fishbowl

During best of show, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as the judges struggled to grapple with the concept of Open Source Learning. Not because I’m malicious and enjoy seeing people confused, but because I could see them empathize with our own struggle. Each of us put in deep thought and research into our projects and spent ten weeks balancing the design issues that arise with every building, along with the complicated social issues associated with this particular project.

Over the past ten weeks, some (not all) of my ideas about Open Source Learning materialized into Oasis.

The big idea: a network of spatial opportunities for learning.


Network

What does a network of learning mean?  A community of students that continually grows and inspires each individual through creativity, learning, and sharing ideas. My goal was to spatially foster this network of learning through transparency.

Studio would be reduced to nothing if we worked in cubicles and didn’t see how others work or the product of that work. Seeing what others are creating is inspiring, and so transparency became the driving force behind my curved form.


The coastal site encourages a longitudinal building that maximizes the gorgeous ocean view.

Keeping this in mind, I began with two simple long bars. However, the problem with essentially having two long hallways is you can only really see straight across to the other hallway, and so transparency is limited.

bars

By curving the bars in, occupants can see more of the building as they move through.

curves2

Still wanting to maximize ocean view, the back curve shifts so it peeks out from the front building.

shift

And finally, the two curves connect into one building through a central common space.

parti2


Opportunity

Programmatically my goal was to create a unique experience in each space. The Open Source Learning Academy screams variety. Variety of students, curriculum, learning styles, and the spaces that foster that variety. Oasis includes different size fishbowls, informal classroom hubs, formal classrooms, commons and lounge area, study cafe, two distinct spaces for different types of wellness, an outdoor courtyard with lounge seating, and the four interest group labs.

program

floorplans

Floor one (left) to floor three (right)


A few key spaces/experiences in Oasis:

Classroom hubs for informal discussions

hub

A wellness space that separates the noisy fitness center from the quiet yoga studio (but still keeps visual transparency)

wellness3

Fishbowls for small group study

final3

Commons that generally serves as circulation, lounge, and café, but can also double as an assembly space where the school can gather on the stairs. Whether you’re moving through, or stop to study on the stairs or to grab a coffee, the commons encourage spontaneous encounters.

commons

The maker’s space has a central location in the building and people circulating through the third level can view the students working on the mezzanine level and the bottom floor.

maker's space

The middle of the grand staircase connects to the middle, central common space of the whole building.

grand stair


Where to go from here:

I think this building could benefit from re-examining the role of the library. On the third floor I have space allotted for independent study space, but one of the fifth years I talked to had the idea of moving it to the west side where the fishbowls are. Rather than thinking of a library as a box, maybe a thin strip of glazed space overlooking the ocean could serve as quiet study space. This would be a great way to incorporate quiet study space.

Programmatically, there could be more variation in the learning spaces (nooks, desks behind movable partitions, etc.) and with the classrooms beyond “formal room” and “informal hub”.

Since I mainly focused on interior spaces and program, the façade and whole exterior experience have yet to be finished. Materiality, a sun screen, roof treatment; these are all things to be explored. Perhaps the roof could include rain water catchment and a science course could connect to teaching how the system works. Students could learn firsthand from an example that’s right under their noses and a part of their school building. Another huge aspect in re-examining Oasis is the site topography. Though my project does begin to address place in the sense of coastal location and western-facing façade, the topography is not really addressed and needs to be.

After a ten challenging and exciting weeks of work, we’ve really just begun to design our Open Source Learning Academies. There’s a whole other dimension of our buildings that has yet to be designed or explored, and I can’t wait to see where our projects end up in ten more weeks.