What I Learned Today...UC Berkeley's Durant Hall

One Workplace's work with Mark Cavagnero Associates was recently featured in California Home and Design magazine. We were recognized for UC Berkeley's fantastic new space at Durant Hall, which was the recipient of the 2011 CH+D Award for Commercial Design. Read on for the full article...

"When charged with restoring UC Berkeley’s stately 100-year-old Durant Hall and giving it a new life as the administrative offices of the College of Letters and Sciences, architect Mark Cavagnero was intent on finding a balance. He wanted the restoration to feel contemporary yet respectful of the landmark building.

The challenges started at the front door. Formerly the home of the university’s East Asian library, the Neoclassical entrance opened up directly into a staircase that failed to meet the required building code. Rather than installing wheelchair ramps that would interfere with the original architectural details, Cavagnero excavated a large plaza in front and turned a basement window into a new door, making the entry accessible and graphic yet discreet and dignified. The dark interiors were a fine home for dusty hardbacks but they were no place for the deans of humanities, so the dungeon-like lower level was brightened with white glass, stone, tile and Carrara marble, and divided into bright offices and meeting rooms. “They don’t call it the basement anymore; they call it the ground floor. So that’s a huge compliment,” says Cavagnero.

Upstairs in the grand hall, new and restored elements come together harmoniously. Original stone columns face off against frosted white glass partitions, and oversize, turn-of-the-century, suspended light fixtures dangle gracefully from new translucent ceiling panels that let light enter from the floor above. “At the end of the day, you try to find the right balance so there’s enough of both worlds that they both feel whole,” says Cavagnero" (http://www.californiahomeanddesign.com/).









For the original article, click here.

What I Learned Today...21st Century Learning Environments

• According to Georgetown University researchers, improving a school's physical environment can increase test scores by up to 11%. 

"The term 'learning environment' suggests place and space – a school, a classroom, a library. And indeed, much 21st century learning takes place in physical locations like these. But in today‟s interconnected and technology-driven world, a learning environment can be virtual, online, remote; in other words, it doesn‟t have to be a place at all. Perhaps a better way to think of 21st century learning environments is as the support systems that organize the condition in which humans learn best – systems that accommodate the unique learning needs of every learner and support the positive human relationships needed for effective learning. Learning environments are the structures, tools, and communities that inspire students and educators to attain the knowledge and skills the 21st century demands of us all." - (excerpted from "21st Century Learning Environments" by Partnership for 21st Century Skills.)



Ohlone College



What I Learned Today...Can you count the ways you can use design to transform a teaching and learning environment?

Lets collaborate .....I'll  start and you can add your thoughts

1. Give students furniture that lets them twist and lean safely. The movement will increase their ability to concentrate.

2. Look at your learning space with 21st-century eyes: Does it work for what we know about learning today, or just for what we knew about learning in the past?

3. Free teachers from the traditional desk at the front of the classroom and encourage new settings for teaching and learning

4. A learning space that can be reconfigured on a dime will engage different kinds of learners and teachers.

5. Make them attractive and visible to reinforce the connection between physical activity and overall well-being.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!



Detroit Communication and Media Arts High School



What I Learned Today...Inspire - Iterate - Implement

Inspire- Iterate- Implement

Great checklist to assess how well your school design is meeting criteria that supports school transformation and features that address the attributes of high achieving schools.

School Design Checklist

Rate the following 1-10 scale with one as low and ten as high

_________1.  Learner-Centered Environment - the building is designed with students' needs placed first.

Comments -

• The building supports the academic achievement mission.  It is welcoming and encourages exploration, and socialization. 
• the design fosters learning, exploration, and independent thought
• It supports a wide range of approaches including the formation of learning communities, collaborative learning, independent learning, interdisciplinary approaches and techniques that address learning style differences.

________2. Personalizing Environment - the building provides spaces for students to work and socialize with peers

Comment -

• The building provides a variety of spaces for students to work and socialize with each other and to develop personalized relationships with adults to support achievement

________3. Program Adaptability - the building makes it possible to offer a wide variety of approaches through flexible and adaptable learning spaces that support multiple instructional strategies

Comment -

• The building has spaces that can be altered and adapted to support a variety of functions: small group instruction, large group meeting, displays, performances and demonstration etc.. to support achievement.

_______4.  Community Connections - the building has spaces that encourage the community to become part of the learning community.

Comment-

• The building design accommodates and encourages outside resources and services to be delivered to students on-site to support achievement.

_______5.  Aesthetics - the building is appealing, warm and inviting 

Comment-

• The building should be a place of pride and one that inspires students to achieve

_______6. Safety - the building promotes safety and security.

 Comment -

• To support achievement, the building has features that foster effective monitoring and features that minimize safety hazards.

_______7.  Collaboration - the building provides spaces for everyone to work collaboratively.

 Comment -

• The building design promotes the celebration of diverse groups by fostering communication,, teaming, and the expression of commonalities/differences that positively support school tradition, history, spirit, and identity.

Overall Score ______________(70 Possible Points)

(Survey developed by the Seattle School District)