“NEW WAYS OF LEARNING, NEW SPACES. GUIDE AND CRITERIA FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND TRANSFORMATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL CENTRES”

More than 80 architects have put their knowledge at the service of the participatory sessions or the contest of ideas that have nourished the new document guide of the construction of educational spaces.

In 2019, the General Directorate of Public Centres and the General Directorate of Innovation, Research and Digital Culture of the Department of Education began a collaboration with the COAC and the Bofill Foundation with the aim of changing and adapting the document “Criteria for the construction of new buildings for public teaching centres” to the pedagogical reality.

As part of this collaboration, in March 2019, architects and teachers interested in improving school spaces were invited to the  “New Spaces, New Ways of Learning” conference at the UB Auditorium, with the assistance of 600 professionals.

With this day, a process of participation with professionals from different fields and disciplines began, in which more than 80 architects took part (both in the participatory sessions coordinated by the Red Globe and in the contest of ideas for the transformation of educational spaces, where 38 proposals were presented). All this information was synthesised in the new document by: Mariona Genís, architect, David Lladó, architect, and Jordi Vivancos, pedagogue.

During 2020, this first document was applied and tested in the participatory processes that were carried out prior to the competitions of the new schools or the major extensions. The final document has been prepared following this testing process:

“New ways of learning, new spaces”.

This trial period has coincided precisely with the pandemic, which has shown that the proposals and the strategic and procedural nature of the new document are necessary.

The document highlights, in a prominent way, a link to the Open Architecture Centre’s website “Learn” section, in which both architects and learning communities will be able to find support material for the participatory processes of construction and transformation of teaching centres.