Civic Oasis
Basic information
Project Title
Civic Oasis
Full project title
Sensory gardens and open-air atelier for the school
Category
Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
Project Description
Civic Oasis is a pilot project to transform schools into permanent education sites for sustainability. An intense collaboration between schools, universities, and local communities has enabled the redevelopment of some of the school's outdoor spaces, creating a climatic and emotional refuge. By welcoming new citizens and hosting different activities, the project returns the spaces to the community, enriching them with new educational values on environmental sustainability and social inclusion.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Palermo (Italy), Italy
Urban or rural issues
Mainly urban
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
EU Programme or fund
Yes
Which funds
ERDF : European Regional Development Fund
Description of the project
Summary
Civic Oasis is the outcome of a research-action project aimed at transforming schools into permanent education sites for sustainability and inclusiveness. It is an open-air atelier, a climate refuge through which the IC De Amicis-Da Vinci school has reconfigured some open spaces. It aims to create a shared sense of community engagement with the Noce neighbourhood, hosting adults and children for various events.The project consists of two main elements: the first is a sequence of five sensory gardens along the eastern edge of the school, facing the road that will accommodate a pedestrian entrance. The nature of their materials, such as aromatic plants and water, benefits from purpose-specific spaces in which to stimulate the five senses. The second space is a pergola shading over the gardens, an open-air atelier in which to perform collective and shared activities. This project is developed as part of an international workshop attended by teachers, students, professionals and activists from neighbourhood associations, in a collaborative relationship between the School and the University. The aim is to promote the role of the school as an educational garrison of legality in the neighbourhood and to support generational exchange, as well as the fight against spatial segregation through the organisation of activities involving vulnerable members of the community. Civic Oasis also acts as a device for education on the prevention of biodiversity loss and climate change mitigation solutions, as a pilot example for other educational realities. Opened to public on 6.10.23 Civic Oasis hosted several public events that encouraged the appropriation of the spaces by the city, creating a horizontal and vertical sharing of knowledge, interests and awareness, aimed at increasing the involvement of different communities. The project stands as a soft pilot example of a research-action methodology that can be adapted to specific local needs, in order to achieve global collective goals
Key objectives for sustainability
Civic Oasis represents an innovative response to the environmental challenges of our urban communities. It is a public space with a strong symbolic value, taken cared of by its own community and inspired by the Manifesto for a Happy and Creative Frugality (frugalite.org, 2018). An approach that stands in opposition to hyper-consumption, promoting a simple and conscious lifestyle and calling for constructive responsibility regarding the climate emergency.
Starting from the principles of eco-friendly design, Civic Oasis was created in the open space of the school, with the aim of guiding children to explore themes related to the cycles of seasons and to the care of the Mediterranean ecosystem, while preserving biodiversity at the same time.
The project is made up by several constituent elements: the sensory gardens and the Open-air atelier. Adaptability, flexibility and modularity are the qualities of the sustainable project which consists of five gardens and a light and temporary steel structure, covered by semi-opaque coloured micro-perforated fabrics.
The use of low environmental impact materials, such as steel and fabrics, allows to showcase the theme of the architectural organism’s lifecycle: once its function has been over, the Atelier can be disassembled and possibly relocated to other similar schools, and the materials can be recycled, promoting circularity.
By using semi-opaque coloured fabrics, the open-air atelier defines the shadow on the gardens and mitigates the impact of urban heat islands through the use of water nebulizers, designed to refresh the spaces for public or scolastic activities during the hottest periods. The choice of low-water consumption plants and the use of a controlled irrigation system play a significant role in the reduction of water consumption
Starting from the principles of eco-friendly design, Civic Oasis was created in the open space of the school, with the aim of guiding children to explore themes related to the cycles of seasons and to the care of the Mediterranean ecosystem, while preserving biodiversity at the same time.
The project is made up by several constituent elements: the sensory gardens and the Open-air atelier. Adaptability, flexibility and modularity are the qualities of the sustainable project which consists of five gardens and a light and temporary steel structure, covered by semi-opaque coloured micro-perforated fabrics.
The use of low environmental impact materials, such as steel and fabrics, allows to showcase the theme of the architectural organism’s lifecycle: once its function has been over, the Atelier can be disassembled and possibly relocated to other similar schools, and the materials can be recycled, promoting circularity.
By using semi-opaque coloured fabrics, the open-air atelier defines the shadow on the gardens and mitigates the impact of urban heat islands through the use of water nebulizers, designed to refresh the spaces for public or scolastic activities during the hottest periods. The choice of low-water consumption plants and the use of a controlled irrigation system play a significant role in the reduction of water consumption
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Civic Oasis is the result of a research-action project aimed at creating a new social and spatial narrative in a sequence of public spaces in the fragile Noce neighborhood in Palermo.
The project is part of a broader framework of other Civic Oasis that have been identified in close proximity to the numerous schools of the neighborhood. Schools and local associations will adopt these spaces and will take care of them, offering the community the opportunity to host social and shared events. The goal is to foster and strengthen a sense of belonging to places for a possible shared future.
The cognitive and critical thinking process is based on the awareness of the complexity of the places and it has thus led to the proposal of a Civic Oasis as a ‘civic center’ in the open space of the IC De Amicis-Da Vinci school (made up by five sensory gardens and the Open-air atelier) to strengthen the relationship between school and neighborhood also in extra-curricular activities. Recognizing the core role of the school will contribute to support the educational community in order to operate in an open and welcoming space, characterized by the design of the sensory gardens and the architecture of the Open-air atelier.
Assuming that visual and multi-sensory exploration is a mechanism of empathic learning, the aesthetic approach becomes crucial in the relationship with the surrounding environment: children, with their innate curiosity, carefully observe details that are often overlooked by adults. This specific insight pushes them to experience the place through the whole senses and perceive it differently from time to time. The Open-air atelier, with its colours, the skilful play of lights and shadows through the fabrics and the smells, noises and textures of the sensory gardens aims to develop a series of memory traces that are immediately recognizable and interpretable, encouraging the implicit association between beauty and the (educational) experience.
The project is part of a broader framework of other Civic Oasis that have been identified in close proximity to the numerous schools of the neighborhood. Schools and local associations will adopt these spaces and will take care of them, offering the community the opportunity to host social and shared events. The goal is to foster and strengthen a sense of belonging to places for a possible shared future.
The cognitive and critical thinking process is based on the awareness of the complexity of the places and it has thus led to the proposal of a Civic Oasis as a ‘civic center’ in the open space of the IC De Amicis-Da Vinci school (made up by five sensory gardens and the Open-air atelier) to strengthen the relationship between school and neighborhood also in extra-curricular activities. Recognizing the core role of the school will contribute to support the educational community in order to operate in an open and welcoming space, characterized by the design of the sensory gardens and the architecture of the Open-air atelier.
Assuming that visual and multi-sensory exploration is a mechanism of empathic learning, the aesthetic approach becomes crucial in the relationship with the surrounding environment: children, with their innate curiosity, carefully observe details that are often overlooked by adults. This specific insight pushes them to experience the place through the whole senses and perceive it differently from time to time. The Open-air atelier, with its colours, the skilful play of lights and shadows through the fabrics and the smells, noises and textures of the sensory gardens aims to develop a series of memory traces that are immediately recognizable and interpretable, encouraging the implicit association between beauty and the (educational) experience.
Key objectives for inclusion
Schools are places where new generations can gather and where they are trained by carrying out activities that require individual or group participation, moments of play and relax that can no longer be confined within the school enclosure or classrooms.
However, these are very complex issues, especially in the most fragile areas, such as the Noce neighborhood of Palermo. Here the school is not perceived by a place of possibility, but it has a fundamental role in the urban metabolism: it is a civic service, a garrison, a space of proximity.
The design of innovative learning environments, such as sensory gardens and the Open-air atelier, starts from new pedagogical experiments (promoted by national and international pedagogical avant-gardes) which take into account the process of scholastic and ecological transition. It seeks to bring a different vision of the school space, open to the city and to the neighborhoods, towards a new concept of school infrastructures, meant as physical, open, inclusive, participatory spaces and as the heart and core of activities - including extra-scholastic ones - typical of the communities that live and work around these infrastructures.
For this reason, Civic Oasis was designed together with students, citizens, associations, professionals, schools and universities: this transdisciplinary approach allowed the various and different visions to be united in the idea of a unique, shared and accessible space. The principles of design for all are therefore the basis of the civic project; in fact, in the open space of the IC De Amicis-Da Vinci school there is no physical barrier that prevents access or mobility: all individuals have equal opportunities for access and use.
To underline the exceptional character of openness to citizenship, Civic Oasis, in addition to normal educational activities, has already hosted numerous extra-curricular events, which have involved various communities
However, these are very complex issues, especially in the most fragile areas, such as the Noce neighborhood of Palermo. Here the school is not perceived by a place of possibility, but it has a fundamental role in the urban metabolism: it is a civic service, a garrison, a space of proximity.
The design of innovative learning environments, such as sensory gardens and the Open-air atelier, starts from new pedagogical experiments (promoted by national and international pedagogical avant-gardes) which take into account the process of scholastic and ecological transition. It seeks to bring a different vision of the school space, open to the city and to the neighborhoods, towards a new concept of school infrastructures, meant as physical, open, inclusive, participatory spaces and as the heart and core of activities - including extra-scholastic ones - typical of the communities that live and work around these infrastructures.
For this reason, Civic Oasis was designed together with students, citizens, associations, professionals, schools and universities: this transdisciplinary approach allowed the various and different visions to be united in the idea of a unique, shared and accessible space. The principles of design for all are therefore the basis of the civic project; in fact, in the open space of the IC De Amicis-Da Vinci school there is no physical barrier that prevents access or mobility: all individuals have equal opportunities for access and use.
To underline the exceptional character of openness to citizenship, Civic Oasis, in addition to normal educational activities, has already hosted numerous extra-curricular events, which have involved various communities
Results in relation to category
The Civic Oasis proved to be a stimulating, pleasant and attractive context, capable of encouraging participation, attention and learning. Children and adults were able to experience the Kantian sublime, which includes both aesthetics and ethics, looking at both beauty and respect. Living this environment means transforming it into pleasure for oneself and into shared moral principles for the common good. Ordinary school lessons, neighborhood parties, cultural and social gatherings and work meetings find the ideal place every day in the Sensory Gardens and Open Air Ateliers to welcome a multi-coloured, multicultural, multilingual, multi-religious and transgenerational humanity. The Civic Oasis hosts a European vegetable garden, with some plants representing the countries of an Erasmus+ delegation who came to visit it, and an international vegetable garden, with some plants representing the 15 different nationalities of the school's students. In Sicily, a region with a poverty and social exclusion rate of 51% (EUROSTAT 2019), the project, although implemented with few economic resources, managed to offer adults and children a different idea of the future for themselves and for the community. A future that is not suffered but translates into proactive hope. The direct benefits of Oasi Civica are aimed in particular at the most fragile and disadvantaged children (economically and socially) who benefit from a new open, convivial and experimental space. The project also supports the families of the neighborhood, giving confidence to an educating community aware of its civic role. Children and adults find themselves together in a space that expresses the right to the city according to the principles of beauty, inclusion and sustainability. Oasi Civica also represents a good methodological practice for redeveloping urban spaces awaiting transformation and demonstrates that research and planning conducted jointly by schools and universities is fundamental for social change.
How Citizens benefit
Civic Oasis suggests imagining an integrated educational path, in which the school plays a strategic and synergical role with the other actors involved and mainly with the community. Flexibility, innovation of the learning environments, quality of experience are features that the project actively promotes, leading to the necessity to rethink the way of teaching and foreseeing an active involvement of teachers, students and parents. In this way a hybrid space is outline, destined for hosting activities open to the community: an inclusive and accessible for all space, where to experiment and to develop connections. Therefore, a relation with the community is set up through mutual interation. The community is the main resource for this project and also the main beneficiary. The project promotes the access and the public use of the school courtyard and open spaces, adjacent to the neighborhood open spaces, through learning and playful activities and cultural events. The school takes on the role of civic center for the neighborhood and opens up to collaborate with University, associations, citizens and spontaneous groups for social cohesion and urban regeneration.
In similar contexts where the school is often the only public garrison to which local communities can address, projects like Civic Oasis take the form of catalysts for actions and initiatives that go beyond education. School becomes an educational partner for families, providing a proximity asset for the whole neighborhood. The architectural project is, therefore, the heart of a wider research that takes into account social, pedagogical and ethical themes, trying to answer to the upcoming territorial needs. In this perspective, the definition of open-air spaces, that are inclusive, safe and sustainable, is emblematic not just for the requalification of the school spaces, strictly intended like learning environment, but mainly for increasing the civic and political responsibility of all the players involved
In similar contexts where the school is often the only public garrison to which local communities can address, projects like Civic Oasis take the form of catalysts for actions and initiatives that go beyond education. School becomes an educational partner for families, providing a proximity asset for the whole neighborhood. The architectural project is, therefore, the heart of a wider research that takes into account social, pedagogical and ethical themes, trying to answer to the upcoming territorial needs. In this perspective, the definition of open-air spaces, that are inclusive, safe and sustainable, is emblematic not just for the requalification of the school spaces, strictly intended like learning environment, but mainly for increasing the civic and political responsibility of all the players involved
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Innovative character
The project aims to deepen the sense and value of multidisciplinary work that declines issues and themes from different perspectives. In particular, the design innovation focused on the adaptation and reconfiguration of the open spaces pertaining to the school with the aim of reversing their misuse, safeguarding the areas that have escaped cementification as a strategy to counter the effects of climate change, and enhancing the ecological and social potential that the school can offer to the city.
The hypothesis of making schools into 'education yards' is directed at transforming outdoor spaces into climate refuges designed to accommodate children and residents in large, renatured, shaded spaces with water accesses, is part of the climate strategies that some European cities have already in place.
Considering the school as one of the places capable of hosting Civic Oasis, it is the goal of such innovative strategies to bring out the open space of the school in the neighborhood, to experiment with forms of teaching inspired by the ‘open-air schools’ model, already promoted by the Istituto Nazionale di Documentazione, Innovazione e Ricerca Educativa.
The Civic Oasis project prepares schools to work as social hubs, in order to participate in the rebalancing of urban metabolism and the quality of neighborhood life. In fact, the redevelopment of outdoor spaces makes it possible to redesign places of aggregation for the school and the neighborhood that are recognizable through of the architectural design and can also be used during extracurricular hours to host playful and recreational activities.
Experimentation through the development of innovative and integrated strategies with reference to the goals of the New European Bauhaus, integrated with the Sustainable Development Goals (4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16) characterizes the pragmatic experience of the Civic Oasis, which has returned a small but significant public work almost a year after its conception.
The hypothesis of making schools into 'education yards' is directed at transforming outdoor spaces into climate refuges designed to accommodate children and residents in large, renatured, shaded spaces with water accesses, is part of the climate strategies that some European cities have already in place.
Considering the school as one of the places capable of hosting Civic Oasis, it is the goal of such innovative strategies to bring out the open space of the school in the neighborhood, to experiment with forms of teaching inspired by the ‘open-air schools’ model, already promoted by the Istituto Nazionale di Documentazione, Innovazione e Ricerca Educativa.
The Civic Oasis project prepares schools to work as social hubs, in order to participate in the rebalancing of urban metabolism and the quality of neighborhood life. In fact, the redevelopment of outdoor spaces makes it possible to redesign places of aggregation for the school and the neighborhood that are recognizable through of the architectural design and can also be used during extracurricular hours to host playful and recreational activities.
Experimentation through the development of innovative and integrated strategies with reference to the goals of the New European Bauhaus, integrated with the Sustainable Development Goals (4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16) characterizes the pragmatic experience of the Civic Oasis, which has returned a small but significant public work almost a year after its conception.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
The design and implementation of Civic Oasis was made possible through the in-depth study of numerous interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary themes related to the architectural project. Decisive were the contributions related to pedagogical issues: from theories on cognitive corporeity in relation to the space of learning, to the renewed pedagogical needs related to educational innovation. Furthermore, the contribution on agroecological issues: from architectural experiences on Mediterranean garden, to digital systems for crop monitoring.
Starting with the "Manifesto for a Happy Frugality" by architects P. Madec and D. Gauzin Müller and engineer A. Bornarel, the project takes place within the framework of ecological transition and the fight against climate change, through architectural solutions with very low ecological impact and the conservation of biodiversity with the five sensory gardens. It is within this context that experimentation with integrated design was developed, combining the themes of schools with those of ecological transition.
These included the participation of specialists in the fields of architecture, agronomy, urban planning, aesthetics, pedagogy, art and sociology from local, regional, national and international backgrounds, who helped extend the cultural horizon of the project through preliminary seminars. On these occasions, emblematic examples from similar European and international settings were shown. In particular, among others, by the contribution of Prof. G. Barbera, Professor of Arboriculture at UniPa on Mediterranean crops; Prof.ssa B.Weiland, Associate at Unibz on the relationship between pedagogy and architecture and design and on issues of educational innovation in schools; and architect R.Catanzaro, who directed the realization of one of the Cour Oasis at a Parisian school.
The workshop activities provided technical drawings that were subsequently implemented with the professionals in charge and built by local craftsmen.
Starting with the "Manifesto for a Happy Frugality" by architects P. Madec and D. Gauzin Müller and engineer A. Bornarel, the project takes place within the framework of ecological transition and the fight against climate change, through architectural solutions with very low ecological impact and the conservation of biodiversity with the five sensory gardens. It is within this context that experimentation with integrated design was developed, combining the themes of schools with those of ecological transition.
These included the participation of specialists in the fields of architecture, agronomy, urban planning, aesthetics, pedagogy, art and sociology from local, regional, national and international backgrounds, who helped extend the cultural horizon of the project through preliminary seminars. On these occasions, emblematic examples from similar European and international settings were shown. In particular, among others, by the contribution of Prof. G. Barbera, Professor of Arboriculture at UniPa on Mediterranean crops; Prof.ssa B.Weiland, Associate at Unibz on the relationship between pedagogy and architecture and design and on issues of educational innovation in schools; and architect R.Catanzaro, who directed the realization of one of the Cour Oasis at a Parisian school.
The workshop activities provided technical drawings that were subsequently implemented with the professionals in charge and built by local craftsmen.
Methodology used
The project defined, in three distinct but connected steps, the opportunities of useful multidisciplinary inputs: 1) Intensive Summer Workshop, with contributions from professors and specialists in the framework of a Seminar; 2) economic and design verification of the projects developed by the Workshop participants; 3) executive design and construction management of the works.
The role of this small public work is not only related to the redevelopment of the school's open space but it aspires to become a significant methodological premise to trigger a renewed sense of civic responsibility. This contributes orientate a strategic action aimed at quality and beauty in a broader and lasting process of redevelopment. In accordance with the values of aesthetic, sustainability and inclusiveness of the mission of the New European Bauhaus, education for quality and beauty, together with knowledge, define the methodological approach of the Civic Oasis. The project is based on the themes of nature in the city, community belonging to places, the right to the city, and the project life cycle. In this context, the relationship between the School and the University provides intersections between the world of research and the actions of the school in the neighborhood, through theoretical-didactic and practical approaches.
The New European Bauhaus emphasizes the importance of a new holistic vision, shared by design within a multidisciplinary matrix, with multiple perspectives of inquiry in which the school space supports experimentation, as for plant communities. In this new open space there are herbaceous and shrub species that participate in the formation of plant communities of the spontaneously growing Mediterranean scrub. The space of the school is then a vital and reversible environment that provides socio-emotional well-being and stimulate civic sense of belonging.
The role of this small public work is not only related to the redevelopment of the school's open space but it aspires to become a significant methodological premise to trigger a renewed sense of civic responsibility. This contributes orientate a strategic action aimed at quality and beauty in a broader and lasting process of redevelopment. In accordance with the values of aesthetic, sustainability and inclusiveness of the mission of the New European Bauhaus, education for quality and beauty, together with knowledge, define the methodological approach of the Civic Oasis. The project is based on the themes of nature in the city, community belonging to places, the right to the city, and the project life cycle. In this context, the relationship between the School and the University provides intersections between the world of research and the actions of the school in the neighborhood, through theoretical-didactic and practical approaches.
The New European Bauhaus emphasizes the importance of a new holistic vision, shared by design within a multidisciplinary matrix, with multiple perspectives of inquiry in which the school space supports experimentation, as for plant communities. In this new open space there are herbaceous and shrub species that participate in the formation of plant communities of the spontaneously growing Mediterranean scrub. The space of the school is then a vital and reversible environment that provides socio-emotional well-being and stimulate civic sense of belonging.
How stakeholders are engaged
Civic Oasis is the result of research-action project aimed at the redevelopment and transformation of school spaces. Within this framework, the research was carried out through the collaboration between several stakeholders: the multidisciplinary research group LabCity Architecture, the Master Thesis Studio "èViVa la Scuola" of the CdL in Architecture, the Laboratory of Design of Open Spaces of the CdL in Landscape Architecture -Scientific Ref. R. Lecardane (DARCH-UniPA)-and the Association “'a Strummula” -President S. Massa-. This intensive collaboration was made possible through the International Summer Workshop "Elogio della frugalità. Giardini sensoriali a scuola" which is part of the ERDF project of which the school was a beneficiary. The Workshop defined a working method in response to the critical issues of the Noce neighborhood in Palermo and intercepted social, pedagogical and ethical issues to design and implement a five sensory gardens and Open-air Atelier in a large open space in the school's enclosure, initially meant as a parking lot. The event was enthusiastically attended by national and international professors and researchers, students and graduates of the Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo, professionals, artists and associations, all together to define an educational community gathered around the school. Moreover, the Verbumcaudo social cooperative participated in the realization of the project by donating a truckload of land from the first property confiscated from the mafia in Sicily, which was divided among the five sensory gardens.
Civic Oasis is a space for “Distretto 12 Prevenzione della Dispersione scolastica”, a network of 24 schools of which the school is the leader. Among this network there are the Municipality, the Valdesi Deacon Center, the Provincial Health Authority, together with local associations with which the school has planned a full calendar of events to be held in the spaces of the project.
Civic Oasis is a space for “Distretto 12 Prevenzione della Dispersione scolastica”, a network of 24 schools of which the school is the leader. Among this network there are the Municipality, the Valdesi Deacon Center, the Provincial Health Authority, together with local associations with which the school has planned a full calendar of events to be held in the spaces of the project.
Global challenges
Civic Oasis offers local solutions to global challenges:
Environmental sustainability: The cultivation of the vegetable garden and the sensory gardens, as well as the use of electronic technology to monitor the reactions of plants promote imagination, innovation and the adoption of sustainable technologies capable of creating a creative connection between technology and nature. In line with Goal 6 (UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), the right attention was paid to the rational use of water for the gardens by choosing suitable plants and inserting an automatic irrigation system.
Aesthetic and quality education: Civic Oasis, in line with the implementation tools of Goal 4 (UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), opens opportunities for diversified learning approaches, involving artists, intellectuals, students and local communities. The learning space in new educational models is increasingly open and alternative to the place where the usual teacher/student relationship takes place. The space must be capable of promoting cultural diversity and the enrichment of the educational experience. In the local context of the school, where the project is developed, there are children of 15 nationalities and the results of a richer education can reverberate globally, also connecting to their nations of origin.
Inclusion and citizenship: The project promotes openness towards all, encouraging the participation of different categories of people, such as families and elderly people. This promotes social inclusion and collaboration with the school institution, helping to helping to include certain segments of the population by reducing the phenomenon of school dropout.
In summary, the sensory gardens project provides a local response to global challenges, dealing with crucial issues through the creative use of outdoor space as an educational environment.
Environmental sustainability: The cultivation of the vegetable garden and the sensory gardens, as well as the use of electronic technology to monitor the reactions of plants promote imagination, innovation and the adoption of sustainable technologies capable of creating a creative connection between technology and nature. In line with Goal 6 (UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), the right attention was paid to the rational use of water for the gardens by choosing suitable plants and inserting an automatic irrigation system.
Aesthetic and quality education: Civic Oasis, in line with the implementation tools of Goal 4 (UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), opens opportunities for diversified learning approaches, involving artists, intellectuals, students and local communities. The learning space in new educational models is increasingly open and alternative to the place where the usual teacher/student relationship takes place. The space must be capable of promoting cultural diversity and the enrichment of the educational experience. In the local context of the school, where the project is developed, there are children of 15 nationalities and the results of a richer education can reverberate globally, also connecting to their nations of origin.
Inclusion and citizenship: The project promotes openness towards all, encouraging the participation of different categories of people, such as families and elderly people. This promotes social inclusion and collaboration with the school institution, helping to helping to include certain segments of the population by reducing the phenomenon of school dropout.
In summary, the sensory gardens project provides a local response to global challenges, dealing with crucial issues through the creative use of outdoor space as an educational environment.
Learning transferred to other parties
The project contains replicable elements for various groups of beneficiaries and in different school contexts where the intention is to enhance outdoor spaces.
1. Methodology and processes: Inclusive design involving academics, architects, teachers, students, artists and intellectuals, called "Collaboration in Design for Education and Creativity". The main steps are:
a. Identification of objectives: Meeting of a group of experts and stakeholders (architects, teachers, students, artists, intellectuals) to define the educational purposes, architectural needs and creative expectations of the project.
b. Brainstorming and ideation: Organizing brainstorming sessions to share ideas, suggestions and visions for the project, in an open and participatory process that promotes creativity and innovation.
c. Needs analysis: Evaluation of the specific needs of students and teachers.
d. Collaborative design: Collaboration through the workshop format to develop a satisfactory design.
e. Implementation and construction: definition of the project and construction of the products involving qualified local professionals and builders.
f. Continuous ex post evaluation: continuous evaluation to monitor the effectiveness of the created environment and make any improvements.
g. Community involvement: Interaction with the local community and sharing the educational environment created through outdoor events for different categories of citizens complementary to the students, such as families and the elderly people.
2. Technology and products: Open-air Atelier is made of steel and fabrics resistant to sun and rain. They are materials and technologies that are easily available and simple to maintain. The use of devices capable of reading the electrical reactions of plants and transferring them into sound modulations has been integrated to improve the outdoor experience and learning.
1. Methodology and processes: Inclusive design involving academics, architects, teachers, students, artists and intellectuals, called "Collaboration in Design for Education and Creativity". The main steps are:
a. Identification of objectives: Meeting of a group of experts and stakeholders (architects, teachers, students, artists, intellectuals) to define the educational purposes, architectural needs and creative expectations of the project.
b. Brainstorming and ideation: Organizing brainstorming sessions to share ideas, suggestions and visions for the project, in an open and participatory process that promotes creativity and innovation.
c. Needs analysis: Evaluation of the specific needs of students and teachers.
d. Collaborative design: Collaboration through the workshop format to develop a satisfactory design.
e. Implementation and construction: definition of the project and construction of the products involving qualified local professionals and builders.
f. Continuous ex post evaluation: continuous evaluation to monitor the effectiveness of the created environment and make any improvements.
g. Community involvement: Interaction with the local community and sharing the educational environment created through outdoor events for different categories of citizens complementary to the students, such as families and the elderly people.
2. Technology and products: Open-air Atelier is made of steel and fabrics resistant to sun and rain. They are materials and technologies that are easily available and simple to maintain. The use of devices capable of reading the electrical reactions of plants and transferring them into sound modulations has been integrated to improve the outdoor experience and learning.
Keywords
1. Open-air school
2. Community-engagement
3. Collective green spaces
4. Spatial regeneration
5. Design for all
