LEARNING INDUCIVE ARCHITECTURE- FULL TEXT

8/7/2019 LEARNING INDUCIVE ARCHITECTURE- FULL TEXT

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PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 4Antonio | Autencio | Fernandez | Pangilinan | Santos

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circulation. As a result, even if an architect has the best intentions about providing natural light and fresh air in aclassroom, school-board design guidelines and mechanical engineering considerations are likely to trump them.

Meanwhile, social and behavioral scientists have studied the effect of lighting on children in classrooms andalmost universally report that learning improves when artiÀcial light is reduced and daylight increased. ThebeneÀts include better grades and fewer absences (presumably correlated with enhanced learning) andimprovements in student behavior as reported by teachers. But notably missing is deÀnitive research thatinvestigates how lighting levels correlate with cognitive functioning in children of various ages.

Research on how the brain develops over the Àrst two decades of life could hold clues. Such research shows thatthe different brain regions and systems develop on different schedules. For instance, postnatal development in

the hippocampus continues until about 4 to 5 years of age, but development of the visual cortex continues untilages 7 to 11. The prefrontal cortex, where higher cognitive functions such as planning and reasoning occur, is notfully mature until young adulthood. Age-appropriate environments that take into account these differentdevelopmental stages could be beneÀcial, but Àrst we need more information and ways to test the effect ofspeciÀc environmental features on learning.

Today, no evidence exists to guide architects in designing classrooms with different levels of lighting that mightenhance learning in various age groups. The assumption is that classrooms are interchangeable, at least from Àrstgrade through sixth grade. It would be useful for scientists to ascertain the effect of lighting, if any, on cognitive

activities of children at different ages. On the basis of research with newborns, we also know that children·sbrains respond differently to ambient noise at various stages of development. Studies testing the effects oflighting on learning, therefore, must take into consideration how the senses other than vision develop also,including hearing and possibly proprioception.








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around a single concept/fad, like open schools or house concepts. School designs that incorporate a variety ofthese principles will by definition have the flexibility to accommodate a wide array of learning styles.

Embracing the concept of "place" and place making ² an opposed to space design ² is critical to understandingthe way in which design principles for optimal learning environments are intended to be approached. Whendesigning for optimal learning environments, design must be approached in a holistic, systemic way, comprisingnot only the physical setting, but also the social, organizational, pedagogical, and emotional environments thatare integral to the experience of place. Reducing these design principles to "physical" design solutions negatesthe potential for creating authentically brain-compatible learning environments. This point can not be stressedstrongly enough.

Above: Floor plan showing the natural lighting patternBelow: Lightshelves illuminating the classroom whileblocking the glare.

Right: Classroom pod natural ventilation diagramBelow : Louver systems.

Above: Public space natural ventilation diagram




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Right: Axonometric view of classrooms.Thick wall enclosing the decentralizedmechanical equipments and fixtures (e.g.restrooms for kinder and prep and ACU) isshown. The colored datum gives identity toeach classroom; a sense of belongingnessand pride as one graduate from onegrade to another.

Bottom right: Each classroom pod hasmovable shelves which adds flexibility tothe rooms; the classroom walls open up to alarger room when the shelves are pushedaside into the thick walls.

Below: View from the corridor to the classrooms. Shelvesdisplays art projects of the students.Bottommost: View from classroom to corridor.




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stem cell implantation can be used to influence, regulate, and repair brain-based disorders. The Journal of Rehabilitation and The International Journal of Rehabilitation Research showcase innovations suggesting that specialeducation students may be able to improve far more than we once thought.

10. The discovery that environments alter our brains is profound. This research goes back decades to the early work ofthe first trailblazing biological psychologists: Mark Rosenzweig at the University of California, Berkeley, and BillGreenough at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. In fact, a new collaboration has emerged betweenneuroscientists and architects. "The mission of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture" according to the group'swebsite, "is to promote and advance knowledge that links neuroscience research to a growing understanding of humanresponses to the built environment." This is highly relevant for administrators and policy makers who are responsible forschool building designs.

Since our brain is involved in everything we do, the next question is, Is our brain fixed, or is it malleable? Is our brainshaped by experience? An overwhelming body of evidence shows our brain is altered by everyday experiences, suchas learning to read, learning vocabulary, studying for tests, or learning to play a musical instrument. Studies confirmthe success of software programs that use the rules of brain plasticity to retrain the visual and auditory systems toimprove attention, hearing, and reading. Therefore, it stands to reason that altering our experiences will alter ourbrain. This is a simple but profound syllogism: our brain is involved in all we do, our brain changes from experience,therefore our experiences at school will change our brain in some way. Instead of narrowing the discussion about brainresearch in education to dendrites and axons, a contemporary discussion would include a wider array of topics. Brain-based education says that we use evidence from all disciplines to enhance the brains of our students. The brain isinvolved with everything we do at school, and educators who understand take this fact into consideration in thedecision-making process.

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LEARNING INDUCIVE ARCHITECTURE- FULL TEXT