paperspace

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath

Find us online at issuu.com/bathpaperspace

Colophon

Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2019

Students of the University of Bath receive paperspace twice a year

ISSN 2058-9301

Editorial address

Paperspace Room 4ES 4.1

Claverton Down Bath, BA2 7AY

Editors in Chief

Oliwia Jackowska

Sebastian Stripp

Cover

Stefano Towli

Inner Posters

Iiris Toom

Printer

Greyhound Printers, Bristol

Thank you to our donors:

Prof. Peter Clegg

This is an important moment for PaperspACE as it is to me as an editor and as a student. I am delighted to introduce this issue exploring the theme of Childhood.

Everyone had a childhood. It might have been very positive or not, restricted or without boundaries, some might not even remember it too well. But what is certain is the fact the earliest years of our lives shape us to the adults we become. Having our own memories in mind, it turns out that children are the most sensitive and therefore important demographic group of users. The idea that children are our future is not new, but more importantly, as architects, designers and writers we are responsible to inspire children’s minds the way we need to shape our future.

Our discussion about childhood form the start has been extremely fascinating. It was very personal and also completely generalised, we were looking at topics from an adults point of view as well as that of a child. School as a second home for a children, as well as the place of their first interaction with many strangers at the same time, has a great impact on the way they think.

This topic is explored in the article The school is a city; the city is a school, where public and private schools in Zimbabwe, a country of huge economic disparities, are contrasted as a sheltered and gated community against a classroom open to the city. Not only children learn from the adults, but architects can learn from them, as in the experience put forward in Eye level at 1.2 meters

Children around the world have different understaning of what home is. What if home is plural and the child’s feelings and belongings need to be spread In between two homes? What impact does lack of safe boundaries have on the society of Honour and Shame Culture in Guinea? Those different living conditions, levels of stimulation and safety influence not only children, but also urbanists and architects to reconsider what would be the most beneficial for a child’s development.

But what about growing up that stretches beyond childhood? Adolescence and Architecture is an increasingly complicated realtionship. The increasing period of growing up influences economics, cities and our future. But what can we do as people and as designers to improve the future and help children to live in a positive world? We need to progress our understanding of Environmental Design and its role in the future on a daily basis.

This brings me to the memories of how I was growing up for the past 4 years in the platform of PaperspACE. It has been an amazing journey, and the past year brought a lot of positive challenge that would not be possible to be completed without the beautiful team that is supportive, creative and extremely varied. I am grateful for being a part of this amazing platform that not only has us develop as people and writers, but also have great fun doing that.

The issue 12 is a great representation of the mixture of the experiences and interests of the PaperspACE team. I hope you will enjoy it!

Oliwia Jackowska Editor in Chief of PaperspACE