Tag: school-architecture | ArchDaily

Pedagogy in Space: Architecture Schools' Hidden Curriculum

Jonathan Yeung — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000

This article is part of our new Opinion section, a format for argument-driven essays on critical questions shaping our field.

Why Smart Lockers Are Architecture’s New Micro-Infrastructure

Kiana Buchberger — Fri, 29 May 2026 06:45:00 +0000

How can the most structured elements in architecture give rise to unplanned forms of everyday life? "Spontaneous order" describes how structured systems can generate unplanned but coherent patterns of behavior. In urban discourse, it is often used to describe cities: frameworks of streets, plots, and buildings that are designed, while everyday life is not. Movement, encounters, routines, and informal uses emerge from simple spatial rules rather than explicit programming. In cities, this is visible in how sidewalks, stations, and thresholds operate. The structure is fixed, but the social order is fluid, setting conditions for behavior rather than defining it.

Mapping Space Without Sight: Inside SEAlab’s Sensory Architecture

Ananya Nayak — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Founded in 2015 in Ahmedabad by Anand Sonecha, SEAlab is a practice shaped by a slow, contemplative engagement with place, proportion, and participation. Recognized as one of the winners of the ArchDaily 2025 Next Practices Awards, the studio builds with simple materials and local techniques, pursuing environments that are experienced as much as they are seen. This ethos became particularly tangible in Gandhinagar, where the School for Blind and Visually Impaired Children did not begin as a purpose-built institution. The school had been operating from an existing primary school building, with classrooms stacked above dormitories and twelve children sharing a single room. Space was limited, and so were growth opportunities. The new academic building was required to expand capacity, improve living conditions, and support greater student independence.

When the School Becomes a City: 6 Projects in the Global South That Strengthen Their Communities

Camilla Ghisleni — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:30:00 +0000

Education and culture have long stood as strategic pillars for driving profound social transformation. In this context, the quality of physical infrastructure is not merely a functional matter, but a structuring element for the implementation of consistent public policies—particularly in areas marked by urban precarity, historical inequality, and institutional fragility. Against this backdrop, school architecture can take on a role that goes far beyond the classroom, becoming a catalyst for social transformation.

"Learning in Contact With Nature": In Conversation With 2025 Holcim Award Winner Urko Sánchez Architects

Reyyan Dogan — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:30:00 +0000

The Waldorf School Nairobi, designed by Urko Sánchez Architects, has been selected among the 20 winning projects of the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards, which recognize contributions to sustainable design and construction worldwide. Located within a forested site in Nairobi, the project was awarded in the Middle East and Africa region, acknowledging its sensitive response to site conditions, educational needs, and local culture. Developed in close dialogue with its surroundings and community, the school explores low-impact construction methods, the use of locally sourced materials, and participatory design processes.

Coldefy Completes the First Timber-Framed School in Northern France

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Coldefy, in collaboration with Relief Architecture, has completed the Robert Badinter Secondary School, the first timber-framed school in northern France. Designed to accommodate 650 students, the project is situated on a former railyard adjacent to the city's train station and within walking distance of the town center. The new school forms part of a wider urban renewal strategy aiming to consolidate transportation links and introduce new civic amenities to the area.

Faveker’s Tailor-Made Tiled Facade Brings Personality and Efficiency to the New Muskiz Secondary School

Rene Submissions — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 01:30:00 +0000

The new Muskiz Secondary School building (Vizcaya), designed by BAT Architecture studio, has become a leading symbol of sustainable architecture for educational centers. Designed in accordance with Passivhaus criteria and built using cross-laminated timber (CLT), the project combines innovation and comfort with environmental care.

From India to Brazil: 6 Unbuilt Sports and Wellness Spaces Connecting Community and Well-Being

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

As cities and landscapes evolve, architecture is increasingly asked to support well-being, performance, and collective experience. From stadiums that honor deep cultural memory to intimate wellness spaces that foster restoration and connection, sports and wellness typologies are expanding beyond mere functionality. They create environments where movement and health intersect with design quality, sustainability, and social meaning. Today, these spaces range from elite training grounds and recreational clubs to contemplative retreats and inclusive public amenities, shaping how communities gather, heal, and celebrate shared identity.

Creating Safe Spaces for Learning: Explore Solis Colomer Arquitectos' Educational Projects in Latin America

Moises Carrasco — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Founded in 2002, Solis Colomer Arquitectos has established a strong reputation over the past two decades, designing and constructing projects with both social and commercial impact across Latin America. With over 200 completed works, the firm specializes in institutional architecture with social impact and user-centered commercial architecture. Its mission is clear: to use architecture as a tool to dignify the human experience, especially for those in greatest need.

World Architecture Festival 2024: fjcstudio Recognized for World Building of The Year and All Other Day 3 Winners

Claire Brodka — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000

The Darlington Public School in Australia by fjcstudio has been declared the World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival 2024. fjcstudio previously won Building of the Year in 2013, making it the first practice in WAF's history to win the award twice.

Learning Through Play: Architecture for Kids in Educational Spaces and Playgrounds

Fernanda Castro — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Designing for children is certainly not child's play. While adults lead the design process, the end-users are often children, as seen in kindergartens, schools, and parks. Architects have the responsibility to create built environments that provide children with opportunities to play, explore, and learn, even in today's digital age.

An Experimental School in Switzerland and a Wood Art Center in Poland: 8 Unbuilt Cultural and Educational Projects by Established Firms

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Educational and cultural centers serve as pivotal spaces where communities engage with knowledge, creativity, and shared experiences. As architectural programs, they offer unique opportunities to explore how physical environments can foster learning, cultural expression, and social interaction. The significance of these projects lies not just in their function but in how they reflect the values and aspirations of society. When established architecture firms take on these projects, their design choices become a lens through which we can examine contemporary approaches to space, place, and community, offering a glimpse into the evolving role of architecture in shaping educational and cultural landscapes.

Designing the School of the Future: Multifunctional Spaces for Dynamic Learning

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 07:30:00 +0000

The 21st century has dramatically transformed school architecture, driven by new educational philosophies, technological progress, and social values emphasizing sustainability and inclusion. This change goes beyond mere aesthetics, deeply reshaping how physical spaces contribute to education. Traditional narrow hallways and rows of desks have been replaced by dynamic, flexible spaces that are well-integrated with their surroundings and the community. These modern designs prioritize versatility and multifunctionality.

Educational Architecture for the Community: Exploring the Works of Plan:b Architects in Colombia

Agustina Iñiguez — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Founded by architects Felipe Mesa and Federico Mesa, the Plan:b arquitectos studio is located in the city of Medellín, Colombia, bringing together building design, participation in academic activities, and the construction of concepts capable of connecting architecture with the urgent realities of everyday life. Understanding the architectural project as a provisional pact, permeable configuration, and positive expression of eco-social constraints, they have constructed a large number of buildings of various scales and programs since 2000, ranging from public, educational, and sports spaces to housing, offices, hotels, and installations.

The Paradox of Symmetry and Grace in the Repetition of Architectural Elements

Helena Tourinho — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0000

The flow of architectural values throughout the centuries demonstrates the prevalence of some parameters over others in each historical period. In terms of composition, one of the most fundamental considerations revolves around issues of symmetry and balance. Indeed, a design does not necessarily have to be symmetrical to convey the notion of compositional balance. Its elements do not have to be repeated side by side for the whole to convey a sense of completeness, stability, and... paradoxically, symmetry. Many contemporary projects achieve a balanced compositional whole without repeating their elements side by side.

OMA, Studio A Kwadraat, and Circlewood Win Amsterdam School Competition with Modular Wood Construction System

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 06:30:00 +0000

As part of the Schools by Circlewood consortium, OMA’s David Gianotten and Michael den Otter, together with Studio A Kwadraat, represented by Jimmy van der Aa, have won the competition to design the Wisperweide school in Weesp. This will become the first school to be built using Schools by Circlewood’s prefabricated wooden modular system, developed in collaboration with OMA. The system has earlier been chosen by the administration of Amsterdam to be employed across the city to provide flexible and sustainable elementary schools.

School Architecture: 70 Examples in Plan and Section

María Francisca González — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 07:30:00 +0000

For architects, schools are often complex structures to design. They must provide a variety of spaces for education, and also consider sports and recreational activities. But beyond its size or surface, the greatest challenge is to design an area that fosters a positive pedagogical environment for children. Below, a selection of +70 school projects with their drawings to inspire your proposals for learning campuses.

Ennead Architects Proposes a Unified Campus Master Plan for the American School in Japan

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 06:30:00 +0000

Ennead Architects has been enlisted to redefine the campus of The American School in Japan (ASIJ) to align the international school’s academic mission with its environment. Currently defined by its aging and fragmented infrastructure, the campus is set to become a dynamic and innovative space, encouraging integrated learning, cohesion, and collaboration across age groups. Sustainability principles, along with the experience of Japanese heritage, also play an important role in the design of the master plan, which proposes a toolkit of solutions intended to help create a unified, sustainable and resilient campus.