Adaptive Environments. New Spaces for Learning

The architecture of schools can no longer be as rigid as it has been in the past. It needs to be spatially open, stimulating and, through its physical qualities, able to react and adapt to those who live and work there to use it as an active educational tool. However, architecture by itself is not enough to define new spatial models for education or for our society and its ever more complex problems. Thus, a plurality of forms of disciplinary participation is necessary. Pedagogy, with its close relationship with architecture, and technology, with the innovations it brings to teaching methods, are also involved. The dynamism in communication processes and educational practices that arises from new technologies demands a review of how school environments are organized, along with flexible, multifunctional and adaptable solutions for them. The most interesting models are those in which the conventional classroom “breaks down” physically, in favor of open-space learning environments, and flexible spaces. Such layouts help promote skills acquisition, thanks to the synergy between the technological elements and the physical qualities of the spaces that make learning more engaging.