With spaces for children, “you have the opportunity to create architecture that in many ways is unformulated architecture. Children react to spaces completely spontaneously. It is almost an enhanced architecture”, says Dorte Mandrup. The implication is that design can contribute to forming critical thinking, encouraging autonomy, and responsibility, and helping forge future citizens. For the most part, the educational system and its spatial expression haven’t changed significantly in the last hundred years. Nonetheless, with access to information becoming ubiquitous, the focus is slowly moving from accumulating information to nurturing critical thinking, and new teaching methods open up a new area of architectural experimentation. The following explores the impact of space on learning, specifically in primary and secondary education, discussing how architecture could aid the educational process, becoming a teaching tool.
Studio Monnik, 'Alles Komt Goed', 2023. ‘Poreuze Stad’, Illustratie van Jan Cleijne. Een toekomstscenario voor Amsterdam in 2089. Image Courtesy of Het Nieuwe Instituut
Still, the country faces expected and unexpected challenges, from an acute housing shortage to raising concerns regarding climate change and shifting ideas of ecology. In the words of curator Suzanne Mulder, the country is “once again on the drawing board,” as architects, urban planners, and designers are reopening conversations about the future by looking at past lessons. To come to their help, Rotterdam’s Nieuwe Instituut is organizing the exhibition ‘Designing the Netherlands: 100 Years of Past & Present Futures.’
Herzog & de Meuron has revealed the design for the Seoripul Open Art Storage, a collective archive space that will serve three museums in Seoul: the Seoul Museum of Art, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, and the Seoul Museum of History. Going beyond the archive program, the proposal aims to open up the building to visitors, transforming the art storage into a dynamic civic space. Located on the Eastern Border of Seoripul Park, the building is characterized by a pyramidal glass structure set in a garden that functions as a secluded outdoor space for Archive/Museum visitors.
Japanese design firm Nikken Sekkei has just completed a new building in Dubai’s central financial district, encompassing the “World’s Longest Cantilever,” which floats 100m above ground. Compromising two towers connected by an enclosed horizontal bridge, “One Za’abeel” acts as a new point of entry into the city. Designed to be a symbol of Dubai’s growth and expansion, the project offers easy access to the downtown region. The scheme features restaurants, retail spaces, workspaces, and urban hotel accommodations.