INTRODUCTION AND PROCESS
The elementary school with which our team participates in the Open Architecture Challenge: “Classroom”, is located in a small greek town, Aegion, which is about 250km west of Athens. After the 1995 earthquake, the building of the 4th elementary school of Aegion was declared to be unsuitable for use, due to structural damages, and the teachers and students were moved to temporary facilities.
14 years later, the school still operates in the same prefabricated building, while it is commonly accepted that this temporary solution has become a permanent condition.
The feedback from the school users, was collected with the help of the following elements:
• Conversation between the design team and the teachers/students.
• Completion of questionnaires.
• Students’ paintings and models.
The main finding that arises as a common problem of the users, is the lack of a space of adequate size for gatherings and team activities. This problem is caused by the structure of the school, that comprises of the linear disposition of many prefabricated units-classrooms, which communicate only externally.
The rest of the matters that arose, in order of importance, are the following:
• Limited classroom space
• Limited storage space
• Insufficient daylight availability
• Uncomfortable thermal environment
• Lack of equipment for creative teaching.
• Limited use of computers, due to lack of space.
The limited courtyard space, as well as the local building regulations (H < 4m) do not allow for the construction of a new space that could cover the need for more space.
REDESIGNING THE CLASSROOM
Our team aims to re-evaluate the school class as a structure, and the way that the classroom can be transformed in order to cover different operational needs. The main goal has been the creation of a flexible classroom that, despite having the same space limits, its program is extended and it forms a creative and pleasant space.
For the completion of this goal, the following design proposals are made:
• The addition of a 7m² structure on the west part of the room, in order to provide space for computers. The additional part is comprised of double brick walls with internal insulation, the most common and cheap construction type in the area. The additional part acts as an access to a small organic garden, the preservation of which comprises an educational process. The rainwater from the roof of the building is collected in a tank and is used for the irrigation of the garden. The window frame that is dismantled from the western wall that is to be removed, is reused in order to increase the height of the opening that faces the garden.
• A construction made from metal frame, creates a second skin inside the classrooms. This is a self-supported structure so as not to encumber the static organism of the building, since the main advantage of the existing structure is its seismic endurance. Guides are suspended from the metal structure on which soundproof panels with cork surfaces are drag. These panels are suitable for the suspension of educational or artistic material. They substitute the existing wall between two classrooms and through their displacement, they offer the possibility of different arrangements in each room, but also they offer the potential of joining two classrooms. This way, much larger spaces are created, with variable possible arrangements, that can host theatrical plays, exhibitions, projections and other activities. On the one end of the classroom, the vertical metal supports of the structure form a bookcase – storage space for the educational material, on which a blackboard is dragged, depending on the different desk arrangements. Hence, the wall that the students face during the lessons is transformed, since different parts of the bookcase are revealed or hidden.
• The existing portal equipment of the classroom is replaced by new folding furniture. The design of the furniture (desks-chairs), not only meets the expectations of a flexible multi-program space but also covers students’ needs for additional storage space. For this reason all of the equipment is put on wheels. The chairs are used as personal storage for each student, when the horizontal surface is lifted. When the vertical surface (back) falls, the seat is turned into a 40?40?40 box, which can be stored in the empty space of the bookcase. The tables are personal and can be easily transformed into chairs, by dejecting the main surface. The above mentioned transformation cover the needs for additional seating in the occasion of an event. The new equipment is constructed by OSB, a low-budget, high resistance material, while elastic strings are used for the delimitation of the storage space.
SUSTAINABILITY
The suggested design is attempting to minimize energy and resource consumption, through the use of sustainable techniques.
The use of skylights maximizes the available daylight and reduces the needs for operating the artificial lighting system. Also, the shading louvers, that are put outside the east façade, eliminate the solar radiation that falls on the building skin and the windows, thus causing reduction of high temperatures and glare phenomena. The louvers also form a cheerful game, since they can comprise the board for many different card games.
The lamps that are used for the new luminaires are fluorescent tubes. The installed power for the lighting of the classroom is 224 Watts and the average Illuminance on the desk plane is about 310 lx.
The skylights also serve for the ventilation of the interior space, since they can be opened during the night. The air enters the classroom from the west oriented windows, and comes out from the skylights. The circulation of the air during the night reduces the needs for mechanical ventilation and cooling.
REUSE
The existing portable equipment (desks, chairs) that is replaced, is reused for the new constructions in the classroom. The metal frame of the desk (3x3cm) is used for the construction of the bookcase frame. The wooden working surfaces (42x100x2cm) are properly cut and painted so as to form the shelves and the cupboards of the bookcase. Therefore, the bookcase has the same depth as the working surface, which is 42cm wide. In addition, the backs of three existing chairs are used for the construction of one of the proposed linear suspended luminaires, which are 1,20m long. The backs are painted in a very reflective colour in order to reflect the lamp light efficiently. Each luminaire contains four fluorescent lamps from the existing luminaires, under which a prismatic glass is used, in order to avoid glare problems.
GOAL OF THE CHALLENGE
The design proposal encourages the school users to dynamically participate to the formation of the layout of their space, as a process that combines entertainment and self-expression with the resolution of practical needs, that arise from the limited school space. The freedom in space formation and the encouragement in taking up initiatives for the space setting-up, have as a goal to challenge a more creative educational process.
