the children will deduce that the architecture developed by adults without their participation as

two parts: building and outdoor space. They can clearly understand the architecture is man-made and the landscape is natural. In short, they perceive that architecture is not integrated with the landscape.

In summary, even though we know that experience of childhood in built and natural environments are diverse, but are often characterized by adult control, restriction and helplessness (Pradhan, 2007). And, the design of spaces for children follows the standard requirement by the design authority or institutional agency. Such practices did not allow the views of children to be part of the design process of the architecture.

-Ismail Said , 2010

LITERATURE STUDY

In middle childhood, children are genetically programmed for exploration of the world and bonding with nature. That is, they learnt on how the world works in evocative way, their logical reasoning only about concrete objects that are readily observed. As such the children are active in grasping and understanding the natural world through play

- Cobb, 1969

Children

ExplorationBonding

with nature

PLAY

Cognitive faculties

Smell

Sight

Touch

Taste

Audio

LITERATURE STUDY There are various concepts of the child-space relation. A widely accepted concept is the "awareness of the

place", which characterizes a larger scope and higher synthetic level because it includes other concepts describing human relationship towards the space. The most cited concepts of this type are:

Binding to a place in space

Identification and

Belonging to a place

Trying to define a place that a child is attached to, it is often said that it is the space in which a child is happy, and regrets leaving it and feels dissatisfied when it has to go. However, the real reason for a child's bonding to a certain place in space is that such place has some special attributes.

-Danica Stankovi, 2008

Wavy wall line and new structures on it as dividing element in spaces for children and simultaneously a gathering place The little school, San Fransisco.

LITERATURE STUDYInfants and toddlers need:

Safe spaces to explore.

Lots of care and supervision.

Interesting things to do and look at.

Sturdy furniture to hold on to and pull self up with.

-Sheila Gains, 2008

Pre-schoolers need:

Furniture, equipment and environments sized for their success.

Open space to play.

Safe environments that promote independence and exploration.

Responsibility for keeping their space organized (they will need your help).

Decision-making opportunities.

Teenagers need:

Privacy.

Space to study and store school books.

Grooming area.

Some choice, ownership and control of their space and belongings.

A place to be with friends.

Elementary Age Children need:

Space to use study skills and complete large projects.

Areas to display artwork.

Storage for collections.

Privacy.

Dynamic changing colour preferences

LITERATURE STUDY

Hierarchies of public space and private spaces as defense mechanism (Newman, 1972)

Indicators of Local environment quality - Conceptual framework (Chawala, 2001)

LITERATURE STUDY

LITERATURE STUDY

Perception of a public space -Haifa A. Al Arasi, 2013

Perception of a public space -Haifa A. Al Arasi, 2013

LITERATURE STUDY

PHYSICAL SOCIAL COGNITIVE

COMFORT INTERACTION HOME BASE/SENSE OF PLACE

Fixtures easy to grip, easy to operate Inbetween spaces in varying scale An increase in the number of places within a

space with niches, nooks, bays

Levels easy to climb Introverted spacial planning Flexible spaces

climatic consideration for living spaces Hierarchy of open spaces place has some special attributes

QUIET ACTIVITY Spacious enough to avoid crowding

Away from distractions SAFETY

Visual connect with nature Defensible spatial planning

Lot of supervision

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IMAGE & SCALE

Freedom of running and jumping should not be

hindered

The exterior of the center appears non-institutional and

welcoming

CULTURAL

Small level differenves meandering paths to

develop various mental faculties of children Sense of community, bleonging to a society The scale of the interior appears small and cosy

Veriety of activities to choose from Physical link to the community

SURFACE TEXTURE

Reflective surface

Engaging texture with different finishes

MESSY ACTIVITY

SHAPE

Children can see some indoor childrens activity areas

OBSERVATIONS

CASE STUDY : MUNICIPAL ORPHANAGE, Amsterdam

Predominant Use: The structure was used as an orphanage till 1968 and now it is being used as a corporate office space for a Human resources firm.

Period of Construction: 1955 to 1960

Client : Amsterdam Municipal Corporation

Architect : Aldo Van Eyk

Project Area : 14000 sqm

A house must be like a small city if its to be a real house, a city like a large houseif its to be a real city

-Aldo Van Eyk

PARAMETERS

The parameters for the assessment of the perceptual aspect of space have been taken from the book Form, Space and Order- Francis D.K. Ching and are as follows:

Approach and departure

Entry and egress

Movement through the order of spaces

Qualities of light, colour, texture, view and sound

Proportioning of space / scale with respect to children.


APPROACH AND DEPARTURE


A frontal approach leads directly to the entrance of a building along a straight axial path. The visual goal that terminates the approach is clear.

ENTRY AND EGRESS


The act of entering is more subtle and is achieved through an implied plane established BY colonnades.

MOVEMENT THROUGH SPACES


A Linear path configuration has been used within the building in the form meandering paths attempting to mimic the streets of Amsterdam.

The integrity of each space maintained Configuration of path flexible

QUALITIES OF SPACE: LIGHT


Views are oriented towards the lawn behind the structure and the glass walls help enhance the connect with natural setting while inside.

The site has major roads on 2 sides so the adult realms act as buffer and shield the children spaces from the noise on the road.

QUALITIES OF SPACE: COLOUR and TEXTURE


The colour scheme is dominantly grey and brick red for exterior and white and grey for interiors.

Texture of the exterior walls is of exposed brick which is rough with occasional smooth round columns.

There are also some reflective surfaces in the form of small ponds and glass embedded in walls

QUALITIES OF SPACE: VIEW and SOUND


Views are oriented towards the lawn behind the structure and the glass walls help enhance the connect with natural setting while inside.

The site has major roads on 2 sides so the adult realms act as buffer and shield the children spaces from the noise on the road.

SCALE AND PROPORTION


The structures surrounding the circulation area are single floor height and G+1 structures are kept away.

The proportions of the living spaces for the children have been designed specific to each age group developing a better sense of belonging

0-4 yrs10-14 yrs14-20 yrs

PHYSICAL SOCIAL COGNITIVE

COMFORT INTERACTION HOME BASE/SENSE OF PLACE

QUIET ACTIVITY

SAFETY

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IMAGE & SCALE

CULTURAL

SURFACE TEXTURE

Sufrace texture callous and raw

MESSY ACTIVITY

SHAPE

Variation of texture of glass and

exposed brick with occasional

Variation of shape done in the ceiling

in form of domes rest of the shapes

Small open spaces prescribed for

imaginative play and larger spaces for

prescribed play

Most play areas created void of

greenery

The domed roofs give a playful

rhythm to the elevation

Scale of the individual rooms and

overall structure have been reduced

to suite the children

Place inside every family unit with

interesting daylighting create more

interest in children

No special provision for

cultural spaces

A hierarchy in interaction

spaces is seen from within

the house to large open

There is a segregation

according to age group

The spatial planning allows

for inbetween spaces in the

for of corners

Special attributes in form of reflective

surfaces

A home layout instead of a hostel

type arrangement

Supervision maintained through

natural survellience achieved through

tranparent walls intriverted

courtyards

DESIGN STRATEGIES

INFERENCES and RESULT

The observations show that the perceptions of children are very different from that of the adults .

The spatial organization of buildings appear to have an affect on the spatial comprehension of children.

Their ability to understand a building with strong visual links between spaces and is much greater than a building based on a logical sequence, of cellular arrangement.

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Evolution of spaces With respect to child psychology