Saturday Post: "Inspired School Design"
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Visuals with a New Intent
I was delighted to have recently discovered photographer Monica Nouwens who is giving the visual study of 'school design' in Los Angeles a shot in the arm via her "monicanovolumethree" blog these days.
From California architect Stephen Phillips, AIA, the following comment of his is worth passing along:
Nouwen’s photographic research in Los Angeles, challenges the effects that recent school revitalization projects have had on the everyday lives of its city residents. Nouwen’s images reveal schools that create a training ground for the next generation through big, vast, powerful and contemporary building structures.
Pssst: Did you catch that line of his about the "training ground for the next generation" business? Mmm. (wink)
Another Side of Campus
For the purposes of my new commitment to re-frame my Mon-Sun posting habits through specific category themes from this point out -- i.e. Saturdays are now "Inspired School Design" days -- these photos came into my life at a really advantageous time, too:
Beautiful | Decay Indeed
Funny where inspiration lies.
Sometimes the best school design lies down the urban 'art' rabbit hole. Such was the case tonight as I followed a trust us wink and a no kiddin' nudge from the good folks keeping things visually real over at the Wooster Collective.
That's how I found Beautiful | Decay and their highlight of school design that led me to Monica's work. Go figure!
One Last Thing
Check out Monica's work on a couple of other fronts if you're digging her work:
Well, my friend. I find that the idea of "Nouwen’s images reveal schools that create a training ground for the next generation through big, vast, powerful and contemporary building structures." Says it all.
If you want to have a human scale conversation and some real socialization you need architecture that supports those goals.
These buildings look like people factories.
Why do architects continue to design and build schools that could as easily be a u-store-it or a giant freezer.
Schools need to be of a scale that encourages community and collaborative social culture.
Posted by: ste!!a | August 10, 2008 at 03:45 PM
Can't argue with you, Ste!!a, much at all.
While I can't argue that reality will allow a school district as large as LAUSD to pull off designing hundreds and hundreds of new/rehabbed "small" schools given the sheer # of kids and campuses that would bankrupt any such effort given today's construction/real estate costs (not even taking into account the really big monster: school/community 'culture' that never really wants to change the way 'school' has always been done), I am of the same mindset of you that human-scaled 'small' school programs are the ideal.
As to why the architects continue to design that way? Easy answer: client expectation, budgets, and the archetype of 'school' that is hard to change (as hinted at above).
Great hearing from you, my friend!
Posted by: Christian Long | August 10, 2008 at 07:42 PM