Projektet utgår ifrån en frågeställning om hur skolbyggnaden i sig kan stimulera till lärande och nyfikenhet. Det finns flera sätt som detta kan utföras på, men det här projektet fokuserar på hur detta kan utföras genom utformning av rumsligheter. Inspirationen kommer huvudsakligen ifrån spelmiljödesign och från arkitekten Herman Hertzberger och hans bok "Space and Learning". Byggnaden består av ett program för en mellan- och högstadieskola, som är distribuerat på ett sätt som gör det utmanande att orientera sig. Rummen är utplacerade som kuber med helt eller delvis massiva väggar. De binds samman av en glasfasad, och mellanrummet som skapas blir en yta av öppen aktivitet och där intressanta rumsligheter skapas.  En annan metod för att stimulera och väcka nyfikenhet är att skapa siktlinjer. De är horisontella: genom glaspartier i väggarna, och vertikala: genom öppningar i bjälklaget.  Tanken är att eleverna allt eftersom de utforskar och lär känna sin skola också lär sig hitta, inte bara till sina klassrum eller toaletterna, utan också till spännande vrår och rumsligheter som skapas i mellanrummen. Det blir en kontrast mellan rummen; där aktiviteten är styrd av lärare och läroplanen, och ytorna i mellan där aktiviteten inte är styrd utan skapas av eleverna själva. / This project is grounded in a question about how a school building in itself can stimulate learning and curiousity. There are many ways of which this can be executed, but this project focuses on spatial design. Inspiration comes mostly from environmental design in games and from the architect Herman Hertzberger and his book "Space and Learning". The building consists of a program for middle school and junior high school, and is distributed in a way that makes orientation intentionally hard. The rooms are placed as cubes with massive or partly massive walls. They are connected by a glass facade, and the space between becomes place for interesting spatialities.  Another method for creating stimulation and curiousity is sightlines. They are horizontal: in the shape of glass walls, and vertical: by openings in the floor structure. The idea is that the students, by exploring and getting to know their school, also learns to find not only their classrooms or lavatories, but also those nooks and crannies that is formed in the in between space. There becomes a contrast between the rooms: where the activities are ruled by teachers and the curriculum, and the in between spaces: where the activity is free and formed by the students themselves.

Mitt examensarbete syftar till att undersöka skolarkitektur med fokus på skolans mellanrum - det som ofta går under benämningen "kommunikationsyta" eller "sociala ytor" i en skolmiljö.  Skolan är en komplex sammansättning av prioriteringar, intentioner och föreställningar om lärande. I Sverige har vi något som kallas skolplikt, vilket innebär att barn som omfattas av den, måste gå i skolan och delta i den verksamhet som anordnas där. Med andra ord är skolan en plats där den huvudsakliga brukargruppen, dvs. eleverna inte alltid valt sin omgivning. En stor utredning visar också  att 84% av all mobbing sker utanför klassrummet. Beroende på ålder sker det oftare i utomhusmiljön där gömda utrymmen finns eller just i korridorer och uppehållsytor där eleverna är när de inte har lektion. Detta säger också något om hur vi behöver ägna mer uppmärksamhet åt Skolans mellanrum.  Ambitionen har därför varit skapa en en sammanhängande F-9 skola som främjar rörelse, nyfikenhet och gåtfullhet i ett kommunikationsstråk genom skolan samt trygghet genom vuxennärvaro och överblickbarhet. Skolan passas in i naturtomt i södra Stockholm och platsens karaktär tas hand om i både skolhusets placering och gestaltning. / My thesis project aims to investigate school architecture and specifically the spaces in between the learning environment which usually goes by the terms "circulation area" or "social areas" in a school. The school is a complex composition of priorities, intentions, and ideas about learning. In Sweden, we have something called compulsory schooling, which means that children covered by it must go to school and participate in the activities that are organized there. In other words, a school is a place where the main user group - the students don't always get to choose their environment. Studies also show that bullying is more common in spaces outside the classroom, i.e. in the schoolyard, in the corridors, or the social spaces where the students are when they're not in class. This says something about the priority these spaces are given in the planning process. The ambition has been to design a cohesive school that promotes movement, curiosity, and social interaction in the circulation spaces by having clear nodes for integration. The teacher and staff spaces are placed strategically along the main circulation space to promote a sense of security through the presence of adults. The project is situated in the southern part of Stockholm and has great qualities in terms of access to nature. The character of the location has inspired both the placement of the school as well as the exterior and interior design and organization.

This project outlines the design proposal for an alternative public high school in Toronto, Ontario. For this project the school is re-imagined as a Community Learning Centre. The goal of the Community Centre model is to foster life-long learning in young people which can occur when space emphasizes social interaction, citizenship, and life long learning. The design of the Community Learning Centre is an attempt to align educational priorities with design, to create learning environments that best suit the needs of the users. The focus of the project, is on places between the classrooms where there is opportunity for informal learning to take place. The term schoolscapes is use to describe these spaces. They include all of the places between classrooms and are a way of reimaging the corridors as active, lively and engaging spaces. To support and expand on the idea of schoolscapes, how the environment impacts people and learning, the shifting values in education, and how public space can be related to school interiors, have been investigated. The work of Prakash Nair, Annalise Gehling and Herman Hertzberger, on school design and its correlation to public space have been extremely influential for this project, as has the work of Jan Ghel on lively city spaces. Jan Ghel identifies key features of good public space that can provide the foundation for the design of informal learning spaces. The writing of Nair, Gehling and Hertzberger will be used to support how these characteristics can be applied to the learning environment. The design of the Community Learning Centre explores how the ideals imbedded in public space can be carried over to the interior of a learning environment.

This project outlines the design proposal for an alternative public high school in Toronto, Ontario. For this project the school is re-imagined as a Community Learning Centre. The goal of the Community Centre model is to foster life-long learning in young people which can occur when space emphasizes social interaction, citizenship, and life long learning. The design of the Community Learning Centre is an attempt to align educational priorities with design, to create learning environments that best suit the needs of the users. The focus of the project, is on places between the classrooms where there is opportunity for informal learning to take place. The term schoolscapes is use to describe these spaces. They include all of the places between classrooms and are a way of reimaging the corridors as active, lively and engaging spaces. To support and expand on the idea of schoolscapes, how the environment impacts people and learning, the shifting values in education, and how public space can be related to school interiors, have been investigated. The work of Prakash Nair, Annalise Gehling and Herman Hertzberger, on school design and its correlation to public space have been extremely influential for this project, as has the work of Jan Ghel on lively city spaces. Jan Ghel identifies key features of good public space that can provide the foundation for the design of informal learning spaces. The writing of Nair, Gehling and Hertzberger will be used to support how these characteristics can be applied to the learning environment. The design of the Community Learning Centre explores how the ideals imbedded in public space can be carried over to the interior of a learning environment.