SCHOOLS OUT (... and about)
The thesis challenges the architectural typology of the school, exploring a thematic framework that develops the idea that children learn through experience and play rather than through instruction, and that learning should be rooted deep within a specific social and cultural context in order for it to be meaningful to children.
The scheme re-constructs a forgotten street at the heart of Middlesbrough town centre through the building of four public places for learning; a garden, a market-place, a library and a theatre. 'School' is literally stitched into this new urban fabric, with re-interpretations of the classroom, the assembly hall and the school playground becoming a fundamental part of the townscape.
By moving through the building the child gains a succession of specific experiences formed through a careful manipulation of materials, light, views, height and colour – each creating a different opportunity for learning and social encounter.