Reshaping School Design for the Next Generation

RESHAPING SCHOOL DESIGN for the

Next Generation

As you may know, we recently conducted a series of discussion forums with educators, administrators, students, and parents.

These important conversations left us with 4 main takeaways that are shaping how we think about education.

Learning is

relational

FOCUS ON THE

whole person

LET’S grow

student agency

PERSONALIZATION &

equity

WE NOTICED A PATTERN: • The discussions surrounding student agency were tied to ideas of intrinsic motivation, the idea that students will seek and leverage learning opportunities.

in addition: • There was substantial discussion around relationships, belonging, and respect for others.

We couldn’t help but think of Maslow’s Hierarchy.

In order for students to climb toward the top, perhaps what we were hearing was the need to more fully form the foundations of the pyramid.

we’re asking our kids to be here

personal growth, seeking improvement

self-fulfillment needs

esteem for oneself, respect from others friendship, love, belonging, trust safety, order, predictability, control food, shelter, rest

psychological needs

basic needs

THIS IDEA CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION. Because in a separate survey we conducted immediately prior to the pandemic, those foundations of the pyramid • love • friendship • belonging • order • safety just happened to be exactly what educators and administrators told us were most important.

2019 EDUCATOR & ADMINISTRATOR

SURVEY RESULTS:

IT ALL WENT HAND-IN-HAND WITH WHAT WE’d BEEN READING, TOO. There is a growing body of research supporting the idea that character, behavior, and performance are highly tied to the relational environment.

Starting with brain development and tracking through academic performance.

Paul Tough, in his work Helping Children Succeed, makes the compelling case that ideas which may have been dismissed as “mushy, sentimental notions” are, in fact, deeply influential.

so this begs the question: what does it look like to design for... relationship & belonging? for a sense of calm & order? for respect & trust?

How do we create spaces that foster the kind of relational environment that allows children to engage in their work more fully?

Therefore we ask...

What does a day in the life of a next generation student look like?

ARRIVAL 22 24 2 4 20 6 18 16 8 14 12 10

what we think is important...

WARMTH & BELONGING Students spend a significant portion of their time at school. For those enrolled in after school programs, very little is left in a day for the comforts of home and connection with family. As many schools have continued to grow in size, it’s important to ensure students feel known and valued.

what this might look like...

We envision a space that fosters community, and communicates warmth. Like a favorite restaurant or coffee shop, a place where you feel ‘at home’ and will happily stay for hours.

CLASS TIME

shared media + dining room living room learning family

what we think is important...

CHOICE & STUDENT AGENCY Much research has been done to support the impact that choice has on increasing motivation. The simple act of choosing where to study can increase engagement with the subject matter. Building in student choice is a simple way to promote ownership over learning.

what this might look like...

We envision space that is filled with a variety of learning environments suited to activities and personalities, where students can begin to understand and respond to their own learning preferences.

ACTIVE

GROUP

SOLO

ENGLISH

quiet

independent reading & group discussion

SCIENCE

hands-on learning

what we think is important...

VARIETY

As adults we choose our environments carefully - selecting the coffee shop for conversation or study, or a brightly lit workshop for pursuing a hobby. At home, we carefully adjust the lighting, the music, and the temperature when we host a dinner party. We carefully select the right chair for reading and a different one for eating. Tuning the environment can be a powerful tool to fostering desirable outcomes.

what this might look like...

We envision spaces that are ‘tuned’ to the type of activity they support. For example, the cozy setting below would create a quieter and more relaxed atmosphere for small group discussion.

INDEPENDENT LEARNING

pursuing projects & interests

STUDY HALL asynchronous learning

what we think is important...

Personalization

Asynchonous Learning is a powerful tool for supporting student agency and equity.

Imagine if it could be leveraged to create time and space for deeper investigations or more personalized instruction. Imagine if, similar to an adult co-working environment, students were pursuing individual learning outcomes alongside one another.

what this might look like...

We envision a space that celebrates individual learning and activities alongside more traditional formats.

LUNCH study + connection media

dining

learning family

shared media + dining room

learning family

what we think is important...

RELATIONSHIPS

Students told us that relationships are key to their learning, and research seems to support this. Students also reported that they are not forming relationships during class time. Meal time is an obvious place to foster friendship as it’s naturally social. It’s where we, as adults, usually choose to foster our own friendships.

what this might look like...

We envision a space that promotes a quieter, calmer environment.

A space that is more reminiscent of a family style gathering.

ELECTIVES art + ctae + stem

THE WALNUT & RICE METAPHOR core academics framed by extracurriculars and electives

There is an exercise where one takes a handful of rice and walnuts, and attempts to fill a jar. If you put the rice in first, you will find that there is not enough room in the jar for the walnuts. On the other hand, if you put the walnuts in the jar first, the rice fills in around the nuts and they both fit.

Traditionally, core academics have been the walnuts and extra-curriculars have been the rice. However, student motivation and reported engagement with school was significantly tied to involvement in extracurricular activities. We wonder if these activities need to be reconsidered as walnuts themselves.

what we think is important...

Activity-based learning Students told us that their extracurriculars are their favorite. They eagerly told us about not only what they learned relative to the subject matter, but also of working together, and about organization and leadership as many of the activities are fundamentally student led. We wondered, what would it look like to bring them in as core educational programming? What would it look like to leverage their power?

what this might look like...

We envision a space where activity-based learning is central and celebrated, where students are tinkering out in the open and throughout the day, and where clubs are given prominence.

VARIOUS throughout the day

We must work to incorporate biophilic design for overall student wellbeing and encourage a connection to nature.

what we think is important...

CONNECTION TO NATURE As we mentioned before, students are spending most of their waking and daylight hours at school. Their connection to nature becomes all the more critical.

what this might look like...

Whether studying outside, moving between classes, or simply the ability to choose a sunny spot to work in, there are numerous opportunities to allow them to connect to nature.

VARIOUS throughout the day

Gymnasium

Movement

CYCLING HIKING TAI CHI PARKOUR

what we think is important...

CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS A student’s long-term success is often tied to the opportunities which find them and their ability to leverage those opportunities. Movement can happen throughout the community, not just on school grounds.

what this might look like...

Create and foster connections with the city, local business, and local business leaders to position students for future opportunities.

LIBRARY

MIDDLE SCHOOL

RECREATIONAL CENTER

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

whAT IS THE FUTURE OF PHYSICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN A DIGITAL AGE? The way we see it, when we could so easily be apart, learning environments are

even more important.

Gathering, community, friendship, belonging?

They build in us the things which are foundational to our ability & willingness to engage in our work and thrive.

Dual Brand

Senior Living

Mid + High Rise

HOSPITALITY STUDIO

Convention Center Hotels

Luxury Hotels

RESIDENTIAL STUDIO

Urban Office

ARCHITECTURE

Resorts Condominiums

Boutique Hotels

Hotel/Resort Restaurants

Apartments

Mixed-Use Office Development

INTERIOR DESIGN

URB +

Rooftop Bars

Country Clubs Rooftop Amenities

THE JOHNSON STUDIO AT COOPER CARRY

BRANDING Independent Restaurants

Mall Repositioning

Private Clubs

Retail Placemaking

Cruise Lines

RETAIL STUDIO

Transit Stations

SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTING

Town Centers Store Design Immersive Environments

H REHA +A

ENV. GRAPHIC DESIGN

TRANSIT / TOD STUDIO Adaptive Reuse

TOD Community

Elementary Schools

Office Stack Use

Office Park Redevelopment

OFFICE WORKPLACE STUDIO

n es

GOVERNMENT STUDIO

Headquarters

BAN DESIGN PLANNING

Federal

DOD

Coworking Medical Office Buildings

State Local

Fitness Centers

Public R+D Facilities

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Engineering Classrooms

SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY STUDIO

Libraries

Laboratories

HISTORIC ABILITATION ADAPTIVE REUSE

High Schools

Campus Centers

Classrooms Stadiums

Private / Charter Schools

K-12 EDUCATION STUDIO

Private R+D Facilities

Middle Schools

HIGHER EDUCATION STUDIO

Recreation Centers

Food Halls

Student Housing

OUR mixed-use ecosystem PROVIDES BROADER UNDERSTANDING Ecosystems bring many diverse contributors together to create something far beyond the capacity of one. They create and capture new and greater value. At Cooper Carry, we approach our work as a collaborative ecosystem. We have sixteen studios and eight services that mix and match daily to provide each project the depth of expertise it needs to meet business objectives. Our breadth of experience goes far beyond broad building types. We offer a deeper level of expertise, engaging in more possibilities and offering more creative solutions.

The mixed-use ecosystem allows us to help our clients create the platform on which tenants and target audiences can flourish.