As technology continues to advance, and catalysts such as COVID-19 have forced us to live, work, learn and play in more varied ways, we have the opportunity to investigate how learning environments can be reconceptualised to become more connected and networked entities within the urban realm. As part of an architectural masters studio ‘After School’, eighteen students from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia have collectively envisioned a new typology of school within the rapidly evolving suburb of Epping, Sydney.
In this vision of the future, schools are no longer siloed entities, but more porous and connected, bridging learners across demographics, cultures and backgrounds. ‘After School’ looks beyond known school typologies toward interdisciplinary and hybrid environments merging opportunities between formal and informal learning with existing city infrastructure such as museums, libraries, workplaces and homes. In this more fluid reconception of education, schools will capitalise on existing physical and social infrastructure, where students can engage with playfulness, creativity, problem solving and ingenuity through their connections with our cities and neighbourhoods.
In this interactive and immersive presentation, we share the rich narratives of the journeys students will take as they traverse the future learning landscape of Epping.
Association for Learning Environments LearningSCAPES (Denver, Colorado, October 2021)
From AfterSchool to CommonCampus
Authors: Dr Fiona Young, Natalia Krysiak and Ricky Gagliardi CommonCampus at the conference in Denver, Colorado. Their presentation was in two parts – the first explained how the CommonCampus system worked.