Jenni Webster speaks to Louise Wallace about the new Australian Technical College in Victoria and how the project is paving the way for future developments
How can design and education interact?
The ATC project combines modern design with current pedagogical thinking to hone in on the way teachers teach and students learn. The college uses an industrial aesthetic with the latest technology to create fun spaces out of familiar objects and stimulate a response from students. By creating a comfortable and relaxed surrounding, students are attracted to the space and want to stay with their studies. The project recently won the World Architecture News Education Award, which comes as a big win because it targets excellence in global education design.
What are the key features of the design?
The ATC has groups of classrooms that can be divided into smaller spaces or opened up into one large area. Students learn better in these environments, with the option of being more interactive with other students or working in specialised spaces with their teachers. The design also brings a bit of fun to the learning environment and has an old Holden car that has been integrated to the reception desk. It is also naturally ventilated and utilises natural light through roof skylights to minimise the need for artificial light.
What are the trends in educational design?
Educational design is moving away from closed classrooms and stale environments to open-plan learning and multiple-teaching practices. We are seeing fewer long corridors attached to box classrooms and more flexible and adaptable spaces. Open-plan design allows spaces to be used in a variety of ways, according to the requirements of students. America and the UK have been using open-plan designs for a long time and paved the way in the education sector. This has been a proven model over there and we are taking our cue from these countries.
What does the sector need most?
Present-day teaching methods are increasingly interactive and versatile, which is becoming more evident in educational design. However, open-plan design needs to change alongside current teaching methods so they can grow in the same direction. Individual schools each have very different requirements and education is constantly changing according to the way children learn. Schools need to incorporate what they need into their designs to get the most out of teaching and learning. We may come back in 10 years and find we are back at square one, but it is a good way to learn.
