Twenty-first Century Schools

By Audrey Treece

As I really dive into my thesis work this semester, which is an exploration of early childhood centers, I have been buried with books, articles and magazines trying to get as much background knowledge as I can on the education system.
One advantage of being friends with the SoA librarian is that I always have a set of eyes on the new material that comes in. It is not uncommon for me to come in and have a new magazine sitting on my desk and I always appreciate it because there is only one of me and I can’t keep up on everything all the time.

That being said, I came into studio the other day and found the January issue of Architectural Record on my desk. The issue is about “Schools of the 21st Century.” It is filled with examples of the newest schools and also packed with material advertisements of products that I may not have realized existed if I didn’t see them in the magazine. If you have an interest in schools, I highly suggest taking a peek into the January issue.

As I am looking at all of articles and projects, I have to ask myself… what classifies these schools a part of the twenty-first century school category? The magazines does not elude to any clear cut answers, however, the best I can do is come up with some common characteristics.

Some of the common characteristics that the featured schools have are an emphasis on using the architecture as part of the learning experience. The schools are engaging the architects early in the process and promoting a building that can adapt to different pedagogies. Educators are using the building to engage students and feel that “good buildings, do matter.”

Aside from the architecture itself, the “schools of the twenty-first century” are paying particular attention to sustainable features and sophisticated building materials. Some of the administrators are claiming that their numbers, as they pertain to graduation, retention and interest, are up. The buildings are giving students views, good lighting and a place to call theirs which in return makes the students respect their surroundings and want to be there.

Educational buildings are evolving to emphasize the value architecture can play in the learning experience. I am finding more and more information to prove that this is happening. I get excited to find out new data and it is definitely helping keep my interest in my thesis. I can’t wait to see what will end up on my desk next.