Osui kohdalle arkkitehtuurikasvatuksen kilpailu. Joka tosin oli juuri umpeutumassa. Ajattelin, että jos ei tule kilpailumenestystä niin tuleepa ainakin tehdyksi esittelyvideo, jollaista olen pitkään kaivannut vastaamaan oppilaiden kysymykseen ”Mitä siellä arkkitehtuurikurssilla oikein tehdään? Kannattaako valita?”
Videosta tuli tällainen:
Kilpailun järjestäjänä on Arkkitehtuurin tiedotuskeskus ja Suomen Arkkitehtiliitto SAFA. Kilpailu on kansainvälinen, nimeltään Architecture & Children Golden Cubes Awards. Yllätti kovasti kun saatiin tietää että kansallisen tason kilpailun voitto tulikin meille! Ja ilahdutti melkoisesti vaikka mielessä kävi että mahdettiinko olla ainoa osallistuja 🙂
Eli tavallinen porvoolainen peruskoulu lähti edustamaan Suomea Golden Cubes Awards -kilpailuun. Kansainväliset palkinnot menivät sivu suun, mutta kilpailutyöstä tehty juliste edustaa nyt Suomalaista arkkitehtuurikasvatusta Kansainvälisen arkkitehtiliiton UIA:n maailmankonferenssiin koottavassa julistenäyttelyssä Seoulissa syyskuussa 2017.
Julisteen tekstit eli Pääskytien koulun Arkkitehtuurikurssin kuvaus in english:
FREE EXPRESSION:
In the elective course in the visual arts held annually at the Pääskytie School the key objectives of the field of study are realised through content found in the built environment. The course consists of three sections.
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTURE: The autumn term covers the basic concepts of architecture, carried out through small exercises completed one at a time. Students make observations about spaces, search for the genius loci, study the effect of light in the space, produce a variety of textures, solve structural problems, search for rhythms in façades, and focus on dimensions and scale. Having begun to master the basics of architecture, the students can then begin with the main task of the course, that is, the students design their own house.
DESIGNING ONE’S OWN HOUSE: The idea is for each student to find a corner of the world where they would like to live. Each student searches for a plot using Google Earth. Before making the decision about where they would settle down, the students will have studied the natural conditions of the location, the prevailing culture, living conditions and building construction opportunities. Next, they envisage what kind of people live there. Who are they, how do they live, what do they value, and what do they do each day? At this stage, the students will have considered the human life-cycle and the changes in living arrangements over a lifetime. The design process begins by devising a room programme and drawing sketch proposals for the floor plan of the house. The final floor plans are scanned and imported to SketchUp, which is used to gradually complete the 3D-modelling of the houses. The students prepare their project portfolios as PowerPoint presentations and these are assessed within the group at the final presentation. Each student’s house, even though it may be designed for seven cousins, is often a selfportrait but also a representation of its time. As the students’ practical skills and knowledge increase, elements in the creation of identity are also acquired.
EXAMINING A TOPICAL THEME: The spring term ends with a section that takes place outside the school. In 2014 students photographed “lost places” and an exhibition of the photographs was held in the town library. In 2015 students analysed problems connected to indoor-air quality in three kindergartens, and together with the children designed a more cheerful look for the portable kindergarten buildings set up as temporary facilities. In 2016 connections were created with a local company so that the students could participate in making a scale model of Porvoo. In 2017 the students will examine and photograph changes in the built environment in their hometown.
OUTCOMES AND EVALUATION:
STUDENTS: Students develop their skills in reading the environment and the management of dwelling and living, train their skills in 3D perception and modelling, and develop their skills in problem solving.
SCHOOL: Cooperation with local actors brings transparency and enriches the range of options.
SUBJECT: Visual arts as a study subject easily remains marginal. This course has brought clarity to the preconceptions regarding the potential of the subject. There has also been a fluent collaboration with other disciplines; for example, a presentation by a town planner was attended simultaneously by students studying geography, social studies and architecture.
NATIONWIDE: Teaching material has been generated and can also be enjoyed by others. The material is posted on a website and some of it in Youtube.
Arkkitehtiliittojen maailmankongressin esittelyvideo:
PÄÄSKYTIEN KUVISTA 