Harmony A-new : alternative high school design

Abstract

The typology of this thesis is a 14,440 sq foot public high school for underprivileged students of the Chicago Public School system. This thesis is an exploration of the potential for architecture to promote the overall wellness of the occupants in a learning environment. The harmony between the three main aspects of wellness (mind, body and soul) will be achieved through conscientious design of learning spaces and the ability of the built environment to foster learning and education for the twenty-first century. The current wave of innovative school design and curriculum is moving away from education reform to a learning revolution. This challenge of the conventional school system is setting precedence for the future of school design. Likewise, the design principles of the built structure will also move away from the conventional modalities of construction and material, and it will look towards a the future of new building practices. This process will be facilitated by a revolutionary structure that allows for new models of teaching styles parried with new technologies for learning in the current technological era of the twenty-first century.