SCHOOL buildings and their programs as we know it have evolved over time. They used to be identical classrooms with a black board in front and jalousie windows that reminded me of a prison cell for students to do time in for approximately 20 years. In the last few years, classroom and school designs have also evolved on account of the increasing ubiquity of high-tech equipment such as projectors and screens for PowerPoint presentations and such. Homes have become an extension of the classroom with the continuing improvements made in video conferencing. E-learning has made access to knowledge more convenient. Gone are the days where the library was the only source of research information and the Dewey Decimal System, and encyclopedias were an integral part of learning.
Universities and prestigious schools in Manila and key provincial hubs such as Metro Cebu and Metro Davao have already evolved to catch up with the fast pace of learning in the Internet era. They have upgraded their classrooms and invested in modern equipment to adapt to the learning styles of students. Design schools have also raised the standards as they opt to invest in laser cutters, modeling equipment, cutting machines, computer-aided design programs and the like to provide students more opportunities to innovate. The addition of these technologies and features has encouraged students to think out of the box and create new concepts and ideas. After all, design environments that stimulate creativity are very important. The environment the student is exposed to plays a major role in bringing out creativity and new ideas and inventions. The environment together with the necessary tools and the guidance of a professor makes for I believe to be the best combination in a student’s learning experience, allowing the student to combine theory and practical application.
One of the schools I visited recently, which inspired these thoughts, is the Jockey Club Innovation Tower of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. Designed by the famous “starchitect” Zaha Hadid, the public university is composed of over 20 buildings, most of which are interconnected. When my husband and I visited, the Innovation Tower was the one that caught our interest. Located at the northeastern side of the university campus, the 15- story building is home to the university’s facilities for design education which also include exhibition areas, multifunctional classrooms, lecture halls convertible to theaters, design studios, workshops with lounges for collaboration and idea generation. The building was completed in 2013. The finish of the building is simple—mostly raw cast-in-place concrete, aluminum composite panels and glass with fluid lines juxtaposing the more straightforward angles. The building is simple but extremely expressive, as if encouraging its users to creatively express their thoughts and explore design aesthetics.
In 2007, Hadid won the bid to design the building, whose brief was to design “a beacon structure symbolizing and driving the development of Hong Kong as a design hub in Asia.” According to the architect, her intent was to allow the building to evolve into a seemingly more fluid structure. As we went around to study the structure, the front and the rear sides were different from each other. The front of the building seemed to curve and hug the space program, while the back portion was sterner-looking with the use of raw concrete. The building is definitely a standout from the rest of the campus buildings, as well as the surrounding neighborhood of Hung Hom. The expressive lines outside the building is a reflection of its interior design. The white concrete walls curve and angle upward and out, highlighting usable spaces and classrooms. Details of the ceiling and lighting are manipulated to guide users along the corridors and lift lobbies. The central spine for the staircase circulates to service all the floors. These spaces encourage interaction between various learning clusters and design disciplines. How wonderful an environment it must be to study here. Traces of inspiration and the creation of students also line the white walls. The glass panels that wrap the interiors offer transparency and connectively while effectively letting the light in. On the exterior, aluminum composite panel canopies dance around to provide share to its users on each floor. There are also views of the open green fields for the eyes to take refuge in.
I can only imagine what it would be like for students here to study in such an environment. If all the local schools carry this sort of advocacy and create such an environment for the students, how much more engaged in learning these young minds will be. With the rise of millennials, schools and institutional buildings must be functional—but they must also adapt to the demands and learning methods of the younger generation. The design of schools must be dynamic and allow students to explore and learn about ideas. I’m hopeful for the day where all schools in the Philippines will be much more design-worthy and more dynamic so that students will be eager to learn and expand their horizons within the four walls of the classroom and maybe even beyond it.
Image credits: Nikki Boncan-Buensalido