Duration: 3 hours

Time: 10am - 1pm

Location: SAT

Facilitators: Priyanka, Sahil, Anam, Laura, Miley, Lizzie, Jess

Attendance Sheet

Lesson Objectives:
Research and get to know the site, and where they will eventually be building an installation.
Share their viewpoints on the areas of comfort and opportunity, maybe they will start to get hints as to where they’d like to build.. (but we don’t have to decide yet)

You will need:

For Warm up:

Birds Eye view (plan) handout
Some objects that can be observed from top and side view. (paint bottles, a potted plant, a trash can, a fruit, a coffee cup)

For Main Activity:

Added page (SAT plan but miniature) in student design journal
Design journal
Pens, pencils
Post-its
Red, yellow and green dot stickers to mark out areas of joy or tension. (optionally they can also use red, green, yellow feltpens)
A large A1 size print of SAT plan
Tracing paper / tissue paper (to sketch layers over the plan)

Settling in: Draw with a Birds Eye view.

1. Site exploration

Before the tour, mark out where our classroom is on the map in your journals as well as in the map on the wall.

As you walk around, you could draw a line to outline the path you took when touring SAT. Always stop to note ‘where are we?’ on the plan.

Adults built this space for children. As you walk around think about how you would change the design if you were involved in designing your own school. What makes you comfortable, what not? How would you use the courtyards? How would you gather with your friends? What’s missing?

Things to notice and write down in your journal :

Modules, Repetition, colors (Principles around which the existing architecture was built, including the other schools)
Where there is shade, or sun
What the space could be like in Winter and summer
Current uses: The design store, library, biofarm
What is there in real life that is missing from the plan?
Signage & way-finding, Sounds, smells
Nature and other species that use the building: are there animals, birds, bees sharing the building with people?

2. Site map

Transfer items from your sketchbook onto a large combined map.

Hybrid map with context and ground floor plan

Break

3. Add map layers

Divide class into groups of 2 or 3 (groups can change each class)

Pick a research topic (pick what you think is most essential) related to the site and map a layer of information on tissue/ tracing paper, this will be layered onto the original map.
Some Facilitators might need to use their phones/ laptops to help students with research, but don’t get carried away!
- Area (context) around Al Qasimiyah School: The neighboring properties, streets, shops and urban life (ask the kids who live close to SAT)
- Climate and nature: sun path and where is North? What are the seasons like? (can draw heat maps: red for hot, blue for cold)
- The history of the building and current functions of the building
- Users: Who uses it on a regular basis? Who is welcome, unwelcome, who is comfortable? How Indoor, outdoor and semi outdoor areas are used. What areas have the most use? (SAT members can help elaborate this)
- Areas of comfort and discomfort or Areas of joy, and areas of ‘opportunity’