DUNGENESS LEARNING CENTRE
Under the unusual timber canopy, children are able to roam freely under the biophilic learning space standing in the middle of the bleakness of Dungeness. While the learning centre targets at children and eduation, it blurs the lines of all age groups, opening up possibilities for all to learn and interact.
MANIFESTO
The philosophy of this project is inspired from Don Quixote, which is carried out through both projects.
Throughout Don Quixote’s bizarre journey with his sidekick, Sancho, he slowly starts distinguishing reality from fantasy. At the same time, those who initially try to coax Don Quixote back into reality, had to play along and pretend to believe in his fantasies in order to communicate. By the end of the novel, these characters achieve a harmonious relationship with Don Quixote’s fantasy world, recognizing its value.
Don Quixote inspired the project to ‘blur the lines among people, community and space’ and create social sustainability for the next 30 years. In some aspects, children are like Don Quixote, endless curiosity and imagination allows them to go on dynamic journeys recklessly, interacting with things differently along the way. Having children as the media between reality and fantasy, they have the power to bring communities together, or even attract more people to join.
The project therefore aims to provide a life-long learning space mainly targeting children, allowing them not only to learn traditionally but also allow the freedom to explore and improvise in space to create their own journey and truth, while interacting with other generations, and learn from practical and physical activities.
The project therefore aims to provide a life-long learning space mainly targeting children, allowing them not only to learn traditionally but also allow the freedom to explore and improvise in space to create their own journey and truth, while interacting with other generations, and learn from practical and physical activities.
Learning Spaces - Enclosed space (classroom) for focused learning & Open space (out door hygroscopic space) for learning through discovery and interaction
Construction Details
Ground floor plan
Roof plan
INTRODUCTORY PROJECT - THE ZEITGEIST
This is a project carried out before the main project (Dungeness Learning Centre), for which explore and get familiar with the environment in Dungeness.
Scattered around the area, the eroded artefacts and old structures at the sea side each seems to tell a story, as if the time has stopped there. The juxtaposition of realism and fantasy depicted in Don Quixote sparks an inspiration of creating a structure that maintains this surreal quality of Dungeness. As Dungeness is facing a threat of sinking into the ocean in the next few decades, this project will explore the idea of making the unseen be seen - a device that visualise passing time. Engaging with suitable weather parameter, the device uses the features on land to capture the surrealistic zeitgeist of Dungeness.
*This section present final design first then supporting information on how the design came together
Dungeness is located on the South East coast of England. The shifting landscape of Dungeness holds oddity, including a WWII ballistics testing site, and decaying discarded objects lying on the shingle beach. All buildings and structures are exposed and unprotected under Dungeness’s extreme weather, such as incoming fronts and prevailing winds.
MAIN PROJECT - DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Planned for long-term use, the space must ensure or promote social sustainability. Learning, a widely shared activity, fosters self-exploration and personal growth across diverse realms. The design start with visiting 6 schools in Shanghai as case studies, learning the common ways school spaces are organised. Recognising the wealth of knowledge beyond textbooks, this project integrates the community into the education system proves advantageous.
The project challenges the current school structure and spatial system. Approaching the design through researching well-known pedagogy methods and children’s behaviours, the design finds the most suitable ways for children and other users to learn naturally, instead of being spoon-fed knowledge.
VIEW FULL PORTFOLIO
Introductory Project Portfolio
Main Project - Dungeness Learning Centre Design Process Booklet
Collection of all design iterations, research, case studies and calculations