Architects: VERSTAS
Location: Espoo, Finland 2012
Description: Building houses 750
students from classes 1 to 9 with the addition of a preschool and daycare.
With a central focus
of equality, publicly funded education systems have the ability to produce high
performing students. Conception of the
described system was not in the United States, but rather Finland. The model for Finnish children’s curriculum
is a world-renowned one, in which students are exceeding the levels of both U.S.
and South Korea’s students. Does Finnish
students’ success root strictly from a revolutionized curriculum with highly
qualified instructors? It is suggested that these students are benefiting from
their learning environment. Schools in
Finland are governmentally managed by a board of educators, who call for
aesthetic quality as one of the significant guidelines to create a
comprehensive learning experience. Every
facet of this building’s pragmatic value was considered: the interwoven spaces,
the scale of Saunalahti’s
façade, the axial planning of outdoor play area, which is situated towards the
sun. The scale of the exterior is designed according to the ages of the students occupying the space. Faculty and
students can move freely throughout these spaces without feeling over stimulated
by design complexities, but rather be inspired by the open naturally lit spaces. Interior environments holding importance to
the curriculum are open though glass walls, such as the art and physical
education spaces, which visible from the street and play yard. The expansiveness of this school provides a
learning space not just for the children, but acts as a multifunctional space
for the community as part of a intergenerational learning environment.
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