Sezin School Open Roof Space

Istanbul, Turkey

Add To Collection

Other Projects by ATÖLYE

Add To Collection

Container Park

Sezin School Open Roof Space

Istanbul, Turkey

Firm

ATÖLYE

Type

Educational › Other

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2017

SIZE

10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

Design Team: Berna Erenoğlu, Engin Ayaz, Nesile Yalçın, Begüm Ural, Elif Karaköse

Project Lead: Berna Erenoğlu

Graphic Design: Ece Çiftçi, Şevval Ceylan

Prototyping: Ayşe Esin Durmaz

Seperator Design: Burak Koçak

Intern: Ali Arslan, Lola Kotilov

Project Team: Artika (Contractor), Total Teknik (Mechanical), Sinapsen Elektrik (Electric), Doruk Mühendislik (Structure), Saf Mühendislik (Acoustics Consulting), Serdar Selamet (Fire Consulting), Katı Hal (Hardware Prototyping), Seçkin Maden (3D Visualization), Özgür Önurme (Video).

Architectural Photography: Yercekim Photography

Sezin School Open Roof Space is a ‘beyond-classroom’ pedagogical space with a spatially hybrid program that fosters meeting, making, learning and working.

The key question in this project was how ATOLYE could transform a progressive K12 school towards a pedagogical laboratory for 21st century skills.

To this end, borrowing from Fuller’s trimtab concept, the project intervened in a lightweight yet effective manner and chose the formerly dormant empty rooftop space of the existing building, measured at approximately 1,700 m2 within 15,000 m2. This scale difference allowed for experimentation while offering sufficient room for a critically diverse program.

The process started with a participatory session in February 2014, where ATÖLYE facilitated a Design Thinking workshop with 20 teachers, staff and external advisors. Various insights emerged from this session, including the need for deliberate interaction zones between parents and teachers, a more spacious yet open layout for teachers’ private work zones, a need for hands-on learning via a makerlab and reimagining corridors as interaction zones with increased transparency.

Two years after, the timing was right to take the next step. ATÖLYE first embarked on a more extensive desktop and field research process diagnosing key issues while mapping global best practices. Specifically, a comprehensive survey suggested that more than half of the teachers desired a personalized work space, a more social environment and modular furniture. Meanwhile, global research suggested the emergence of project-based learning, maker culture in pedagogy, reimagined libraries as social workspaces, and 24-7 open educational spaces.

After the research phase, the project engaged innovative methods at different scales, ranging from spatial programming to architectural systems, from furniture to graphics, and to stakeholder engagement.

ATÖLYE team first developed a strategic spatial program for Sezin Schools, which included an unusually large teachers’ zone, a flexible events venue, a public meeting room dedicated to educational NGOs to foster partnerships, a makerlab with three sections (media lab, wood shop, bio lab) and small lounge booths for comfortable parent-teacher dialogue. Such strategic programming ensured that the outcome would be novel independent from formal design elements. Furthermore, the layout and proximity of these different zones were informed by parameters such as need for daylight, visual privacy, acoustic isolation and persona-based circulation paths.

As the next step, architectural systems were developed in close synchrony with multiple technical specialists, leading to a high performance and integrated design. Ecological wood wool panels were placed across the ceiling surface to reduce reverberation and increase intelligibility in different learning settings, while serving energy efficiency goals. All lighting systems were specified as dimmable low-Kelvin LEDs, supporting flexible learning while reducing energy use. From daylight standpoint, a central atrium covered with sound-absorbing, low-embodied energy, lightweight polycarbon panels provide ample daylight to spaces while narrow windows punctuate the surface creating shifting vantage points. Mechanical systems were selected with highest locally available efficiency ratings, while separating fresh air and exhaust air systems by coloring, thus serving as an educational vessel for children. Furthermore, the fresh air system was designed to capture excess heat from the enclosed courtyard using heat exchangers. A well-tuned building automation system was designed to capture the efficiency gains by integrating underfloor heating, VRV cooling, mechanical ventilation and operable windows.

From user experience standpoint, architectural nuances such as ample storage spaces for mobile furniture, wide corridors for spill-out usable spaces, no-shoe zones for informal interaction, elevated platforms for focused work, writeable wall surfaces, and acoustic windows foster spatial diversity at large.

At the furniture scale, rather than moving forward with integrated systems, ATÖLYE team developed its existing CNVS furniture line with new modular and flexible products. Ranging from a stage seating on wheels to acoustically isolated hub structures, from mobile bookselves to stand-up work tables, the bespoke furniture portfolio allows for permutational layouts. In a way, the furniture system suggests all users to become actants rather than passive observers or victims of context.
As a proxy, when designing the space, three distinct layout configurations were explored to optimize the modules’ pattern language, however, dozens of alternative scenarios are likely.

Aside from custom-made CNVS series, collaboration with British startup Open Desk, an open-source furniture system, added diversity to the portfolio with its flat-pack CNC fabricated models. Furthermore, the design team optimized teachers’ zone by developing a personalized desk separators rather than private desks, which diminished the space need by %35 while increasing likelihood of interaction among teachers. All furniture was manufactured within 50 km of the site, while utilizing FSC-plywood, low-impact felt, recycled sponge and recycled steel.

In terms of spatial graphics, the project used a progressive design language that emphasizes values such as playfulness, openness and wit. Combining a neutral typeface such as Sailec with pastel tones and laser-cut plywood signage produced at ATÖLYE, the signage cultivates all users to feel both cared for and empowered. Copywriting and graphics stay away from cliches while adding meaningful elements, such as an encalming message within parent-teacher interaction zone to appease the potentially stressful conversations.
Finally, and most importantly, the project has set a local example in terms of stakeholder engagement. Starting with a design thinking workshop in 2014, the seed of the project can be traced back to deep collaboration. Throughout the research and schematic design phase, frequent site visits, passive observation sessions, interviews and design crits ensured proper prioritization of design tactics. ATÖLYE also engaged a leading NGO, Education Reform Initiative, in the design phase, thus sparking institutional collaborations which will help scale this space’s impact to other schools. Meanwhile, the lighting system in the event space was designed, prototyped and manufactured in collaboration with a select student-teacher group, thus setting a visible example of ownership-via-participatory design. Finally, during construction, the project team decided to leave the space partially incomplete in terms of furniture and machine infrastructure thus learning from its first six months and enabling an iterative process.

Altogether Sezin School Open Roof Space has been a unique opportunity to affect educational habits for all actors. ATÖLYE’s scope will likely extend towards post-occupancy, including event curation, design feedback research, makerlab operation and new furniture manufacturing, thus enabling rapid iteration and continuous improvement.

All photography in courtesy of ©Yercekim.

Product Spec Sheet

Were your products used?

Join as a manufacturer to add your products.

Keep Exploring Architizer by Creating a Free Account or Logging in.

Sezin School Open Roof Space

Istanbul, Turkey

Other Projects by ATÖLYE

Container Park

Sezin School Open Roof Space

Istanbul, Turkey

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team

Articles