These are unprecedented times for many reasons. Today our Instagram feeds are filled with parents sharing their children learning from home in all sorts of setups.
Many families have transitioned to their children staying at home to undertake their education. The physical spaces we live in and call home, are being adapted across the country and world into spaces that also educate.
Designers of education spaces are constantly testing and theorising space formats, sizes, colours, lighting levels, acoustic treatments, ergonomics and levels of flexibility in order to provide our teachers the best environments to deliver pedagogy. One global event has flipped the situation on it’s head by removing students from these environments.
One aspect many families will be thinking about is how to best provide a space that is best suitable for their child’s education. Suddenly the job of designing education spaces has been temporarily removed from the hands of Architects and thrust into those of parents. Everyone will experience different solutions and responses to this challenge. There will be positive and negative elements to this model as some parents experiment and make do with what they have. Architects sometimes pat each other on the shoulder for how creative they are – however necessity is the mother of invention. We look forward to the reflection that will naturally happen at the end of this period to take stock to learn from parents creative response to the challenge.
As a parent myself, I can’t help but desire to enrich the lives of my children at home. Just over twelve months ago, I undertook the typical suburban dad task of building a cubby house in the backyard. Inspiration was first sought from their collection of toys. A model tram was gifted to us from family friends to remind us of our time in Melbourne. This created an idea that used readily available fence materials to make a fun space that activates and engages. One that gives high levels of visibility but creates a sense of enclosure when inside. A spaces that provides amble natural light with much needed sun protection. The images below are the result.
We can’t wait to see what creative responses are generated out of this period.
