Abstract:

The paper presents the findings from a research project carried out with the an Architect, Sandy Attia, between 2012‐2015 and funded by the Department of Education of the Free University of Bolzano. The research frames 10 case studies of schools built in the past decade (preschools, kindergartens and elementary schools) in the context of the contemporary debate surrounding the relationship between architecture and pedagogy in the South Tyrol region of Italy. The focus of the research resides in the processes that lead up to the design and construction of a new or renovated school, analyzing the trajectories that each project takes in relationship to the projects’ final outcomes.

The case studies are structured around participant observation during the school hours, interviews with the architects and headteachers, and a formal focus group in a recorded interview format comprised of school and local administrators and a parent representative involved in the planning of the school. The book posits a need for a shared language between the pedagogical and architectural fields to better navigate the arduous path towards the building of a new school, and underscores the benefits of involving the various stakeholders in the planning of the school to help the institution work to its fullest potential upon resuming the scholastic activities in the newly designed spaces.

One of the important findings of the research is the school body’s apparent difficulty in cohesively communicating their teaching and learning needs and the subsequent missteps that can occur from an administrative and architectural standpoint in addressing the programming of the school. In many cases, the school representatives and the architects commissioned to design the new school found themselves working with little common ground and at different paces that were often difficult to reconcile under tight budgets and timeframes.

The research also traces important legislative changes in the local school building codes that have impacted and promoted an increased know‐how in addressing the design of schools. One of the more notable changes lies in the head teacher’s newly invested role in being able to surmount strict school‐building codes (within reason) as need be to better accommodate innovative teaching and learning methods.

As a result, the face of the school, from a pedagogical and architectural standpoint, is changing in palpable and exciting ways.

Keywords:

Learning, Space, Pedagogy, Education, Architecture.