Biophilic Architecture Its Application in Schools

Essay, Pages 4 (978 words)

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To explore various theories of biophilic design.
To understand the relevance of biophilic design for educational buildings.
To test the feasibility and success of biophilic design in educational buildings.
To conclude with possibilities/limitations and establish the future scope of research.
Explore various theories explaining the biophilic design.
Studying children's psychology and understanding their requirements.
Investigation of present literature based on biophilic architecture and draw the relevant inference.
Analyzing application of biophilic design through live case studies.
Drawing comparisons between various case studies and between theories and applications.

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Evolving a matrix using the various parameters studied in the literature review and observed in case studies.

Biophilic design has a wide scope in various domains of architectural spaces like residential, institutional, hospitals, offices, educational and commercial. It also has various health benefits to health problems caused in these buildings but the scope is limited to research applied on educational buildings.

When spatial arrangement in Shriram school and Modern school is very poor.

As in the case of Shriram, the classrooms do open into a common space but the treatment given to this space is poor. Hence results in a lot of noise being created in this area and the courtyard is not a stimulating experience for the children.

Secondly, the location of the classrooms at Shriram is poor. As the linkages with play areas, assembly, library etc. is very poor. While in Modern school spatial arrangement seems slightly better than that in Shriram. As classrooms open in semi-open courtyards, that is quite stimulating to a child’s mind with its circular column plants and the effect of natural light in this area.

In Modern school, the visual link is maintained but circulation is badly treated while in Shriram both circulation and visual linkage are poorly treated.

In Shriram, the built volumes are very monotonous and boring, though exclusive colour rendering is done in the building due to the absence of greenery inside the building, and due to the lack of creativity on the part of the architect has resulted in such a poor massing of spaces. While in Modern the building is definitely interesting mass to a child’s mind with all those arches, circular windows in exposed brick walls and exclusive colour rendering adds to the stimulating effect on children’s mind.

The architect must realize that a school with just classrooms and play areas do not complete a school. But it is how the creativity of an architect is explored in his design to result in a school that provides children with an exciting arena of activities for them to learn in.
Earlier architecture for children was often monotonous-in accord with adult ideas of “neatness”. But now we recognise the importance of variety in form. The importance of play has been given higher priority in schools.
Play and especially exploratory play is now known to be of importance to the development of intelligence, psychological happiness and social skills, so the architect must keep play as a factor in the forefront of design.
The architect must strive to create a happy, cheerful environment where children are likely to interact in a positive way. This might affect the landscaping, choice of colors, building materials and design of play areas, and its equipment. If they are pleased with their environment they will be smiling, cheerful, whereas if they are irritated by the problems of the environment they are not likely to be using “attaching and pacifying” behaviour. Hence it is the environment that plays a major role in the design of schools.
It is to achieve this stimulating environment in the design of the school, that the architect must firstly formulate a proper spatial arrangement of all the design parameters. Work out proper circulation and various visual linkages. Then he must convert this into three-dimensional masses, that express his creative abilities in such a manner that it is stimulating for young minds.
The architecture of the building, must neither be too imposing nor too scattered or loosely tied. The design should be ‘Liniently rigid’. The person within should be able to relate to the built form and the landscape.
The design must be directly responsive to the climate. Mostly it is preferred to have semi-covered corridors, pergolas and courtyards.
The visual linkages and case of access are the most delicate issues to be incorporated in a design.

These variables could be applied on various building types, but in this research, it is limited to educational buildings only.
Rather than studying all the parameters of biophilic design, the research is limited to some selected patterns and dimensions only.
Selection of case study of school is on the basis of application of Biophilic Elements, rather than taking area of schools or number of students as criteria for choosing schools for case studies.
Biophilic design has a wide scope in various domains of architectural spaces like residential, institutional, hospitals, offices, educational and commercial. It also has various health benefits to health problems caused in these buildings but the scope is limited to research applied on educational buildings.

Courtyards within the cluster of classrooms act as informal spaces.

Use of planters on terraces. Openable windows towards green outdoor space. The site is sloping towards a natural storm water drain at the rear side of the plot. The classrooms are bright and airy, are square plan chamfered from one corner creating an octagonal skylight. Poorly ventilated junior classes. Classes combined to form an octagonal, sky-lit, domed module, which is used as an activity space. Clusters open up into terraces with steel railings High red coloured railing on corridors. Each campus harvests its rooftop rain water, recycles grey water, composts garbage, recycles paper and conserves energy. Recessed windows used, which creates sunshades for window openings as well as storage space. As the building is north-south oriented, still because of long corridors, no proper ventilation is there.