Design for the mind

Abstract

As the foundation of community betterment is fueled by education, the significance of effective learning opportunities within our public spaces is imperative for our cultural growth. The concept of peripheral participation can be applied to the design of public buildings to further and enhance effective everyday learning. To support collaboration, community interaction, and individual improvement, a multidisciplinary community campus located in Chicago, Illinois is proposed. As the design objectives are to give the local community a space to relax, learn, and become a member of something new; the envisioned campus strives to support creative processes and uses experiential influences to further provide effective spaces for learning. Factors such as light, view connectivity's, acoustics, and air quality can be thoughtfully manipulated to enrich learning experiences for all user types and preferred ways of learning and practice. Through such a careful curation of space and experiential influences, thoughtful design can improve the way one feels about learning something new and can further uplift the communities around us.