ARCHITECTS XR' US A personal inquiry into the use of the concepts of architecture in the secondary artroom, leading to the creation of a *Primer' for interested teachers based on the x3 Rs': Receive, Respond, and Responsibility. • by .'• ' '- Jane W.N.Kinégal B.Ed.(Secondary) 1970, UBC B.Arch. 1987,• UBC M.A.S.A.. 1989, UBC ' " " A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE' DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION • • • . i n ' THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Ce n t r e f o r C r o s s - F a c u l t y I n q u i r y • We ac c e p t t h i s t h e s i s , a s c o n f o r m i n g t o the r e q u i r e d s t a n d a r d THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA A p r i l , 2004 @ Jane W.N. K i n e g a l , 2004 Library Authorization In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Name of Author (please print) Date (dd/mm/yyyy) Title of Thesis: N^\A 1 T H ^ V R > ' Uf? y /V feR^UÂsL (NÙgOifr^T (NTZ? " T U F - DSF. T H f L ^ K c - t i P T b / k ^ S H l T g - ^ T U g F (K Degree: M . A Y e a r : QjDQ^k -Department of /^MTK£ cZ^O^-fr^CVlXj I N ^ U e r The University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC Canada Abstract The processes involved i n making places are not the .exclusive province of experts, but a set of natural actions that belong to a l l people. Creating places for ourselves i s a natural, organic, and in t e g r a l part of our work as a society. The term 'place' •connotes p a r t i c u l a r i s e d , human settings, located at a s p e c i f i c s i t e and r e f l e c t i n g the geographic and c u l t u r a l context. Many people view the architect as a p r a c t i t i o n e r of an esoteric profession that i s understood only by the formally trained. Architecture, which I define as the planning, designing and c r a f t i n g of our b u i l t environment, i s a subject for us a l l . No one needs to believe that they know nothing about architecture. We each have at least a latent awareness of our surroundings, which can be sharpened and made conscious. Given some s k i l l and confidence, people can move from reticence regarding the shaping of our places to a more active r o l e . The goal of t h i s work i s to i n v i t e , encourage, and provide some tools for teachers to promote awareness of our settings, and active, responsive and responsible p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the shaping of our places. In no way do I mean to subvert the practice of architecture, or to encourage i l l - a d v i s e d , headstrong attempts to b u i l d or rebu i l d our environment. I hope to encourage thoughtful discourse about how our world might be, and more exchange between the experts and the others. F i t t i n g out our settings can be an action not only FOR people, but BY the people as well. The research question, based upon these goals and premises, i s : What i s the nature and scope of an a r c h i t e c t u r a l 'Primer', designed to a s s i s t educators to encourage a c i t i z e n r y that i s aware of our settings, w i l l i n g to be involved and capable of responsible p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the shaping of our c o l l e c t i v e and private places? To carry the 'Primer' idea a b i t further, t h i s approach to place making i s organised into learning experiences founded on what I have come to view as the basics of b u i l t environmental education: 'the 3 R ' s ' of architecture. The program encourages teachers and t h e i r students to: 1. RECEIVE - the messages of our environment, to thoughtfully look, see, and consider what i s 2 . RESPOND - envision and shape what could be - with growing confidence and c a p a b i l i t y 3 .take RESPONSIBILITY - at the personal and c o l l e c t i v e scale to affect needed and appropriate change. These 3R's are as important to an educated person as are the t r a d i t i o n a l 3R's. We need to be able to operate capably with a l l the R's to maximise ourselves and our settings, rather than abstaining from t h i s decision making. This document provides some supporting material and ideas for teachers who want to encourage responsive awareness and involvement in the shaping of our environment, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n the secondary art classroom. If architecture involves the human a c t i v i t i e s associated with the making our places, and i f we are accepting the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y thus implied, then Architects * R ' Us! T A B L E OF CONTENTS Abstract i i Table of Contents i v L i s t of Figures ( I l l u s t r a t i o n s ) v i i i Acknowledgement xiv Preface /Dedication xv CHAPTER 1 Statement of the Search 1 1.1 Introduction - the searcher Other searchers Moving towards Architecture Towards (and back to) education Architects do have a place i n the order of things An architecture process/product story My professional stance 1.2 Methods of investigation and exploration: the a n a l y t i c a l framework/generating process A story i l l u s t r a t i n g the methods of action research Narrative - " F i r s t day back" Analysis, Observations, Reflections, Musings... Theory Action Research: how does th i s approach impact practice? Just what i s action research? Relation to the existing' l i t e r a t u r e Towards a personal theory of practice A new research context - towards a new , research question So what am I curious about? - formulation of the new research question 1.3 Rationale for the research question: why i s this important? So how w i l l I move towards answering t h i s question? Concluding real questions CHAPTER 2 Educational Scaffolding 42 2. 1 Is there educative value i n using the ideas of architecture i n the classroom? 2. 2 In t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y connections 2. 3 Approaches to learning 2. 4 And what about Cr e a t i v i t y ? 2. 5 Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences 2. 6 Right brain, Left brain 2. 7 Transmit Transact Transform 2. 8, Concluding observations CHAPTER 3 Connection to broader themes of art and architecture 7 0 3.1 Drawing to art, drawing to architecture, drawing to action "I can't draw!" "Yes, you can..." So how can we teach drawing? The f i r s t day Loosening up Each student needs his/her own sketchbook How do others draw? Can't I just turn on the computer? So do i t 3.2 The design process A story of how I erred and strayed A r t i c u l a t i n g the Design Process Bardach's 'eightfold path' 3.3 Phenomenology Definitions and a c l a r i f y i n g example How might someone put t h i s into practice? The phenomenological approach to research The basis of phenomenology The phenomenology papers 3.4 S u s t a i n a b i l i t y Is t h i s an issue for the schools? In the . artroom? So do we r e a l l y have a problem? Students are beginning to show interest How can students understand and what can we do to learn and practice t h i s approach? F i r s t , the story And f i n a l l y , the advice 3.5 Community Action, Responsibility Some people don't have a place So what does t h i s have to do with the artroom? So what can we DO? Global i n i t i a t i v e s Understand our l o c a l r e a l i t y Poverty -• a d e f i n i t e culture The poor are an aspect of our culture Endnotes for the themes of architecture CHAPTER 4 Architecture in the Secondary School Artroom...l7 0 What i s available? AIBC architecture for kids guide The B r i t i s h art educator, Eileen Adams Ginny Graves CHAPTER 5 The Primer 194 A series of lessons/learning experiences A note regarding a d a p t a b i l i t y of t h i s Primer A Cautionary Note Re: knives, guns and po t e n t i a l l y intense outcomes 1. mapping 2. home, imagined and revealed 3. redesign (frankly facadism) A. doorways - a method of drawing i n t e r i o r s 5. sanctuary - within and without 6. family retreat 7. unpave - community process 8. community u p l i f t - providing a r e f i t 9. product design 10. t r a v e l to make art 11. the culture of poverty 12. the world trade center CHAPTER 6 Outcomes and Conclusions 336 6.1 What the People Said 6.2 Self evaluation of the process and the product of t h i s work 6.3 Conclusions; p o s s i b i l i t i e s -Reference L i s t 37 6 L I S T OF F I G U R E S Figure Page 1. Hand tools i n the shop : 22 2. The cycles of action research 24 3. The components of action research 26 4. How we understand structure with our bodies 57 5. A complex, rhythmic building, student drawing 59 6. Drawing by a young man whose chief in t e r e s t i s Interpersonal 60 7. Drawings and explorations by students 61 8. Pages from student sketchbooks 64 9. The transmission p o s i t i o n 65 10. The transaction p o s i t i o n 66 11. The transformation position 66 12. Architecture i n the classroom 69 13. Collage of opening day sample drawings 78 14. Building sketches 82 15. T r o l l e y - l i n e drawing 82 16. Plan/section/elevation views 83 17. Drawings of the Royal Art Lodge 84 18. Façade of the Hotel del Coronado 99 • 19. The Royal Crescent at Bath, 1996 100 20. A e r i a l view of Bath 100 •21. Dynamiting an unworkable urban project 101 22. The yellow House at Aries 109 23. Some v i s u a l place s t o r i e s 112 24. A 'crude but evocative' study model 114 25. Perspective 'how to' drawings (Ching) 115 26. Caryatids - body as support ! 116 27. Student model - twin phenomena 117 28. Examples of the poetry 117 29. Concept sketch for Central Philadelphia 119 30. Prototype concepts developed by Alvar Aalto 119 .31. Conceptual sketch Hong Kong, student sketch .'119 32. From image to r e a l i t y - collage of sketches 120 33. F u l l scale plans 121 34. Axonometric and plan sketches 122 35. Axonometric 'exploded' ~. 123 36. Poetic images of Leonardo da V i n c i 123 37. An evocative camp shelter :....125 38 . C o l l e c t i v e notice board 129 39. David Rousseau's p r a c t i c a l guide 136 40. C.K.Choi Building 138 41. CMHC pamphlets - r e a d i l y available 140 42. Seabird Sustainable Community, the Roundhouse...155 43. Cuban public art 156 44. Photographs from the Downtown Eastside 158 45. Excerpt from Taxi, a l o c a l newspaper 159 46. Feature a r t i c l e - designers for the homeless 160 47. Collage of Pattern Language excerpt and homeless person sleeping.. 161 48. Collage of cover and pages of the AIBC Resource Guide 17 7 49. The b u i l t environment education books by Graeme Chalmers. : ; 17 8 50. Collage of pages, books of Graeme Chalmers 179 51. School Portraits (Adams) 185 52. Photomontage showing po s i t i v e change (Adams) 187 53. CUBE home page 191 54. Students using Exacto knives 198 55. What i s wrong with these pictures? 201 56. Part of the scrap c o l l e c t i o n 201 57. Student using a glue gun 202 58. The photo s t r i p 207 59. A composite of snapshots one would see 207 60. The work of another g i f t e d student 208 61. Example - pushed off from the obvious format 208 62. A grade 8 boy . 209 63. An unusual s c i - f i interpretation of the assignment 209 64. A student from Afghanistan 210 65. A highly motivated student's model 210 66. One of the senior students caused a s t i r 211 67. Low r e l i e f and 3-D responses 212 68. Danica Phelps - mapping 214 69. Michael Landy - mapping 214 70. Alex Morrison - mapping 215 71. Inuit a r t i s t s - mapping 216 72. Plan, section and elevation views .....218 73. Two sketches of a student's home 221 74. Two sketches of a student's home - apartment 222 75. A b e a u t i f u l l y sketched house 223 76. Some developments of the home image .22 4 77. Reworked elevations of a 'Vancouver Special' 226 78. Renovated home 227 79. Collage of facades 227 80. Low r e l i e f facades 228 81. Mobile 229 82. Student at the schoolhouse door 230 83. Study of'the school entry 231 84. Reworked entry doors for the school 232 85. Elevation of the school as i s , and as i t might be 233 86. View into a locker 235 87. The view through a classroom door, and through the entry door 236 88. A simple view through a classroom doorway 237 89. View into a closet (etching) 238 90. Views of a room 239 91. View of a kitchen 240 92. Through a doorway 241 93. Interior drawings 242 94. Two mandalas (25% of o r i g i n a l size) 244 95. Sample pages from A Pattern Language .24 5 96. George Bernard Shaw's sanctuary (Tiny Houses ) ...24 6 97. Student worksheet prepared for t h i s project 247 98. Simple conventions for drawing plans 249 99. Sample preliminary sketches 250 100. A working model 251 101. Model made with love and care 252 102. Human scale examples 252 103. Plans and a p a r t i a l model 253 104. A rendering of a sanctuary 254 105. Examples of models 255 106. Sanctuary for a soccer player 256 107. A theatre/sanctuary 256 108. Pool tables and giant screens figure prominently 2 56 109. Ideal bedrooms 257 110. At the beach 258 111. Anonometric drawing 258 112. Examples of bubble diagrams 2 62 .113. 3-D bubble diagrams : 2 63 114. Simple presentation models 264 115. Presentation model 265 116. Model views 266 117. Model views 267 118. Excerpt from an a r t i c l e 270 119. A simple preliminary sketch 271 120. Student at work on the paved area 272 121. Drawings and f u l l scale plans on pavement 273 122. Students working together 274 123. The sanctuary garden i n Skidegate 276 124. The design sheet 279 125. Lockers 280 126. Locker painters at work and some samples 281 127. Embellished lockers 282 128. Sample mural approval drawing... 283 129. Sample mural proposals and a painted mural 284 130. The completed' scrapbook 285 131. Public art 288 132. Art students painting sets 289 133. Chair design '.. ..291 134. Designed chairs 292 135. Inquiring into chair design 293 136. 'Annotated diagrams' 294 137. P r o f i l e of an intended r e c i p i e n t 296 138. Simple axonometric drawing 297 139. Chairs 298 140. Collage of chairs : 299 141. Chair exhibition ..300 142. More chairs 301 143. Collage - design to exhibition..... 302 144. Toys and g i f t s 303 145. Cars that are kind to the planet 304 146. ...and some evidence of research 305 147. Snazzy eco-cars 306 148. A new form of transportation 307 149. Green b i c y c l e and fantasy car 308 150. Pennsylvania birdhouses and 'barkitecture' 309 151. Big raven painting 310 152. Outside the caravan 311 153. Brochure material re: Emily Carr 312 154. Sketch of Emily Carr's caravan - plan view 313 155. Sketches of a student caravan 313 156. C o l l e c t i o n of student models: Caravans.. 314 157. Emily Carr landscapes used as motivator 314 158. Windows onto selected landscape 316 159. Strips t e l l i n g the day i n a l i f e 319 160. Drawing of beds in a shelter 320 161. Reduced examples of plan .....321 162. Plans and model for a shelter ..322 163. Designs for shelter beds: drawings, models 323 164. Designs for street dwellers 324 165. Worksheets and models of ideas 325 166. Students at work i n Calimete :. 327 167. Vancouver School of Theology 'Perspectives' 328 168. Reprint of news: Daily Telegraph 32 9 169. Program sheet • 330 170. Diagram of skyscraper p r o f i l e s 331 171. The WTC s i t e 332 172. Collage of responses to the question 333 173. Liebskind proposal 334 174. News a r t i c l e , The Vancouver Sun ....335 175. Envisioning places 375 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am most grateful to my students - we grow together and they keep me curious. Thank you to: My Committee - Dr.Graeme Chalmers, Professor Joel Shack, School of Architecture UBC, and Dr.Freda Pagani, UBC - a l l busy people who gave me the g i f t of t h e i r time and expertise. My research friends, colleagues and associates who agreed to read t h i s document with a c r i t i c a l eye and make suggestions : Dianne Coulter - school administrator and fellow student, who inspired me with her courageous thesis, written at the same time as t h i s one, and her generous comments, Susan Viccars - art teacher/colleague - and co-adventurer i n a r t i s t i c and educational pursuits, who gave me s o l i d and p r a c t i c a l advice and encouragement, Marian Schellenberg - graphic designer, teacher and a r t i s t , whose suggestions and commentary were u n f a i l i n g l y astute, Marnie Tamaki - colleague i n both a r c h i t e c t u r a l and educational practice - energetic and i n s p i r i n g co-par t i c i p a n t i n many ventures, including t h i s one, Mary Ann Green - designer and builder extraordinaire, whose insights keep me honest and a l e r t to the p r a c t i c a l r e a l i t i e s of l i f e . PRE F A C E / D E D I CAT I ON This work i s dedicated to the memory of my father, Richard Thorne Nesbitt, who l i v e d in our family home on River Road, Sunbury, for more than f i f t y years. My father was an architect i n what I have come to understand i s a true sense of the word. Not formally trained i n architecture, though the recipient of a high school 'training' i n art and i n d u s t r i a l or manual arts t y p i c a l of the 19 t h century i d e a l , he thoughtfully designed and then b u i l t with care and great self-taught s k i l l , a house for his family-to-be. It i s a small, modest house -quite unique i n i t s simple elegance and stout construction, and i t turned out to be very well t a i l o r e d to the needs of his family. Other families thought i t would be well-suited to t h e i r needs as well. I can remember a l l through the years I l i v e d i n that house, people came to the door to ask i f i t was for sale, or might possibly be available i n the future. I rent i t out now that my parents are both passed on, and the minute the 'For Rent' sign goes up on the tree, I am flooded with c a l l s . The 'For Sale' sign w i l l l i k e l y not go on the tree i n my l i f e t i m e . My father had been born i n an architect-designed house six miles away from his home on River Road. He once described his f i r s t home to me i n minute d e t a i l , • while I drew i t i n plan from his words. (Perhaps I had inherited some of my father's innate capacity to v i s u a l i s e - t h i s i s an a b i l i t y that can be developed with practise and awareness even without the inheritance.) I had seen the house once, from the front porch, just before i t was demolished to make way for Douglas College, but I went inside only i n my imagination. It was a lovely house, also b e a u t i f u l l y f i t t e d to the needs of the family; i t seemed that the architect l i s t e n e d well, and my grandparents seem to have been confident and a r t i c u l a t e c l i e n t s , who understood t h e i r needs and t h e i r context with some surety. But somehow I am very grateful that my father took matters into his own hands. (It occurs to me only as I write t h i s , the house was b u i l t i n the l a s t two years of the 'great' depression - my parents moved i n only days a f t e r war was declared in 1939. That perhaps explains why an ar c h i t e c t was not consulted, but c e r t a i n l y does not diminish the simple beauty of the house or the accomplishment i n any way.) For whatever reasons, my father was c l e a r l y not w i l l i n g to be paralysed by a lack of c e r t i f i e d professional expertise; he made his plans and got on with the job of construction. Perhaps his example i s one of the reasons why I value the idea so highly that we are a l l capable of pa r t i c i p a t i n g , at least to some degree, i n the design of our places and settings. This idea formed a c r i t i c a l foundation for my own practice as a registered a r c h i t e c t . I considered my c l i e n t s , to the degree that they were w i l l i n g , to be key participants i n the a r c h i t e c t u r a l process. As a student, a professional, an interested c i t i z e n , and as part of a c l i e n t group i n two large and dear-to-my-heart projects, I have unfortunately seen that c l i e n t s are not always viewed as a l l i e s i n the arc h i t e c t u r a l process. I believe from my gut and heart and head, f u e l l e d by r e a l experiences both p o s i t i v e and negative, that the making of our places, i s not the province of registered professionals alone. I am always optimistic about the p o t e n t i a l of the expert to enrich, and where appropriate, guide the process. But I posit that, however much experts have to contribute, i n the best of a l l possible worlds the non-experts, the people who w i l l inhabit the places, such as my courageous and determined father, and a l l people who receive the messages of our environment and are moved to respond i n a responsible way, w i l l enrich the process a great deal as well. • In that sense, ARCHITECTS 'R' US! CHAPTER 1 S t a t e m e n t o f t h e S e a r c h 1.1 Introduction - the 'searcher' I grew up beside the Fraser River, near the mouth of i t , so the tide came i n and the tide went out the way tides do on seas but not usually on r i v e r s . This was important to me as a c h i l d because when the tide was out, I had a lovely beach, almost f l a t , a l l to myself, where I could draw creations that would l a s t u n t i l the tide came back i n . My favourite project was to draw house plans, f u l l size, and then dwell i n the house u n t i l some event - lunchtime, or the incoming tide, caused me to move on. These f i f t y years l a t e r , I s t i l l r e c a l l some of the homes I drew. And most p a r t i c u l a r l y , I r e c a l l the joy I f e l t i n creating these elaborate and highly a r t i c u l a t e d fantasies. I f e l t fortunate, as a c h i l d , to have a father who knew how to make a t i p i out of poles t i e d together with stout rope, and covered with the 'indian blanket' from our -car -t y p i c a l of the f o r t i e s - a generous sturdy thick f l a n n e l rug stamped with zigzags and other r e p e t i t i v e patterns and done up i n earthy 'primitive' colours. The t i p i was the envy of my friends, and a l i v e l y addition to the architecture in our community when i t appeared on our front yard i n the summertime. I was not overly t h r i l l e d to learn that my father had designed and b u i l t the home I grew up i n . My assumption was that the fathers did that sort of thing. The mothers seemed to get to continue the business of homemaking thereafter - r e f i n i n g , adding grace notes, and maintaining the house so i t was indeed a home. Although I see these actions as natural but very enterprising a r c h i t e c t u r a l action now, as a youngster, I was able to take t h i s a c t i v i t y completely for granted. My father formed the intention and then completed the action of building a house. Yes, of course. My mother made the house bea u t i f u l , and the lawn and gardens a l l around i t lovely as well. But naturally. Nobody was hired to make a place for my family; Richard and Sally, t y p i c a l of a l l moms and dads, I assumed, made our home, and then we l i v e d i n i t . And I was i n v i t e d to par t i c i p a t e i n the process of place making, i n the ful l n e s s of time. When my father set to f i n i s h i n g the upstairs room to make a bedroom for me, I was able to pa r t i c i p a t e i n the c r i t i c a l decision making processes. The question I remember with most pleasure: what shape would the valence over my new closet door take? I designed a t r i c k y l i n e indeed. Fortunately my dad had gone through the art t r a i n i n g of the twenties and was as a result, very capable i n geometric drawing. My godfather, a boatbuilder, helped by cutting the f i v e foot valence out on his handsaw. I got to choose what colour everything would be painted and agreed with my dad's idea that two shades of rose (with darker rose where shadows would naturally f a l l i n the nooks around the chimney that ran through my room).would be lovely. He asked me i f I would agree to that! Moreover, my father l e t me choose the t i l e s for the f l o o r of my ti n y bathroom - and I chose a quirky combination of maybe f i v e • di f f e r e n t patterns of t i l e that delights me, and some others, to this day. That pattern i s s t i l l on the f l o o r these f i f t y years l a t e r . After a s p i r i t e d debate with my mother, who wasn't quite as lib e r a t e d about children's rights as my father was perhaps, I got to choose the curtain material as well - a strange evocative geometric creation that gave me hours of meditative pleasure over the years. Although the lim i t e d scope of the design process involved in f i t t i n g up a young g i r l ' s bedroom may not generally recognised as 'architecture', I would argue that i t i s architecture i n the simplest sense. I trust the good Gage Canadian Dictionary, and believe that i n our use of language, c u l t u r a l l y agreed upon d e f i n i t i o n s must underpin our communications. Gage t e l l s me that architecture i s : 1. the science or art of building; (I would say science and a r t ) , the planning and designing of. buildings, ( a l l the work that takes place before construction begins) 2. a style or special manner of building - eg. Greek architecture, 3. construction, (the cr a f t i n g of a building) and 4. a building or structure (the result of the process). In my personal lexicon and for t h i s document, the word architecture i s interchangeable with place making, or, as product of the process., as the place that results from the act of .place making. I see this i n the same s p i r i t as Gage's d e f i n i t i o n . The word 'place' connotes a p a r t i c u l a r i s e d setting for human a c t i v i t y , conceived and r e a l i s e d as a response to environmental and c u l t u r a l requirements and context. I recognise that d i f f e r e n t shades and depths of meaning may be assigned to these words by others - for example, an architect whose l i f e has been devoted to the more esoteric pursuits, of his or her f i e l d , or someone who i s frightened of f by the esoteric connotations of the word 'architecture'.. (The same could be said for the standard d e f i n i t i o n of 'teaching' as opposed to a p r a c t i s i n g teacher's r i c h l y emotive response to the word.) Although a young g i r l ' s private space/bedroom/sanctuary i s not serious Architecture by any stretch of the imagination, i t serves as an example of place and place making from which important p r i n c i p l e s can be derived. And I can vouch that for me, and for my family and associated others, i t was both an important process of planning and design and c r a f t i n g , as well as a place of delight. If the making and dwelling i n such a simple but meaningful setting i s not to be construed as important enough to be termed architecture, then I would question the word, not the process or the • product i n t h i s instance. As a person fortunate enough to have been i n v i t e d to p a r t i c i p a t e i n the making of my own place i n my family home, I was amazed to discover that some people f e e l unequipped or unentitled to make even the simplest e f f o r t s towards i n d i v i d u a l i s a t i o n of t h e i r space. Such concepts as 'paint i t beige for resale value' and the 'speculative housing market' and even 'colour codes i n the subdivision' and the 'turnkey development' caused me to f e e l sorry and sad when I discovered t h e i r existence. Sure not everyone has the time or the i n c l i n a t i o n to b u i l d a house, or even a cake for that matter, from scratch, but I fin d the notion that bland = beautiful, purely for the sake of conformity or to maximise resale value, to be a frightening indictment of our society. Other searchers Hurray, for Gertie, who painted her kitchen c e i l i n g Chinese Red i n 1951 - even though my mother declared that she stole the daring colour scheme from her. My mom had been considering the idea, had mentioned i t , and discarded the scheme with some r e l i e f when she saw Gertie's place. Hats off to Lewis and Anders, who b u i l t themselves t i n y shacks at the edge of the Fraser - t o t a l l y t a i l o r e d to t h e i r needs: small, easy to care for and,located p r e c i s e l y where they wanted to be. And kudos to the developers of the f i r s t subdivisions that sprang up i n our r u r a l area. There were six or seven house patterns used; some plans were fli p p e d to increase variety a l l the more, and the purchasers had input into the fi n i s h i n g s , producing a quite natural looking, varied neighbourhood. Moving towards Architecture I didn't consider architecture as a career when I fi n i s h e d high school. It occurs to me now that I was only dimly aware that trained architects were operating in the world. Wasn't designing what the dads did? Once at university I met a t a b l e f u l of architecture students. A l l male. The whole school, except for one teacher, was male at that time. Pretty wild bunch too. It never even crossed my mind to study architecture. Because of my gender I wasn't even allowed to take Drafting in high school. Even with my encouraging background at home, i t never occurred to me to go to architecture school. I became a teacher, s p e c i a l i s i n g in art and language arts, and started my practice as a teacher when I was s t i l l a teenager. Time to compress the t a l e : After six years of teaching, and several more of studying education, I r e a l i s e d a need to investigate what else one might undertake i n September besides entering some i n s t i t u t i o n of learning. I went to the north, and by happenstance, acquired a small l o t . I dreamed numerous house plans for nights and days afte r the land purchase, and on about the tenth night dreamed a plan that might be simple enough for me to b u i l d . (I had decided to t r y to b u i l d myself a home, reasoning that because I was s k i l l e d at sewing, the same general p r i n c i p l e s should apply i n the manipulation of wood and metal as in cloth fabric.) So I did start building, and so a tiny, e s s e n t i a l l y w e l l - t a i l o r e d home eventually emerged, and so grew i n me the desire to study architecture, and carry on with t h i s very s a t i s f y i n g process. Perhaps because of my early background, I considered architecture to be a natural operation: the planning and designing of places for people. In study and practice, I learned that 'architecture' has a r i c h meaning d e f i n i t i o n s t i l l works for me. indeed, but the simple Architecture i s i n t r i g u i n g to me, e s p e c i a l l y in i t s broad s o c i a l and a r t i s t i c implications; the technical and economic aspects of contemporary a r c h i t e c t u r a l practice fascinate me somewhat less. After more than ten years of q u i e t l y successful but not earth-shaking practice, I began to notice that I was f e e l i n g jealous of the teachers i n the schools I had spent so many years as an architect working to replan and reprogram, renovate, design or add onto. I r e a l i s e d that the f i n a l years of my working l i f e could very happily be spent i n the public school system as a teacher, and I took the necessary steps to return to the classroom, with my expertise as an architect very much a part of my educator's t o o l k i t . I recount these personal stories as an example of how I came, over time, to recognise i n myself the c a p a b i l i t y of impacting my surroundings. Buoyed by l i t t l e triumphs, and a growing awareness of the environment i n which I moved, I was increasingly able to give myself the permission to declare my interest i n and willingness to make a mark on my surroundings. There are many ways to come to recognise oneself as an aware and responsive and responsible dweller in our own context. One might also recognise that t r a v e l and study of other places helps to sharpen our a b i l i t y to see and understand our own as well as other settings. Involvement i n projects at the micro or macro scale gives a sense of what might be possible and how those p o s s i b i l i t i e s might be realised. Viewed from t h i s perspective, r e f l e c t i o n upon personal experiences may well y i e l d the recognition that we do have something to contribute, and indeed, have l i k e l y contributed i n some re a l ways already i n the shaping of our places. Towards(and back to) education In order to become fa m i l i a r with current thinking and practices,. I enrolled in a program designed to Help Educators Access a Return, to Teaching, the H.E.A.R.T. program at Simon Fraser University. This excellent course of studies enabled me to return confidently to the classroom, and enabled me to consider the nature of my contribution. I owe a great deal to the art teacher with whom I worked i n the lengthy, practicum at Ki l l a r n e y Secondary School i n Vancouver. N e i l Prinsen i s a treasure house of ideas and expertise, and he shared generously with me as he has with a generation of student teachers i n his classroom. He inadvertently caused a ' c l i c k ' i n my head that has helped focus my intentions for t h i s study. One day, during one of our many stimulating and r i c h conversations, t h i s sophisticated and highly s k i l l e d art educator made a statement that resonates with me; yet. Neil said: "I don't know anything about architecture." He wasn't tryi n g to be cute. (Donna Sheh, another art educator who served as an.outstanding Faculty Advisor for a recent student teacher i n my artroom, said exactly the same sentence to me i n March, 2003.) So what did these educators mean by th i s statement? I know that they both know much more than they claim about architecture. Perhaps the term 'architecture' has a mystique that makes even the most sophisticated among us shy away from recognising our own understanding and e f f i c a c y . Perhaps the concept 'architecture' needs to be de-mystified, i f indeed we tend to think of architecture as an eso t e r i c profession, reserved for the experts alone. The non-experts (and maybe some of the experts as well) need to gain access.to what i t ' i s we a l l know, our t a c i t understanding of our environment and our requirements, so that we can operate together e f f e c t i v e l y in the process of place making and inhabiting our places. We can move towards a sharpened awareness of our surroundings, learn to respond to what we see and what we need and what we might change, and we can f i n d and grow i n ourselves the confidence and s k i l l s to a c t i v e l y and responsibly p a r t i c i p a t e i n the shaping of our designed environment. Architects do have a place in the order of things I recognise that the insights gathered and developed i n the course of my a r c h i t e c t u r a l education, internship, and practice as a registered architect put me i n a somewhat p r i v i l e g e d p o s i t i o n to operate as a place designer and place maker. I would never minimise the effect of a wonderful set of growing and learning experiences, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n the M.A.S.A. graduate l e v e l (Master of Advanced Studies i n Architecture) of my formal education at the university. And the internship program and d a i l y practice as a professional enabled me to experience a wide range of challenges, which increased my expertise well beyond the scope of an average layperson's a r c h i t e c t u r a l experience. I had the opportunity as well to investigate ways to involve c l i e n t s (building users) i n the design process. P a r t i c u l a r l y i n projects involving schools, I was able to work closely with school communities i n the conceptual and design stages of t h e i r project. It was es p e c i a l l y g r a t i f y i n g to see how students, as well as teachers and administrators, were able to contribute thoughtful and reasoned commentary regarding the exis t i n g s i t u a t i o n , and imaginative speculation regarding what might be possible. They seemed to enjoy being asked for t h i s input, and perhaps discovered, i n the a r t i c u l a t i o n of t h e i r ideas, that they knew a great deal about architecture. Unfortunately, budgetary considerations did not allow for much post-occupancy evaluation, but I hope that where input was ac t u a l l y manifested i n the building, the school community recognised t h e i r input. I acknowledge that c l i e n t s and t h e i r projects can often benefit greatly from the inclu s i o n of professionals who have a rigorous background and a wide range of experience. But I also know that a r c h i t e c t u r a l decision making can be shared amongst the trained architects and the other natural repositories of ar c h i t e c t u r a l understanding - the ordinary people who spend most of t h e i r l i v e s i n and around the d e s i g n e d environment. I think in some instances, architects f i n d the sharing of decision making to be a messy approach, complicating an already very complex p r o c e s s . It seems that architects are perhaps not always trained to draw out the t a c i t understandings and the visionary potential that resides i n us a l l to some degree. I think that often people conclude they 'know nothing about architecture' and therefore shy away from p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n the processes of place making. And I recognise that people who do not choose architecture as t h e i r profession can s t i l l contribute a great deal to the process of place making, i f they are given some basic guidance. The goal of -this document i s to suggest to teachers, themselves l i k e l y to be untrained in the architectural lore of our culture, how they can help themselves and their students to become more aware inhabitants of the designed environment, and more confident and responsible participants in the process of place making. The Primer consists of teaching/learning experiences that are based upon what I have come to think of as the three basics of architectural necessity. We need to receive and be aware of what exists in our surroundings. We need to feel entitled and inclined to respond to that increasing awareness, and to act with prudence and care and responsibility - in the understanding that our actions can have a profound effect, for good or i l l , on our environment. The program outlined in the Primer encourages teachers and students to be clear about these components, focused upon singly or a l l at once. I have come to c a l l these elements the 3 Rs of architecture : 1. RECEIVE : to look thoughtfully and to consider our surroundings with attentiveness and wonder. This i s in marked contrast to taking our settings for granted which, I think, i s a common stance. 2. RESPOND: to envision and shape what might be - with confidence and capability, based on the clear awareness of what exists. 3. take RESPONSIBILITY at the micro and the macro scale to affect needed and appropriate change. This change w i l l be based upon values that evolve in the course of our lives, and which can be developed and c l a r i f i e d as a result of a thoughtful educational process. These three Rs are as important to an educated citizenry as are the traditional three Rs. We a l l need to be able to operate capably with a l l the Rs to maximise ourselves and our individual and shared potential. And when ordinary inhabitants and experts can work together to create settings that reflect our needs and optimise our lives, then we can say with some confidence that architecture i s not the esoteric constituency of the trained few, but that i Architects 'R' Us. An architecture process/product story A couple with whom I was only very informally acquainted i n v i t e d me some years ago to t h e i r home on Haida Gwaii to discuss the prospect of designing a home for them. They were preparing to r e t i r e , and wanted a home to grow old i n . When I stated my operating mode i n the i n i t i a l stages of our work, I f e l t some strong resistance from the woman of the house. (It was she who had i n i t i a l l y suggested to her partner that I be consulted.) As an architect, I believe my job i s to pa r t i c i p a t e i n the design process with those who asked for my help, but not to provide the design singlehandedly; We had a number of lengthy conversations about the dream home that was forming i t s e l f i n our minds, spending hours discussing what might take place i n t h e i r new home, and what special requirements would need to be provided for. Only after many hours of easy discussion, during which I would make v i s u a l notes to share with them what form t h e i r ideas might ac t u a l l y take, did the woman of the household explain her resistance to the notion of p a r t i c i p a t i n g f u l l y in the design process. It seems that many years before, i n a sim i l a r manner to many of us i n Haida Gwaii who had t r i e d to b u i l d a home, the woman and her then-partner had b u i l t an immensely disappointing structure. She f e l t the e f f o r t had been a dismal f a i l u r e , with respect to both space planning and st r u c t u r a l i n t e g r i t y , and a waste of th e i r precious resources. She had decided, t h i s time, to engage an architect and to thereby insulate herself from another pote n t i a l disaster. Of course, when I r e a l i s e d the reasons for her e a r l i e r reticence, I was able to reassure her that together we could f i n d a w e l l - t a i l o r e d and sturdy setting for herself and her current l i f e partner. And I recognised that my tr a i n i n g and experience both i n academia and i n the r u r a l setting and i n a r c h i t e c t u r a l practice had f i t t e d me well for t h i s task. I had l i v e d i n Haida Gwaii for many years, eyes wide open much of the time, and I love those islands. I claim some understanding of the genius l o c i , as C h r i s t i a n Norburg-Schulz c a l l s the s p i r i t of the place. The resu l t of our c o l l e c t i v e e f f o r t was a lovely house i n T l e l l , Haida Gwaii, reminiscent of the simple and primitive forms b u i l t by cannery owners along the coast, lovingly b u i l t , and now lov i n g l y maintained. Several years a f t e r the house was completed, the owner wrote to me to say how happy she and her husband have been i n the house. She added that the money they spent to involve me i n the design process - but, as i t turned out, not to hand over the process to me - was the best money she reckoned she had ever spent. Obviously, there i s a place for thoughtful a r c h i t e c t u r a l expertise i n place making. But just as obviously, there i s a place for us a l l i n the process. We a l l need to make our imprint on our settings and the insights we a l l bring to the design process can add to the value of our made places. I don't think that the joys of place making should be reserved for the 'experts'. Perhaps an e s s e n t i a l s k i l l of the experts i s to f i n d ways to enable a l l relevant participants i n the place making process to contribute to the v i s i o n and i t s manifestation - to bring a l i v e and active the latent knowledge we a l l must c o l l e c t i n the course of dwelling i n place. Christopher Alexander, architect and builder, professor and researcher, and author, with his colleagues, of The Timeless Way -of Building and A Pattern Language, sees architecture as a natural part of human action as well. He states the b e l i e f that bringing a building or even a part of a town to l i f e i s a fundamental human instinct... the desire to make a part of nature, to complete a world which i s already-made of mountains, streams, snowdrops, and stones, with something made by us, as much a part of nature, and a part of our immediate surroundings. Timeless Way of Building, 9 . Although Christopher Alexander and his colleagues acknowledge that trained architects have 'the desire to make places at the very center of t h e i r l i v e s ' (ibid) they think that everyone shares that desire to at least some degree. They hold the b e l i e f , furthermore, that people should design for themselves t h e i r own houses, streets, communities - based upon the observation that most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects, but by the people. A Pattern Language describes t h i s attitude toward architecture or place making, and provides, unsurprisingly, patterns - often of an archetypal nature - to guide t h i s action. The patterns are predicated on an understanding of successful places and i n f e r the transference of that understanding to guide place making. While I would agree that these insights are profound and valuable, and would also add that I referred to the patterns a great deal i n the course of my ar c h i t e c t u r a l education and practice, i t must also be said that many architects view these patterns as overly p r e s c r i p t i v e and even somewhat overwhelming. I would suggest that i f the people learn to be b r i g h t l y aware of t h e i r surroundings, the r e a l i s a t i o n of.what exists and what is•s u c c e s s f u l l o g i c a l l y informs the response or act of place making i n a natural but perhaps more i n d i v i d u a l i s e d way. Further, I suggest that people can be taught t h i s awareness, and confidence i n the act of place making, so that they are freed to p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h i s natural and very s a t i s f y i n g action. My professional stance My background as an architect has relevance to my goals as an educator. It i s not easy to summarise the goals of a person who has been moving about with some energy for as many years as I have..But r e f l e c t i n g on my e c l e c t i c and pr i v i l e g e d l i f e as a teacher and architect, I might a r t i c u l a t e my personal stance some help from Walt Whitman. Somewhere (source long lost) I found t h i s statement and copied i t c a r e f u l l y as i t resonated very deeply with me. He said: " A l l architecture i s what you do to i t when you look upon i t . " This touches squarely on the 3R's I have named and has helped to guide my practice as both an architect and a teacher. I want to continue learning how to look upon the world, and keep considering what to do about our places i n the broadest sense. And I want to enable others to look upon our designed environment with interest, energy, and delight, r e c e p t i v i t y and active c r e a t i v i t y , and a confident sense of personal r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . This includes the planet too, come to think about i t . But t h i s educational stance points me in the d i r e c t i o n I envision. We should not just s i t by and wait for enlightened others to shape our settings. Architects 'R' Us! 1 .2 M e t h o d s o f i n v e s t i g a t i o n a n d e x p l o r a t i o n : t h e a n a l y t i c a l f r a m e w o r k / g e n e r a t i n g p r o c e s s The method of investigation and documentation that I have used in this exploration of a r c h i t e c t u r a l concepts i n the secondary artroom i s 'action research'. Narrative accounts of t h i s type of educational research comprise a growing body of pedagogical l i t e r a t u r e . This document i s my attempt to share insights gleaned i n the course of my practice, using the action research methodologies. I include, as explanatory background to my experiences i n the artroom, a narrative report of my f i r s t work with t h i s research process to i l l u s t r a t e and explain the methodology. The following Teacher-on-Call narrative report sheds l i g h t on the action research process, and shows how t h e o r e t i c a l understanding can be derived from the cycles of action research. In t h i s example, as a Teacher-on-Call I constructed and tested a working theory regarding the elements of meaning, engagement and connection i n the range of educational settings I encountered. I have been able, from that experience, to generalise some working p r i n c i p l e s to a l l teaching s i t u a t i o n s . A story i l l u s t r a t i n g the methods of action research The following story serves to demonstrate the action research investigation method. The story i s b u i l t from excerpts from a working journal I kept i n 1998 as a Teacher-on-Call, which was f i l l e d with r e f l e c t i o n s , i n various forms, on my practice. The incl u s i o n of the narrative i s based on the b e l i e f , fundamental to my understanding of the process of action research, that the personal i s universal; that from our shared stories, we take what we can use and grow toward the light, together. The story, which i s s p e c i f i c a l l y about a rather unusual and somewhat unanticipated design class, also serves to reinforce my notion that design - and s p e c i f i c a l l y the process of designing, (which we do a l l the time in the course of our l i v e s i n one way or another), i s interesting, meaningful and engaging to students. The 'Primer' - chapter 5 of th i s document, i s intended to share, i n reduced narrative form, the insights I have derived from a series of i t e r a t i v e attempts to bring the themes and concepts of architecture into the secondary school artroom. The Primer was b u i l t from the same type of research a c t i v i t y as i s t h i s report of my f i r s t attempts at action research, as teacher-on-call. Narrative - " F i r s t day back" After a very prolonged absence from a classroom of 'my own', I returned to the public school system as a T.O.C. - Teacher-on-Call - i n January, 1999. I had c a r e f u l l y planned my return to teaching - had completed the•re-entry program for teachers at SFU and begun graduate work i n education at UBC the previous year, and f e l t ready and w i l l i n g to take on any classroom s i t u a t i o n . The f i r s t assignment offered to me was to replace the Woodwork teacher at a secondary school. I recognised i t would be inauspicious to refuse my f i r s t position, so at 6am I agreed to do t h i s - and managed to sound, I thought, reasonably self-assured about the prospect, even though I don't think I had ever even been inside a high school Woodwork shop. When I was in high school, I asked the Industrial Arts teacher i f I could take drafting. "No" was a l l he said. It would have been rid i c u l o u s i n that context to have attempted to e n r o l l i n Woodworking., as much as I wanted to. Now'I was going to substitute for a Woodwork teacher. This was quite a l o t t a process before 6:J3.Qam, the f i r s t morning after a lengthy hiatus from the schoolhouse. After sign-in and key pick-up at the school o f f i c e , I headed of f to the technical wing. After a few wrong turns, where I t r i e d to look 'interested' rather than 'lost or 'confused' i n the maze of thi s large school, I found the correct general area. I chanced upon a man, s t i l l i n his overcoat, struggling with the lock on a classroom door. He wanted to know who I was, so I introduced myself and said I was substituting for the Woodwork teacher for the day. His face f e l l . In the jumble of his words, I caught: "you can't turn on the power - we'll have to have a study period - we don't do announcements u n t i l B block, so the class for f i r s t period A block won't come prepared for study!" (Oh dear. I hadn't thought about power tools - I think there was somewhat more emphasis on hand tools l a s t time I looked into the woodworking shop. Furthermore, I had read i n the T.O.C. manual that i f you are i n a specialty area l i k e gym - don't try to supervise tumbling without proper t r a i n i n g , d i t t o for the shops etc.) When he did pause b r i e f l y , I explained that although I am not a q u a l i f i e d Tech. Ed. teacher, I do have an extensive technical background as an architect, which was what prompted the callboard to think of me t h i s morning. "This i s Woodwork! - With POWER tools! - i t ' s going to be a t o t a l mess.- l i k e l a s t time the teacher didn't show up!" He suggested I send, behaviour problems straight to the o f f i c e and they would deal with the mess there. I asked who he was, and he rep l i e d , "The P r i n c i p a l " and stalked o f f . I found the Woodwork room and met two other Tech Ed.teachers who seemed dubious about my chances for having a nice day. They warned me e s p e c i a l l y about the grade 11/12 boys of block A. They thought, i f I were lucky, that most of the class would skip out when they saw a 'sub' was there. The b e l l rang. The grade 11/12 boys arrived. Perhaps powered by New Year's resolutions, they were quite p o l i t e about the s i t u a t i o n . I hadn't been waiting t h i s long to get back to the classroom to l e t t h i s opportunity f i z z l e , so I decided to see what sort of in t e r a c t i o n we could generate. I introduced myself, explained why I was there (technical expertise, but not the necessary paper to turn on the power) and t o l d them a b i t about myself. I acknowledged that the s i t u a t i o n was far from perfect. We talked about a r c h i t e c t u r a l design and t h e i r projects a l i t t l e . I t o l d them they could go to get study materials i f they wished. Inasmuch as i t was t h e i r f i r s t day back a f t e r the holiday, there wasn't a l l that much to study, so they declined to take a t r i p to t h e i r lockers. I had been expecting that they would be glad for the excuse to take a walk, but they a l l elected to stay i n the classroom. I said ok - l e t ' s do a design project - I probably won't be here tomorrow so l e t ' s t r y a quick design exercise or 'charrette'. Some of the boys had found something else to do i n the shop, but more than h a l f of the class looked quite interested. We started t a l k i n g about chairs. We discussed designing a chair for a s p e c i f i c character. We speculated about Homer Simpson as a character and about how a design response could best be t a i l o r e d to Homer's needs and wants. They got the idea and came up with suggestions both h i l a r i o u s and, I thought, quite appropriate for Homer. The Clinton/Lewinsky a f f a i r was freshly unfolding, and some of t h e i r ideas for other c l i e n t s seemed to take a somewhat sexual cast. I drew the l i n e at allowing the 'rape chair' idea to be developed, but recognised that the ' a f f a i r ' was indeed an issue of inter e s t and concern. They seemed to f e e l almost obliged to consider t h i s hot news item. When they saw that I wasn't going to shy away from discussion of the p r e s i d e n t i a l behaviour, they moved past sex to other considerations quickly. I acknowledged t h e i r i n t e r e s t ( l i k e the rest of the informed world's interest) i n the s e x u a l / p o l i t i c a l news and discussed i t with them as matter-of-factly as possible. Each student selected a ' c l i e n t ' , wrote a short b r i e f including a l i s t of c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the c l i e n t and imagined requirements, and made preliminary sketches. Throughout the class, the students maintained s p i r i t e d conversations regarding t h e i r collaborative and i n d i v i d u a l e f f o r t s . The seventy-five minutes passed reasonably quickly. 'Art' was not made that day, but some good ideas were generated, the students were meaningfully engaged, and nobody needed to be sent away for d i s c i p l i n i n g . Analysis, Observations, Reflections, Musings...Theory The day went better than the p r i n c i p a l and the other teachers had anticipated, a c t u a l l y quite d i f f e r e n t from the gloomy scenario that they had predicted. This was attributed by one of the teachers to my 'calmness'. I think there i s more to i t than that. I think that the process of design has a universal appeal and comes quite n a t u r a l l y to many people. I r e a l i s e that the design project could have been more successful i f I had been more resolute at the outset. I saw that the students were interested, but I could have motivated the chair design project even more strongly. I was actually a b i t surprised to f i n d them so receptive. (And I was tryin g to process quite a l o t of new circumstance here, a l l at once.) I think that young people r e a l l y want to be meaningfully engaged at school, and they immediately understood that designing a simple piece of furniture could be meaningful. I needed to be ready for situations l i k e t h i s - no plans or guidance from the regular teacher, and very constrained circumstances - use of power tools forbidden. But there are always many options. I have subsequently explored the use of hand tools, introduced other design problems> motivated research problems with l i b r a r y references, assigned technical exercises i n the texts. This school was undergoing a renovation and was r i c h with a r c h i t e c t u r a l p o s s i b i l i t y ; studying drawings, c r i t i q u i n g the ideas, post-occupancy evaluation of the sections already i n use. I do not think that 'bring materials for study' i s ever necessary, and F i g u r e 1 . H a n d t o o l s i n t h e s h o p . Action Research: how does this approach impact practice? Very fortunately, I began a graduate course based on the concept of Action Research the same week that I started work as a Teacher-on-Call. I immediately began a journal, in which I recorded notes from readings, narrative b i t s , insights derived from experience, new processes, issues, musings, ideas, r e f l e c t i o n s , promptings, metaphors. This journal keeping became an ingrained habit almost immediately. I cannot now imagine how I could operate i n t e l l i g e n t l y without the journal habit - my system of keeping track of and deriving and making meaning from my teaching experiences. Reflecting upon the months where studying and teaching-on-c a l l overlapped, I r e a l i s e that without the journal, my .experience would have been an i n d i s t i n c t blur, and the lessons embedded in those experiences would l a r g e l y have been lo s t to me. I was able to convert raw experience into s t o r i e s which helped me to glean some new insights from the fast-paced, varied, and densely packed set of circumstances I was experiencing. Just what i s Action Research? Eileen Adams, B r i t i s h art educator, su c c i n c t l y defines action research as: " e s s e n t i a l l y a p r a c t i c a l , problem-solving approach which encourages p r a c t i t i o n e r s to r e f l e c t on t h e i r practice and to seek ways of improving i t . (Adams 2001, 38) Adams further notes that the focus of enquiry of action research i s on p r a c t i c a l issues, as d i s t i n c t from t h e o r e t i c a l issues, and she c a l l s the p r i n c i p a l thrust the study of change. Moreover, Adams summarises that the study of cases of practice i s preferred i n t h i s research concept to the study of experimental samples. The researcher as the main focus of the research; and others are involved as co-researchers, 'educated' witnesses from the context served by the research. (Adams 2001) I consider other teachers (and my students) to be my research partners i n t h i s research I have undertaken. Teaching can be a somewhat i s o l a t i n g occupation, which i s i r o n i c , considering that a secondary school teacher can e a s i l y have over 200 students i n the course of a year, not including a l l extra-c u r r i c u l a r contacts. But when i s there time for a sa t i s f a c t o r y conversation, es p e c i a l l y with another harried teacher, when we teachers are so absorbed with the goings-on with students i n and out of the classroom? I am fortunate to be part of a teaching s t a f f that makes time for teacher discourse. Each teacher needs to f i n d a few ' c r i t i c a l friends' or, as Eileen Adams says, 'educated witnesses', to consider issues with and to share concerns. I c a l l these people my 'research friends'. As well, I routinely ask for feedback from students, informally and formally, regarding s p e c i f i c projects, aspects of projects, and the general progress of the courses I teach. Each piece of feedback i s a g i f t , and both my colleagues and students know t h i s . The proffered opinions are very useful i n guiding change i n my practi c e . From Dr. Rita Irwin at UBC, I came to see action research most c l e a r l y i n terms of the following simple diagram: r e f l e c t i o n action observation F i g u r e 2. T h e c y c l e s o f a c t i o n r e s e a r c h . This form of re-searching can be seen as i t e r a t i v e action, wherein careful attention i n the course of leads to thoughtful inquiry and the p o s s i b i l i t y of in the subsequent i t e r a t i o n ( s ) . The investigation can be entered at any point i n the cycle. As an example, when I began my career as a Teacher-on-Call that f i r s t memorable day, I would say, notwithstanding a l l my plans and preparations, I entered squarely i n the action phase of a cycle. The narrative demonstrates how observation, r e f l e c t i o n , and right-back-to-the-drawing-board planning led to p r a c t i c a l insights and refined action that could be applied i n the next s i t u a t i o n . The cycle also led to my i n i t i a l l y tentative, but l a t e r , more confident a r t i c u l a t i o n of personal theory that served as a guide i n my career as a T.O.C, and continues•to guide my planning and action a§ a regular classroom teacher. The simple but clear structure for my thinking-in-action gave me the opportunity to .convert my response to a quite challenging set of circumstances into better pedagogical action. The change and improvement i n my teaching stance was based on a formalised and therefore strong grasp of the 'baseline si t u a t i o n ' , which was the d i r e c t r e s u l t of careful and deliberate observation and r e f l e c t i o n . It became clear to me, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n the changeable l i f e I l i v e d as a T.O.C, that even i f the same situ a t i o n , topic, lesson i s never encountered again, the opportunity to grow i s presented. I could f i n d ways to improve generalisable . understanding, or to make some progress with respect to simple maturity and depth of thought, with the attentive observation and creative theorising t y p i c a l of the action research process. And i f the opportunity to meet a si m i l a r circumstance i s there, as i n presenting the same topic to loops of action refinement another class the same day or even in a subsequent year, this, action research process leads to change and fine-tuning which improves the qual i t y of the educational experience. This has been my experience i n the years I have been teaching art and conducting ongoing action research i n the public school system and i n a va r i e t y of extra-curricular settings. As well, I learned in Rita Irwin's action research class that once new insights or improved pedagogy has been obtained and achieved, sharing the res u l t s i n some way that the pedagogy of others might be .similarly enriched i s an implied option. Relation to the existing literature Another simple diagram serves to locate the process of action research i n terms of what I consider to be the p r i n c i p a l components of growth. The existing body of pedagogical thought i s extensive and r i c h , and i s not to be overlooked i n the personal problem solving process of action research. theory » practice _ . >• research Figure 3 . The components of action research. A very r i c h diet of readings suggested by Rita Irwin gave me the opportunity to c l a r i f y the concepts of the action research approach. In the process, I was able to connect my experience, from which I was beginning to draw out some insights and p r i n c i p l e s , with broader educational thought. I had to make an i n i t i a l leap of f a i t h when writer Jean McNiff and her collaborators, and my professor, Rita Irwin, declared that action research can improve the q u a l i t y of l i f e , even though I was unable to c l e a r l y envision the implications at the outset. I mulled over the relationships between theory and practice, and wondered how "praxis can become more aware of i t s e l f by means of theory." (Van Manen 1990, 154). I learned from McNiff et a l , that praxis i s "informed,, committed action that gives r i s e to knowledge, rather than just successful action." (McNiff 1996,8) I discovered that action research includes description, explanation, int e r p r e t a t i o n of ordinary events i n the d a i l y unfolding of l i f e . I was very attracted by the notion that t h i s research i s "driven by your own values about what i s good." (McNiff 1996, 13) I t r i e d to a r t i c u l a t e the values which I would want to guide my professional action. Equality surfaced f i r s t . I n c l u s i v i t y and respect, cousins of equality, followed. (Especially in a d i s t r i c t where so many of the students are recent immigrants, I need to be aware of the needs of students whose English s k i l l s are tentative. I also recognised the need to go beyond the somewhat eurocentric focus I had t r a d i t i o n a l l y maintained.) Cooperation i s important to me. (I f e e l that years of practice as an architect have enabled me to understand and practise collaboration - I believe i t i s a basic a t t i t u d e / s k i l l for the learning setting.) Encouraging a s o l i d b e l i e f i n oneself and nurturing personal i n i t i a t i v e and independence are key values, related intimately to the others. Students a l l have special a b i l i t i e s and needs which may not be apparent to T.O.C.s (read 'passers-through') but that, awareness at least increases s e n s i t i v i t y to what might be. Depth of response, - founded on a capacity for c r i t i c a l thought, r e f l e c t i o n and creative adaptation, which I i n i t i a l l y l i s t e d as goals for the learning setting, became very basic personal goals as . well.- Measured against what I saw as a baseline of very low and'pessimistic expectations, I could see that a change would be required i f I were going to be able to r e a l i s e my professional values to any meaningful extent as a T.O.C. McNiff suggests that we motivate our action from the tension r e s u l t i n g from the i n a b i l i t y to live'out our values i n pra c t i c e . The t r i c k i s to imagine a better way, based on what we value, then work towards that v i s i o n . Keeping close track of tensions as well as observations and r e f l e c t i o n s regarding the quotidian, and even converting those notes into a form that can be shared, enables a c l a r i t y and depth of insight that enriches practice. From the above experiences, and many others which f i l l e d my l i f e i n the i n t e n s i t y of that f i r s t round of action research, I was able to derive certain hypotheses. Although my experiences as a T.O.C. are c e r t a i n l y relevant to my teaching practice i n general, many of these new insights thus derived f a l l somewhat outside the scope of t h i s document. Suffice to say, the action research process was an important path for me to follow i n developing a personal theory of practice from hypotheses that I was able to a r t i c u l a t e from this important phase of my career. A b r i e f summary of how observation became hypothesis became research question serves to elucidate the process. Towards a personal theory of practice At f i r s t I hypothesised that content was the key to successful substitute teaching - possibly because my f i r s t three weeks as a Teacher-on-Call were spent i n situations where no daybook was supplied and where, ordinary a c t i v i t y could not take place - Woodwork shops - the power stays o f f . I approached the s i t u a t i o n by devising content - a series of lessons based on s t o r i e s about people i n non-traditional, technical roles - Kate Braid, carpenter/poet, and her hero Emily Carr, adventurer/painter/writer. I introduced relevant design projects based upon collaboration and c r i t i c a l analysis. I brought the wonderful ideas of Gu Xiong, and p a r t i c u l a r l y his notion of honouring ordinary simple objects, into the learning s i t u a t i o n wherever possible. I was attempting to make the time spent i n the absence of the regular teacher meaningful to students - but I r e a l i s e d that the f i r s t cycle of my action research was simply refinement of content - not hugely d i f f e r e n t from the ordinary a c t i v i t y of a conscientious teacher. However, some of t h i s lesson content, devised for s u r v i v a l i n the intense s i t u a t i o n of substitute teaching, has evolved into lessons that appear i n the Primer. It should be noted as well that af t e r the f i r s t three .weeks as a T.O.C., the circumstances changed quite dramatically. A daybook and clear instructions were provided, more often than not. This was new to me, to have actual lessons already planned. My job was then to ensure that students were engaged i n the work - i n e f f e c t , to contribute my classroom management s k i l l s to the s i t u a t i o n . This c l e a r l y has relevance i n any classroom, and to the learning situations described' i n the Primer. I noticed, as a T.O.C., that i f I made a re a l e f f o r t to connect with students, our time together seemed to unfold more smoothly. I refined simple t a c t i c s such as c a r e f u l l y c a l l i n g the r o l l - making eye contact with each student as they answered. I t o l d s t o r i e s as I introduced myself and encouraged students to share t h e i r stories as well in order to b uild trust and goodwill i n the class. I'noticed that kids are interested, generally, in what i s going on at school. They were often w i l l i n g to share information about themselves and t h e i r school, and w i l l i n g to adapt to the r e a l i t i e s of a new but temporary learning s i t u a t i o n . This c l e a r l y can be applied in any learning s i t u a t i o n , and i s an important dynamic i n a l l the experiences described i n the Primer as well. I became increasingly committed to the notion that something of value should take place i n every class even i f the regular teacher could not be there. I a r t i c u l a t e d a personal statement: students are e n t i t l e d to move forward with t h e i r education every day at school - whether or not t h e i r regular teacher i s available. My i n i t i a l research question as an action researcher began to take shape: How can I provide for a quality learning experience as a substitute teacher - (and simply as a teacher)? I t r i e d to i d e n t i f y at least three components of a good "subbing" s i t u a t i o n and I speculated that personal connection, educational meaning (content), and engagement (process/management), are the primary elements. Each s i t u a t i o n requires attention to these fundamental elements; each s i t u a t i o n must be read to determine i n what proportion these elements are required. The narrative of my career as a teacher-on-call, beginning with à memorable f i r s t day, serves as a vehicle for sharing with others the insights I was able to a r t i c u l a t e . This i s a natural part of the action research investigative process. The insights and p r i n c i p l e s thus derived have formed an important part of my teaching stance i n the time I have been conducting the action research that has led to the Primer. The action research process, a r t i c u l a t i n g a commitment to improvement and understanding of practice (and the p r a c t i t i o n e r ) , driven by personal values, and manifested i n factual and subjective research accounts - narratives of d a i l y unfolding action - has also become for me a fundamental approach to ongoing prac t i c e . I grow clearer now about the foundations of my professional knowledge. Some t a c i t truths have been made more e x p l i c i t . The values I have a r t i c u l a t e d and have moved closer to are best shown as narratives put together from notes i n my journal. This narrative, and subsequent others, are supported by excerpts from the writings of theoreticians and new heroes of mine that have become part of my operating i n s i g h t s . I have been re-searching i n the sense expressed by Burnaford et a l : "Research . . . ( i s ) the search for p r a c t i c a l p o s s i b i l i t i e s - teachers and students searching themselves, t h e i r classrooms, and t h e i r worlds for educative meaning. • Such meanings are contextual and often s o c i a l l y constructed." (Burnaford et a l 1996, x i i ) In the journal notes and narratives, I have made some progress i n being able to ground the action of teaching in who I am - and to r e l a t e the professional to the personal. I have, over time, come to agree with Burnaford et a l that " f a i t h f u l description helps one to see more", and I have learned that r e f l e c t i o n i s a "standing back, a pausing to reread, to mull things over and search for connections, associations, significances and possible meanings not noticed before". (Burnaford et a l 1996, 13) I am guided by Eudora Welty's insight, which i s underscored i n one of our action research seminar readings: "The events i n our l i v e s happen i n a sequence of time, but i n t h e i r s i g n i f i c a n c e to ourselves they f i n d t h e i r own order ... i t i s a continuous thread of revelation." (Sumara and Luce-Kapler, 394) Writing narratives of, and r e f l e c t i o n s upon practice, the process of which culminates i n the story of my return to teaching, i s a key part of my e f f o r t to make and share meaning as a teacher. This process has enabled my growth as a r e f l e c t i v e p r a c t i t i o n e r . A new research context - towards.a new research question Most of the ideas in the Primer have evolved over the years through the process of action research, which I c a r r i e d into practice as a regular teacher. After only a few months of Teaching-on-Call, I was offered a continuing contract with the Richmond School D i s t r i c t , teaching Art, as well as other subjects. My art assignment has usually involved teaching Art 9, 10, 11, and 12 i n a class together, occasionally with the odd grade 8 student thrown i n to the mix to keep matters even more exciting. I n i t i a l l y , I taught Visual Arts 3-D to t h i s broad range of students, with drawing and other 2-D techniques included as supporting s k i l l s . In order to simplify the timetabling i n our department, I was asked a year ago to teach Visual Arts 9-12, both 2-D and 3-D together. Over the l a s t several years, I have occasionally, (maybe twice) been given an art class comprised of one grade, or perhaps two grades only. It turns out that the mix of grade leve l s and experience and ages mostly works to our advantage i n the artroom. Students seldom have the advantage i n the graded school system to mix with others of d i f f e r e n t grade lev e l s , and the general atmosphere of the classroom i s collaborative rather than competitive. It i s from t h i s l i v e l y context that the Primer has emerged. So what am I curious about? - formulation of the new research question I have noted before that I was delighted, though somewhat bemused, when the two teachers for whom I have the highest regard both said exactly the same sentence to me: "I don't know anything about architecture". These statements were made more than four years apart, perhaps when I personally needed to hear them the most. The f i r s t time a teacher said t h i s to me was during the course of my preparations to return to teaching. The second time was short weeks before I began writing the actual text of t h i s document. I have been keeping notes i n preparation for t h i s writing for a long time, and my journals and f i l e s are stuffed with words, diagrams, photographs, samples and quotations. Each course outline has been covered with notes about refinements to project ideas and new ideas that spring from ones already presented. My daybooks are spotted with immediate, scribbled r e f l e c t i o n s which are c o l l e c t e d into a journal, when the i n t e n s i t y of teaching changes to the quiet of after school hours. I keep track of feedback from colleagues and students. The years f l y by and insights accrue. How f i t t i n g that my notes have t h i s propitious statement, spoken by highly regarded colleagues: "I don't know anything about architecture" - at both the beginning of my return to the classroom and again, so recently. 1 .3 R a t i o n a l e f o r t h e r e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n : why i s t h i s i m p o r t a n t ? "I don't know anything about architecture". That's what I am curious about. I f we use 'place making' as a s t a r t i n g point, then how might sophisticated, well-educated people l i k e my two statement-makers think they know nothing about this? They know a great deal and they spend t h e i r l i v e s sharing with fortunate others. And they have both l i v e d i n and around architecture i n the broadest sense a l l t h e i r l i v e s . So I am curious as to why they would say t h i s . Have pr a c t i t i o n e r s of architecture and/or our culture i n general somehow caused 'architecture' to seem too arcane for formally u n i n i t i a t e d people to f e e l part of t h i s process, to claim knowledge of i t , to f e e l 'qualified' to p a r t i c i pate? . If t h i s i s the case, then the concepts of architecture c l e a r l y need to be examined. In our culture, i t i s estimated that roughly ten per cent of building projects involve a professional a r c h i t e c t . Clearly, there i s scope for the actions of non-architects i n our place making a c t i v i t y . Place making and being-in-places i s a natural a c t i v i t y of humans - the people should be able to approach th i s natural a c t i v i t y with confidence rather than the often a r t i c u l a t e d i n s e c u r i t y . C l e a r l y there i s some mystery associated with 'architecture'. It i s viewed by many as a respected profession, a g u i l d composed of the selected few who pass through the rigorous r i t e s of passage to emerge as experts i n the art and science of place making. And yes, a formal education f i t t i n g one to deal with the countless issues involved, e s p e c i a l l y i n the making of a complex place, i s an important foundation for the place making process i n many instances. I do not denigrate or deny the need for experts. My c r i t i c a l point i s that the input of formally trained and practiced experts i s but a part of the requirement for sensitive and thoughtful place making. An aware and confident populace, w i l l i n g and able to p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h i s c r i t i c a l process, i s a key part of the process as well. I would venture to guess that someone who declares "I don't know anything about architecture" does not f e e l t h i s confidence and i s u n l i k e l y to agree to p a r t i c i p a t e i n the act of place making. The people should not simply accept our places from formally trained others, imagining perhaps that t h i s i s some prescribed way decreed by the arbiters of art, science, economics and safety, and then adapt our places over time to s u i t ourselves rather than the expert decision maker. Rather, a l l people who dwell i n places might f e e l welcome to p a r t i c i p a t e i n the creation and ongoing revision of our settings: both the b u i l t environment and the s i t e s upon which we b u i l d . Although i t i s an i n t r i g u i n g question, I think i t i s beyond the scope of t h i s work to investigate why people f e e l they don't know about architecture. I am much more curious about inve s t i g a t i n g what to do about t h i s . I want to explore the t e a c h a b i l i t y of architecture, with the goal of finding ways to ensure that students and t h e i r teachers w i l l never f e e l moved to say "I don't know anything about architecture". In our society we are learning to take part i n a reasoned and informed way with respect to the medical care of our own bodies: researching options, experimenting with al t e r n a t i v e medicines and methodologies, questioning the t o t a l authority we have t r a d i t i o n a l l y given to doctors. I envision, i n the same manner that we have begun to participate more f u l l y i n the processes regarding the care and maintenance of our own bodies, that we should be able to s i m i l a r l y p a r t i c i p a t e in matters regarding our settings. We can act with reasoned awareness and assurance, knowledge, and with respect for the varying complexity of our projects. So my research question f a l l s naturally out of t h i s goal: What i s the nature and scope of an architectural primer designed to assist educators to encourage a citizenry that i s aware, responsive, willing to become involved and capable of responsible participation in the shaping of our collective and private places? This approach to place making and being i n the world could be organised into three integrated areas, the three Rs of architecture. The program would guide and encourage students to : - realise - thoughtfully look, see, consider what i s - respond - envision and consider what could be - and accept responsibility at the micro and macro scale to af f e c t needed and appropriate change. I see each AR'. as part of an integrated concept that begins by encouraging alertness to the environment and one's own powers, and leads to the development or discovery of a sense of personal e f f i c a c y of each inhabitant of a place, I think that these three environmental 'R's' are as important to an educated person as are the t r a d i t i o n a l x3 R's'. We need to be able to operate capably with a l l the R's to maximise ourselves and our i n d i v i d u a l and shared settings. So how w i l l I move towards answering this question? My methodology i s meant to be q u a l i t a t i v e i n nature. This i s an action research project which i s based upon i t e r a t i v e explorations of possible approaches to the question. I w i l l present ideas for lessons or learning sequences that were developed to bui l d upon the following goals: - to strengthen awareness of the environment, - to encourage r i c h and thoughtful responses to s i t u a t i o n s and circumstances i n our settings, - and to nurture a sense of personal r e s p o n s i b i l i t y and e f f i c a c y in the matters of personal and c o l l e c t i v e place making. As a part of the study, I w i l l take a look at some ex i s t i n g programs which have presented a r c h i t e c t u r a l ideas i n the schools, e s p e c i a l l y the work of the A r c h i t e c t u r a l I n s t i t u t e of B r i t i s h Columbia Committee c a l l e d Architects i n Schools, and such educators as Ginny Graves of the USA, and Eileen Adams of B r i t a i n . Buoyed by models and guided by personal b e l i e f s , I w i l l recount s t o r i e s of a series of educational experiences which I have presented and refined as a teacher and as an Architect-in-Schools over the l a s t two decades. I have had the opportunity to work with these ideas i n my classes i n the public school system, at the Shadbolt Centre i n Burnaby, at classes for highly motivated students i n several school d i s t r i c t s , and as a Teacher-on-Call at several schools. These reports w i l l be presented i n a narrative s t y l e , again r e f l e c t i n g my b e l i e f (and agreement with Carl Rogers) that the personal i s most universal - teachers can adapt my s t o r i e s of practice to meet t h e i r own unique requirements. My role i n t h i s work has been participant-as-observer and observer-as-participant i n the learning settings. I have practised r e f l e c t i o n - i n - a c t i o n and reflection-on-action. My journals have been c r i t i c a l to t h i s process. As David Hobson writes: (Burnaford et a l 1996, 10) The journal i s a place where much of that very important research process can be described, drawn, r e f l e c t e d on, analyzed, and put back to use in the classroom. Each teacher's journal can become the textbook of emergent practice, ongoing research, and as such may be the most important book a teacher can f u l l y write and read. But the process of action research does not end with the journal. A text introducing the methods of action research states i t c l e a r l y : The f i n a l stage of action research i s when the process and outcomes are made public. ( A l t r i c h t e r et a l 1993,176) These authors consider i t important to make teachers' knowledge public, and back th i s assertion with several strong reasons. They urge against what they term 'teacher privatism' and believe that t h i s t r a d i t i o n a l reticence to share i s "detrimental to the development of insights on professional p r a c t i c e . " ( i b i d ) . Moreover, they believe that reporting saves knowledge and insights from being forgotten i n two senses of the word: by reporting and communicating your own experience you root i t more deeply within your own memory, as well as making i t available to other teachers and the professional community as a whole, (ibid, 177) I was able to generate and maintain the i t e r a t i v e loops of learning i n the various artrooms and with the wide range of students I was fortunate enough to have access to. I was able to c o l l e c t a r i c h supply of student samples to use as visual data i n my research. I have snapshots, wordshots, my own observations and the comments of interested others. I have questions, theories, answers sometimes too. The results of my e f f o r t s have been edited and s i f t e d to glean the useful material that can be passed on to other teachers i n the form of a document which I have chosen to c a l l the 'Primer'. This . Primer, Chapter 5 of t h i s document, i s composed of a series of narratives, informally and w r i t e r l y styled reports of the lessons t r i e d i n t h i s research. I agree that The realm of meaning i s structured according to l i n g u i s t i c forms, and one of the most important forms for creating meaning i n human existence i s the narrative. (Polkinghorne 1988, 183) I am spurred on by the words of Susan Jungck who writes: The personal construction of narrative or story, i s the process through which individuals integrate a multidimensional way of knowing. The dynamic nature of narrative i s p a r t i c u l a r l y important i n research; i f we int e r p r e t our experiences through narrative, then we can and often do reinterpret those experiences as well... s t o r i e s of experience and understanding r e f l e c t s t o r i e s of change as well. This represents not only the power of narrative as a way to grow, but the p o t e n t i a l of t h i s form of research as well to promote growth and change...the methods of personal accounts research...with t h e i r e s s e n t i a l reliance on the f i r s t person " I " are intended to r e f l e c t the legitimate and necessary presence of a researcher. Narrative accounts of experience and research r e f l e c t the processes through which current understandings are derived as well as t h e i r temporality; they are not d e f i n i t i v e or s t a t i c findings. (Burnaford et a l 1996, 177-178) And I am inspired by the work of Sylvia Ashton Warner, whose wonderful narrative, Teacher, f i r s t published i n 1963, became a beacon of l i g h t leading me towards r i c h e r and more humane practice when I f i r s t read i t i n the summer of 1967, before I returned to my t h i r d year of teaching. Subsequent readings have served to reaffirm my b e l i e f i n the power of narrative to bring s t o r i e s of practice a l i v e i n such a way that others can benefit from the t a l e . Although she was describing her days as a teacher i n the infant room of a p r o v i n c i a l New Zealand school, far from my experience i n a secondary school artroom, no pedagogical textbooks have enriched my development as a r e f l e c t i v e p r a c t i t i o n e r to the degree that Sylvia Ashton-Warner's simple but evocative book has done. I envision the Primer as being of use to teachers who perhaps worry that they don't know anything about architecture. I t i t l e i t 'Primer' to suggest that i t contains simple accessible ideas, not mysterious arcane suggestions that require years of special t r a i n i n g to become expert i n Matters A r c h i t e c t u r a l . My guiding metaphor for the work i s that the lessons described might be used by teachers not just as seeds, but more as bedding plants, to move forward to'the goal of integrating the concepts of architecture into the r i c h garden of curriculum that exists today i n our schools. Concluding Real Questions M I s teacher research re a l research? Where? With whom? When teachers as researchers are affirmed; when teacher knowledge i s respected; when teacher language i s legitimate; when theory, practice and r e f l e c t i o n are united; when teacher-researchers are experts, change agents, producers, and consumers of meaningful knowledge; when teachers pioneer new methods of knowing; who r e a l l y benefits?" (Susan Jungck, i n Burnaford et a l 1996, 178) I understand that I have been mostly affirmed, respected, encouraged, supported, understood i n the. course of my preparation and practice as both architect and teacher. I recognise that I have had access to guidance by educators and pra c t i t i o n e r s of profound knowledge and generosity. I take for granted that the r i c h wealth of ideas of others has always been readily available to me, and I understand that I have something that may be of value to others to share. I see how I benefit from p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the communities of learning where I have been welcomed. But the real reason that t h i s i s important i s my students, the ones who r e a l l y benefit i f they have access to meaningful and engaging programs. I don't ever want students or teachers to fe e l the need to draw back from architecture. My goal i s to enable young people and the i r teachers to f e e l securely grounded i n what I have, for purposes of c l a r i t y , termed the three R's of architecture. I hope they can receive t h e i r surroundings and form an awareness of t h e i r what i s and what might be, f e e l enabled and moved to par t i c i p a t e i n an active response to our settings, and operate with r e s p o n s i b i l i t y and s e n s i t i v i t y on t h i s planet we a l l share. CHAPTER 2 E d u c a t i o n a l s c a f f o l d i n g 2.1 Is there educative value in using the ideas of architecture in the classroom? We know more about architecture than we might think we do -i t i s a l l around us, providing at least part of the setting for our l i v e s . Architecture study can therefore be a very s a t i s f y i n g pursuit, because we can recognise and c r y s t a l l i s e insights - we have plenty of p r i o r knowledge that comes clear with some r e f l e c t i o n . Learning about places and place making i s i n t e r e s t i n g and engaging, for myself and for students. I have noted that students tend, in general, to be interested i n , and highly motivated to consider a r c h i t e c t u r a l concepts. Moreover, our relationship with our surroundings i s important, and should be c a r e f u l l y attended to. This i s one way i n which the curriculum that unfolds i n an artroom can become a relevant part of our way of moving through the world. Authors June McFee and Rogena Degge, i n t h e i r encyclopedic handbook for art teachers t i t l e d Art, Culture and Environment, assert that we a l l influence the quality of the shared environment i n one way or another. They state: The quality of the environment depends on people's a b i l i t y to use t h e i r design s e n s i t i v i t y , t h e i r s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , and t h e i r ecological concerns together to solve environmental problems. When this i s done, art i s not an appendage, but an integral part of decision-making. (McFee and Degge 1977, 10) These same a u t h o r s f u r t h e r observe t h a t e n v i r o n m e n t a l p s y c h o l o g i s t s ( c i t i n g I t t e l s o n e t a l , 1974) s t a t e t h a t t h e b u i l t environment has a tremendous impact on our l i v e s : t he impact o f the b u i l t environment on p e o p l e ' s sense of who and what t h e y a r e i s c r i t i c a l t o s o c i a l and i n d i v i d u a l w e l l b e i n g . (McFee and Degge 1977, 111) T h i s s u p p o r t s the 3R's c l a i m t h a t a c u r r i c u l u m which promotes awareness of the d e s i g n e d environment - 'Receive', o f f e r s , an i n v i t a t i o n t o p a r t i c i p a t e and t h e promotion of some s k i l l s and c o n f i d e n c e i n d e s i g n i n g t h e s e t t i n g s we i n h a b i t - 'Respond', and g u i d e s some sense o f r e s p o n s i b l e approaches t o t h e s e e f f o r t s - ' R e s p o n s i b i l i t y ' i s a n e c e s s a r y p a r t o f everyone's e d u c a t i o n . A q u o t a t i o n from a handbook f o r s t u d e n t s from the Beaumont A r t Museum o f So u t h e a s t Texas, p r i n t e d i n 1979 (no f u r t h e r s o u r c e i n f o r m a t i o n a v a i l a b l e ) g i v e s a f u r t h e r r a t i o n a l e f o r t e a c h i n g about p l a c e s and p l a c e making i n t h e s c h o o l s : A l t h o u g h one o f i t s g o a l s i s t o p r e p a r e f u t u r e c i t i z e n s t o make e n v i r o n m e n t a l d e c i s i o n s , b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t a l e d u c a t i o n i s not an end i n i t s e l f . I t i s not a new s u b j e c t a r e a t o be added t o t h e s c h o o l c u r r i c u l u m , but r a t h e r an approach t o and a framework f o r l e a r n i n g i n a l l a r e a s . I t i s r a r e t h a t one can become i n v o l v e d i n something t h a t makes sense, i n some way, t o almost everyone i t touches - young and o l d a l i k e . B u i l t environment e d u c a t i o n has t h a t q u a l i t y . The s k i l l s and a t t i t u d e s a c q u i r e d t h r o u g h o b s e r v a t i o n • and p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n b u i l t environment a c t i v i t i e s can be a p p l i e d t o the l e a r n i n g o f a l l s u b j e c t m a t t e r . T h i s statement embodies a broad view of the p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f b u i l t environment e d u c a t i o n , which p r o v i d e s t h e c o n t e x t f o r a r i c h a r r a y o f l e a r n i n g g o a l s - f o r connected, relevant, and engaging i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y learning. Through such a.study we can begin to knit a meaningful worldview together with and for our students/co-learners. 2.2 Interdisciplinary connections A r c h i t e c t u r a l concepts are useful i n teaching i n a range of d i s c i p l i n e s . Early on i n my studies I saw ways to translate what I was learning as an architecture student into learning opportunities. In my daughter's daycare and elementary school classrooms, for example, we t r i e d some measuring/mapping projects. Later, i n more structured e x t r a - c u r r i c u l a r programs for highly motivated students, and as a teacher-on-call and a regular classroom teacher i n the public school system, I began to adapt and use ideas from my studies i n artrooms and technical s k i l l s classrooms, s o c i a l studies and even English classes. As a founding member of the Architects i n Schools program of the Arc h i t e c t u r a l I n s t i t u t e of B.C., I have had the opportunity to see the enthusiasm and p r a c t i c a l and . creative expertise of both teachers and architects i n the classroom grow over time. We a l l became more aware of the potent i a l of architecture as a r i c h topic on i t s own, and as a way to f a c i l i t a t e the integration of existing subjects i n the curriculum. Interesting and f r u i t f u l connections can be explored between architecture and a l l the s o c i a l studies, language arts, fine arts, sciences, mathematics, home economics, technical studies, career and personal planning. The lesson suggestions presented i n the Primer reinforce the content of other subjects and d i s c i p l i n e s as well as developing s k i l l s that can be used i n many ways other than the e x p l i c i t art projects they are embedded i n . Some examples: The mapping exercise, in i t s various forms, encourages learners to look, with some increased awareness and analysis, at the journeys they make i n the course of th e i r d a i l y l i v e s . What i s important i n the journey, and how does the expression of the journey r e f l e c t the personal attributes and values of each person? These are i n t e r e s t i n g questions for teens, and i t i s p a r t i c u l a r l y illuminating for students to see t h e i r choice of focus, for the mapping of the expedition from bed to schoolhouse door, i n the context of the other students' selections. The perceptual s k i l l s required i n attempting to draw one's home from the imagination and the increased awareness from actually looking at the home and drawing i t again can be transferred to any operation requiring the a b i l i t y to a c t u a l l y see rather than just use a portion of our environment. Students often express t h e i r amazement at how l i t t l e they knew about such an important place as t h e i r own home before they r e a l l y took a close look at i t i n order to draw i t with some accuracy. McFee and Degge suggest that students who look at things "only to know what they are, need more time and help to see the pattern of design". (144) Once students recognise that they are not r e a l l y aware of even such an important place as t h e i r own homes, they are receptive to learning to see more adequately, to look for and acknowledge the patterns - the order and variety and the v i s u a l language of houses and other b u i l t forms. j In the course of designing simple or complex places, whether singly or i n small groups, students are required to develop, and refine, many attrib u t e s . These attributes include: f l e x i b i l i t y , a n a l y t i c a l problem solving s k i l l s , cooperative s k i l l s , the increased a b i l i t y to v i s u a l i s e , the application of mathematical and s c i e n t i f i c a b i l i t i e s , the application of insights gleaned from s o c i a l studies, and increased awareness of personal as well as group choices. Students are given the opportunity to consider how t h e i r own p a r t i c u l a r energies can be harnessed to improve the qual i t y of surroundings shared by the larger group. Such experiences as the actual planning and embellishing of t h e i r school, or the th e o r e t i c a l r e f i t t i n g of a shared community space i n the 'unpaving' project exercise t h i s a b i l i t y to contribute s o c i a l l y . Moreover, i n the consideration of events outside the da i l y l i f e of students such as the '911' redesign of a large urban area, or the i n i t i a t i v e s to collaborate i n action with people of another culture, students begin to see ways i n which th e i r socio-c u l t u r a l values can help to make a difference. Opportunities are there for a wide range of learning p o s s i b i l i t i e s -including the a c q u i s i t i o n of int e r e s t i n g and useful information and s k i l l s . A favourite project with students i s the 'travel to make art' project, motivated by a close look at Emily Carr and her travels about the province in her caravan. This combines a close biographical look at an important h i s t o r i c a l hero of our heritage, an opportunity to practise the process of design i n a simple manner, and a chance to c l o s e l y investigate a se l f - s e l e c t e d geographic area. To summarise : I see the principal educational meaning in the approach presented in this document to reside in the basic goals of the program. The 3R's represent in shorthand what I have come to consider the educative foundation that b u i l t environment education can promote : the deepening of appreciation and awareness of our surroundings (which I c a l l 'Receive' - the f i r s t of the 3Rs), the enjoyment and sharpening of creative problem solving attitudes and techniques (which I c a l l Respond - the second R), and the development of social values and collaborative a b i l i t i e s (Responsibility - the third R.) This i s the theoretical basis of the lesson sequences in the Primer. Each of the learning experiences focuses upon at least one of the 'Rs' , but most projects involve the three Rs: Receive, Respond and Responsibility. Latent awareness, teachable expertise, and c i v i c concern based on some consideration of values and influences, a l l incubated i n the designed environment that most of us inhabit much of the time, can be nurtured to produce an aware c i t i z e n r y , w i l l i n g and able to respond and pa r t i c i p a t e i n the shaping of the environment. This t a l l order can be f i l l e d by the active integration of a l l d i s c i p l i n e s i n the study of the b u i l t environment by a l l students, not just those who wish to s p e c i a l i s e i n the b u i l t environment as a career. While I would never deny the need for architects as expert contributors i n matters to do with the b u i l t environment, I believe that education must involve a f i t t i n g out of a general populace which i s prepared to p a r t i c i p a t e in aware, responsive, and responsible dwelling i n our places. 2.3 Approaches to learning - what do the psychologists have to say to art teachers? Individuals perceive and process information i n very d i f f e r e n t ways. Instead of teachers and students themselves asking i f a student i s smart, the germane question i s 'how i s th i s person smart?' Theories of learning styles are based on research demonstrating that heredity, environment and current demands enable individuals to deal with information i n d i f f e r e n t ways. These ways are generally c l a s s i f i e d as to modes of perception and modes of processing. Concrete perceivers are generally thought to be those who absorb information through d i r e c t experience, by doing, acting, sensing and f e e l i n g . Abstract perceivers take i n information through analysis, observation, and thinking. Active processors make sense of an experience by using the new information quickly. Reflective processors make sense of an . experience by r e f l e c t i n g upon i t . and thinking about i t u n t i l readiness to act occurs. As educators, we need to r e f l e c t upon the modes we favour. Are the concrete perceivers and active processors adequately provided for i n a system that seems to expect abstract perceiving and r e f l e c t i v e processing? The important matter i s to ensure that experiences must be appropriate as well to students' readiness to learn, and to enable the development of the range of learning modes in each learner. McFee and Degge, whose handbook for art teachers includes a section on what art teachers can derive from psychology, i s unequivocal about t h i s point. They state: As teachers, we have to help children use the learning aptitudes they have already developed, but we can also help conceptual children become more perceptual and perceptual children become more conceptual. (McFee and Degge 1977, 336) Learning experiences i n the Primer include opportunities for the development of perceptualising i n the range of drawing and awareness exercises suggested; conceptualising as a prelude to any design process - v e r b a l i s i n g (written and where necessary, spoken) and image making comprise preliminary work to be done. Some students need to be encouraged to t r y to perceive and process i n the mode which they may not have developed - I see i t as the task of teaching to determine who requires what kind of encouragement and guidance. MccFee and Degge comment that a student whose success i n art has always been through impulsive expression may not have learned to be very r e f l e c t i v e in his/her approach. Teacher intervention to help such a c h i l d to r e f l e c t could indeed help him or her to develop the habit of r e f l e c t i o n . Some students engaged i n simple design projects i n my classroom are surprised at my insistence that they write actual design b r i e f s and provide several alternate p o s s i b i l i t i e s to consider before selecting a design idea to develop. It has not occurred to some that verbal processing can be a part of activités i n the artroom. (The converse happens in my English and Philosophy classes when I ask students to draw what they are thinking, to r e t e l l an essay they have just written .using visuals only, or to translate a descriptive passage they are reading or writing into v i s u a l s . It doesn't usually take long for them to f i n d a way to do this.) McFee and Degge point out that 'impulsive expression i n art education has sometimes been stressed at the expense of analytic expression'. They note that: Since the time of the strong reaction to c l a s s i c realism and d i s c i p l i n e d drawing and the emergence of the child-centred curriculum, teachers have focused on self-expression at the expense of much r e f l e c t i v e problem-solving.' ( i b i d 341) The exercises i n the Primer, and perhaps i n any b u i l t environment curriculum generally, provide a wide range of complexity which can engage r e f l e c t i v e behaviour and vis u a l analysis as well as the opportunity for more i n t u i t i v e and impulsive or freer response. 2 .4 And what about Creativity? McFee and Degge ref e r to psychological research which helps us to understand which t r a i t s lead to c r e a t i v i t y i n perception, i n content of ideas i n art outputs, and i n problem solving. They write: The capacities to be independent, f l e x i b l e , fluent, p l a y f u l , to be open to new experience a l l provide children and adults with the attributes needed to be creative, but do not necessarily ensure i t unless avenues to explore, invent, manipulate, and solve problems are available-, ( i b i d 353) A clear case can be made that the learning sequences of the Primer provide for such experiences. Students who have attempted the design projects of the primer (toys, vehicles, chairs, and some simple building projects) and speculated about the creative p o s s i b i l i t i e s of design for a s p e c i f i c c l i e n t rather than the speculative market, understand t h i s design as an intimate, at least t h e o r e t i c a l l y doable, ecological a c t i v i t y which a f f e c t s t h e i r l i f e very d i f f e r e n t l y from a shopping expedition. McFee and Degge ask: "Are you including a c t i v i t i e s that encourage constructive, a e s t h e t i c a l l y honest reuse of materials?" ( i b i d 354) While I see that the Primer a c t i v i t i e s do engage creative use of ideas and materials, I concede that t h i s work done thus far i s a beginning, a step along the way towards a higher order of well-integrated problem solving which would involve a more sophisticated understanding of recycling and the properties of materials,, and a deeper grasp of aesthetic p o s s i b i l i t i e s . McFee and Degge also suggest that inasmuch as creative t r a i t s are pa r t l y learned, we can encourage the development of creative behaviour by asking students to f i n d "many workable answers to problems rather than single, most right ones" . The design process suggested i n the Primer,, where students are required to fi n d and consider several alternate solutions before developing one i n d e t a i l , confounds some students i n i t i a l l y , but most have l i t t l e trouble integrating the idea. I have, however, found that i t does make sense to the few 'holdouts', and i t does y i e l d s a t i s f y i n g results i f I model the process for them and demonstrate a commitment to this aspect of the process. In general, the p o s s i b i l i t i e s for creative a c t i v i t y using the concepts and processes of b u i l t environment education seem to me to be l i m i t e d only by our confidence or imagination. If we own that we do know rather a l o t about architecture rather than shying away from t h i s knowledge, we can integrate t h i s topic into the a c t i v i t i e s of the artroom to provide a r i c h source of creative learning experiences. 2.5 Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences - how the processes of architecture can connect with a l l the identified intelligences In his work Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner suggests that there are at least seven ways for people to perceive and understand the world. He has i d e n t i f i e d the l i s t of i n t e l l i g e n c e s to include : V e r b a l - l i n g u i s t i c - using words and language - 'word' smart Logical-mathematical - inductive and deductive thinking as well as the use of numbers and the recognition of abstract patterns V i s u a l - s p a t i a l - the a b i l i t y to v i s u a l i s e objects and s p a t i a l dimensions and create i n t e r n a l images and pictures strong graphic sense - 'picture' smart Body-kinesthetic - using the t a c i t understanding of the body, physical motion - 'body' smart Musical-rhythmic - using the a b i l i t y to recognise tonal patterns and sounds as well as s e n s i t i v i t y to rhythm Interpersonal - person-to-person communications and relationships - 'people' smart Intrapersonal - inner states of being, r e f l e c t i o n and awareness. Natural - a l e r t to the laws of the natural world - 'nature' smart In an interview with Ronnie Durie, co director of Project Zero at Harvard, Gardner cautioned that this system of attending to the differences among students should not be used to label them. He claims that the i n t e l l i g e n c e s are categories that help us to discover difference i n forms of mental representation; they are not good characterisations of what people are (or are not) l i k e . We should therefore use t h i s r e f l e c t i v e system to seek and discover what i s special about our students, and to personalise i n s t r u c t i o n , where possible. In short, Gardner asserts that everything can be taught i n several ways. If we r e f l e c t on the various i n t e l l i g e n c e s we are trying to reach, we w i l l be able to f i n d ways to match i n s t r u c t i o n to p a r t i c u l a r types of r e c e p t i v i t y . I have discovered that most students love to consider t h e i r own ways of being i n t e l l i g e n t , and I begin each course, each year, with a short discussion of Gardner's theory, which I ask them to apply to themselves. I ask them to make an eight petalled flower (or a hubcap, or a tree -whatever symbol personally s u i t s ) , and to discuss t h e i r r e l a t i v e strengths and yet-to-be-developed strengths i n each area of i n t e l l i g e n c e i d e n t i f i e d by Gardner. Without belabouring the point, I posit that the p o s s i b i l i t i e s inherent i n designed environment education appeal to each of the range of Intelligences here l i s t e d and provide ways to engage and to strengthen each way of being smart. Some areas may be more obvious than others, so perhaps a b i t of discussion i s he l p f u l . L i n g u i s t i c - Students who are 'stuck' while try i n g to develop an idea v i s u a l l y for a design often discover that t r y i n g to describe what i s needed in words helps to get the ideas r o l l i n g . Even the making of a simple l i s t df p o s s i b i l i t i e s often serves to mitigate the intimidating whiteness of a fresh page i n the sketch book. In design projects, I ask students to annotate t h e i r drawings - some students become quite chatty - and often the l e v e l of verbal d e t a i l helps to encourage a similar l e v e l of v i s u a l d e t a i l i n the drawings. Logical - Mathematically minded students l i k e to use the a r c h i t e c t u r a l tools that I make available. Graph paper, ru l e r s , scales, protractors and compasses, even templates of geometric shapes seem to comfort and encourage the mathematically i n c l i n e d i n t h e i r design quest. I have observed that t h i s does not seem to hamstring c r e a t i v i t y . The results might be quite innovative and sometimes s t a r t l i n g , but the process might lean more to the s c i e n t i f i c and mechanical with students who have developed confidence i n t h e i r mathematical a b i l i t y . V i s u a l / S p a t i a l - I believe, and share t h i s b e l i e f with students, that the a b i l i t y to v i s u a l i s e and create i n t e r n a l images i s quite easy to develop, though of course i t develops d i f f e r e n t l y in each person. As a beginning architecture student, I(along with many of my peers) was troubled enough when required to draw an existing building. We were very surprised to discover how d i f f i c u l t i t was, at f i r s t , to draw a building that didn't yet exist. Being a bookish, v e r b a l - l i n g u i s t i c type, I raced to the l i b r a r y to do some research on the subject of v i s u a l i s a t i o n . I no longer have the sources available to quote, but I made some discoveries that helped me a great deal. It was i n the l i b r a r y that I discovered the theory that v i s u a l i s a t i o n i s •a s k i l l that can be developed with practice. Certain simple v i s u a l i s a t i o n exercises, such as envisioning and manipulating simple geometric shapes, were prescribed and earnestly attempted. Confidence and a b i l i t y grew. Learning to see with inte r e s t and awareness, and using drawing to help sharpen the a b i l i t y to see, fed my a b i l i t y to see more imaginatively, to v i s u a l i s e what couldn't yet be seen. I share these suggestions and simple exercises with my secondary school students whenever I hear the same lament, so often heard i n the introductory studio at the School of Architecture: 'how can I draw i t i f i t doesn't yet exist?' Young' students respond i n much the same way as architecture students to the simple exercises, though sometimes i t seems with l e s s ' c r y s t a l l i s e d fears and b a r r i e r s to overcome. Of course the act of c l o s e l y observing and drawing actual objects i n the world, and of applying design strategies and creative i n t e r p r e t a t i o n to what i s focused upon also helps to sharpen the v i s u a l and s p a t i a l f a c i l i t y . Kinesthetic - A good way to integrate the body-kinesthetic i n t e l l i g e n c e into the study of places and placemaking i s something I found in the AIBC Architecture for Kids program.(9) This exercise could be used to foster an awareness of the structure of a building and the s t r u c t u r a l forces and reactions involved. When students are considering a building, and t r y i n g to determine the p r i n c i p a l structural elements, i t helps to try to understand by 'acting out' the elements and forces involved. The diagram, borrowed from the AIBC program, shows how students singly and i n groups might be able to demonstrate how a post and beam system operates, how a dome or a barrel vault works, and what a cantilever or a truss or a buttress i s , including a sense of how the forces involved might operate. F i g u r e 4. How we c a n u n d e r s t a n d s t r u c t u r e w i t h o u r b o d i e s . The body-kinesthetic i n t e l l i g e n c e i s engaged as well when students are asked to consider how a structure that they design might respond to the physical requirements of the user, and how questions of comfort and convenience might be addressed. Students are required to r e f l e c t upon and document how a space might be used, which a c t i v i t i e s might be supported in that setting, how an actual person l i v i n g in an actual body might experience the place that they have designed. Moreover, students can chalk f u l l - s i z e d plans onto expanses of, say, pavement, and imaginatively inhabit • those plans, adjusting them at f u l l scale as better arrangements and configurations are imagined. Musical - Again r e f e r r i n g to AIBC materials, I have seen a wonderful learning sequence which relates b u i l t form to the musical-rhythmic i n t e l l i g e n c e . I was once present when Clyde Mitchell, the assistant conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, met with a group of young students at a workshop at the Simon Fraser downtown campus to consider the musical or rhythmic aspect of buildings. The expressed purpose of the exercise was to 'read' a façade's rhythms, and set them to music. Which instrument can best express the rhythm of a row of b e a u t i f u l windows, or a delicate wrought iron fence, or an ornate dome? With a l i t t l e guidance, students were able to set the building façades to music, to play t h e i r song. Students with a sophisticated musical sense seem to have l i t t l e ' t r o u b l e making the connection between the cadence of a building and musical rhythm. Those with special strength i n the mathematical/logical i n t e l l i g e n c e seem to r e a l l y enjoy t h i s sort of a c t i v i t y as well. F i g u r e 5. A c o m p l e x , r h y t h m i c b u i l d i n g - s t u d e n t d r a w i n g . Interpersonal and intrapersonal - Many opportunities exist, even i n the course of one project, for students to experience interpersonal i n t e r a c t i o n as well as intrapersonal, more inward looking action. We need to dare to dream, i n d i v i d u a l l y and c o l l e c t i v e l y . Placemaking a c t i v i t i e s o f f e r a lovely chance to collaborate, to see how a small group can grow ideas perhaps well beyond the capacity of any one person to develop and resolve. This collaboration also provides an arena for prac t i s i n g the deli c a t e arts of group dynamics, which are not always simple to achieve. The growth of r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , both in d i v i d u a l and c o l l e c t i v e , can be nurtured in projects which benefit ourselves and others. What better way to acquire a taste for a n t i c i p a t i n g and meeting society's needs than to explore ways to make d e l i g h t f u l places for us a l l to share. F i g u r e 6. D r a w i n g b y a y o u n g m a n w h o s e c h i e f i n t e r e s t i s i n t e r p e r s o n a l . T h i s i s h i s i m p r e s s i o n o f h i s h i g h s c h o o l . Naturalist - Many students'prefer the stimulation of t h e i r indoor pursuits to the joys of getting out i n the natural world. Often t h i s i s because they have not r e a l l y been encouraged to encounter nature i n a personal way - or because paradise has been paved with some f i n a l i t y i n t h e i r immediate surrounds. Certainly i f students are going to be encouraged to make places, they need as well to be encouraged to understand the setting i n which those human made places w i l l be created. To the degree that i t i s possible and appropriate to the program, students need to learn how th e i r (and a l l our) interventions on the natural landscape affect the natural ecology. F i g u r e 7 . D r a w i n g s a n d e x p l o r a t i o n s b y s t u d e n t s w h o s e a p p r e c i a t i o n o f n a t u r e i s h i g h l y d e v e l o p e d . Howard Gardner does not see the consideration of Multiple Intelligences as an educational end in i t s e l f , but as a powerful too for educating. Having an awareness of the strengths our students possess, enables teachers to plan programs that w i l l enable learners to maximise t h e i r achievement. The p o s s i b i l i t i e s of a r i c h subject such as architecture seem almost endless with respect to appeal to the various i n t e l l i g e n c e s that Gardner has i d e n t i f i e d , and that we have probably always i n s t i n c t i v e l y understood as ways of learning. 2.6 Right brain, Left brain The theories regarding the structure and functions o f f the mind suggest that the two sides of the brain control two di f f e r e n t 'modes' of thinking. It i s further suggested that each i n d i v i d u a l prefers, or at least has a stronger a f f i n i t y for, one side or mode over the other. Experimentation has shown that the two sides, or hemispheres of the brain are responsible for d i f f e r e n t ways of thinking. The l e f t side of the brain has been found to be the seat of l o g i c a l , r a t i o n a l , sequential, a n a l y t i c a l , and objective and detailed thinking. The right brain has been found to be the side used for random, i n t u i t i v e , h o l i s t i c and subjective styles of thought. Schools are generally thought to favour l e f t - b r a i n modes of thinking, although the appreciation of aesthetics, a f f e c t and c r e a t i v i t y i s more valued, perhaps, i n education now than previously. Clearly, learners would benefit from a curriculum that would nurture and expand the powers of the whole brain. Thus i f we value and attend to matters involving the imagination and acts of synthesis, we are engaging the whole brain rather than simply the l e f t , l o g i c a l side. Betty Edwards, author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, shares some simple techniques to help art students engage the right side of the brain to help us see i n a fresh and a l e r t manner. Some of her exercises include drawing a complicated object of figure upside down, rather than r i g h t side up - i n the way we are accustomed to seeing i t , to force us to look with fresh eyes. This helps the seer/drawer to r e a l l y look, rather than use stored information that i s known about the object or figure instead of looking to see what i s . This, as Edwards describes i t , "forces the cognitive s h i f t from the dominant left—hemisphere mode to the subdominant right-hemisphere mode". (Edwards 1979, 53) I have often used t h i s technique as a sketchbook exercise to introduce students to the concept of a fresh look. Students are often very surprised at the accuracy they are able to achieve i n a drawing i f they look at the object model i n a way that i s not t y p i c a l . They are also amazed at how they can copy a quite complex drawing- that they would not normally f e e l confident to' tackle, i f they draw i t upside down. (I ask them to enlarge the image s l i g h t l y , to avoid the temptation to trace.) Edwards discusses the technique of contour drawing, introduced by Kimon Nicolaides and well known to many teachers. She suggests that this method, of following with the eye and drawing edges to simultaneously engage sight and touch, i s d i s l i k e d by the l e f t brain "which rejects the slow, meticulous complex perceptions of s p a t i a l , r e l a t i o n a l information, thus allowing access to R-mode (right brain) processing", (ibid 82-83) This technique can be used for drawing any subject, but i t becomes espe c i a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g in t h i s context when applied to drawings of b u i l t form. Combined with the simple technique of 'sighting' or what I term 'eyeballing' i n drawing b u i l t form, th i s has r e a l value i n enabling break-throughs i n confidence, e s p e c i a l l y when confronted by challenging complexity. She suggests that instead of using complicated systems of perspective drawing, sighting i s " v i s u a l perspective, with the o p t i c a l information perceived d i r e c t l y by the eye and drawn by the a r t i s t without re v i s i o n . " - using the right brain to observe angles and l i n e d i r e c t i o n s . (Edwards 1979, 119) The edges of the paper represent the true v e r t i c a l and horizontal. The pen c i l , held p a r a l l e l or perpendicular, allows the a r t i s t to gauge the angles being observed with respect to the pe n c i l and then the angles or l i n e directions are drawn on the paper i n r e l a t i o n to the horizontal and v e r t i c a l edges. This simple device, engaging the right-brain, enables the drawing of complicated angles and t r i c k y corners with accuracy and frees students to draw what they see simply and e f f e c t i v e l y . 2.7 Transmit Transact Transform Curriculum building would not be complete without at least a b r i e f discussion of the three major orientations to curriculum a r t i c u l a t e d by M i l l e r and S e l l e r i n t h e i r book Curriculum - Perspectives and Practice. The authors describe the three major positions or metaorientations i n c u r r i c u l a r programs: the transmission, transaction and transformation positions. Following i s a b r i e f statement of each of the three positions as outlined. In the transmission position, the function of education i s to transmit facts, s k i l l s , and values to students.(Miller and S e l l e r 1990, 5) This position involves a 'one-way movement' - from curriculum, through the teacher to the student - to convey the content involved. M i l l e r and S e l l e r a l i g n t h i s orientation with an "atomistic view of nature i n which r e a l i t y i s seen i n terms of separate, i s o l a t e d building blocks." (ibid 6) Figure 9 . The transmission position. In the transaction position, the i n d i v i d u a l learner i s viewed as 'rational and capable of i n t e l l i g e n t problem solving, ( i b i d 6) The connection between student and teacher i s seen as dialogue between the student and the curriculum, and the emphasis i s upon curriculum strategies that involve problem solving and the application of problem solving s k i l l s i n s o c i a l contexts and development of cognitive s k i l l s i n academic pursuit. M i l l e r and S e l l e r consider the paradigm for t h i s position to be the s c i e n t i f i c method, and the general b e l i e f underpinning t h i s p o sition i s that " r a t i o n a l i n t e l l i g e n c e can be used to improve the s o c i a l environment", (i b i d 8) Figure 1 0 . The transaction position. The transformation metaorientation, according to M i l l e r and Se l l e r , focuses on personal and s o c i a l change. They write of three s p e c i f i c orientations of th i s position: (1) teaching students s k i l l s that promote personal and s o c i a l transformation (humanistic and s o c i a l change orientations) (2) a v i s i o n of s o c i a l change as movement toward harmony with the environment rather than as an e f f o r t to exert control over i t , and (3) the a t t r i b u t i o n of a s p i r i t u a l dimension to the environment i n which the ecological system i s viewed with respect and reverence, ( i b i d 8) In the transformation position, the curriculum and the student are seen to interpenetrate each other i n a h o l i s t i c manner. Figure 1 1 . The transformation position. The learning sequences i n the primer consist of a mix of a l l the abovementioned c u r r i c u l a r positions. There are simple s k i l l s to transmit i n the program - as i n mastery learning, as appropriate to the needs and inte r e s t s of the students. For example, each student who sees a green pepper cut to demonstrate plan, section and elevation drawings i s able, to some degree, to recognise and to draw using these a r c h i t e c t u r a l conventions. A r c h i t e c t u r a l as well as standard artroom tools are handled and used c o r r e c t l y , again to the degree that the student i s capable. Some textbook information i s transmitted i n the course of the Primer, usually based upon a judgement regarding the depth to which the student wants to pursue any aspect of the program. Often that i s a surprising depth. But the course i s not s t r i c t l y b u i l t around the textbook, as i t might be i n the transmission model. The 'texts' (a wide range of relevant resources) are available, not considered core material but enrichment. M i l l e r and S e l l e r create a "transaction scenario" for the future ( i b i d 341) wherein teachers focus on problem solving s k i l l s and on making students aware of t h e i r own thinking processes. The work regarding the analysis of a design problem, the design processes practiced i n the Primer, could be considered i n thi s l i g h t . M i l l e r and S e l l e r note as well that the "transaction scenario i s characterized by some degree of emphasis on applying problem-solving s k i l l s to s o c i a l dilemmas." (ibid 341) While t h i s occurs i n the Primer sequences p a r t i c u l a r l y connected with s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , such as 'Unpave", and with respect to issues of s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y such as the poverty unit, i t d i f f e r s from t h e i r description of the transaction model i n that the a f f e c t i v e domain i s emphasised and i n t e g r a l to the work. According to M i l l e r and S e l l e r , i n the transformational scenario, there i s a move toward decentralisation and human-scale rather than larger corporate decision making, and "people w i l l tend to be more sensitive to global concerns and more l i k e l y to p a r t i c i p a t e i n l o c a l politics... and p a r t i c i p a t i v e decision making", (ibid 341) Such i n d i v i d u a l p a r t i c i p a t i o n underpins the Primer. Through involvement i n i n d i v i d u a l and c o l l e c t i v e projects to shape the b u i l t environment, i t i s hoped that students w i l l recognise and b u i l d t h e i r c a p a b i l i t y for cooperative s o c i a l action. The authors predict that projects i n the transformational scenario " w i l l involve various e f f o r t s to improve the quality of l i f e i n the community", (i b i d 342) That i s a key thrust of the lesson sequences suggested i n the Primer. Inasmuch as the thrust of t h i s document i s action research, wherein I have completed my c u r r i c u l a r explorations following the plan - action - observe - r e f l e c t pattern, I have not used the implementation monitoring models described by M i l l e r and S e l l e r . I have, however, been informed by the descriptions of the three c u r r i c u l a r positions, and have recognised that the three models of c u r r i c u l a r r e a l i t y are a l l at work in the development of the Primer exercises. Concluding observations As a mature s t u d e n t i n the S c h o o l of A r c h i t e c t u r e - I was w e l l i n t o my t h i r t i e s when I began - I o f t e n r e v e l l e d i n the knowledge t h a t p r e t t y much e v e r y t h i n g I had ever l e a r n e d i n my l i f e was u s e f u l i n t h i s d i s c i p l i n e . Young s t u d e n t s can f e e l t h a t j o y t o o , as t h e i r g e n e r a l knowledge and a c q u i r e d s k i l l s and i n s i g h t s are drawn o u t , r e f l e c t e d upon, and put t o new and c o n t r i b u t o r y use i n t h e i r l i v e s . S i m p l e p r a c t i c a l d e s i g n problems, and t h e o r e t i c a l e f f o r t s o f g r a n d e r s c a l e , engage l e a r n e r s and f o c u s t h e i r knowledge, i n s i g h t and a b i l i t i e s i n a s a t i s f y i n g , l i f e a f f i r m i n g way. C r e a t i v i t y i s sharpened, and b o t h s i d e s of th e b r a i n and a l l t h e r e s i d e n t i n t e l l i g e n c e s a r e m a r s h a l l e d . P o s s i b i l i t i e s i n our b u i l t environment can be shaped i n t o l e s s o n s t h a t s a t i s f y a wide range of c u r r i c u l a r r e q u i r e m e n t s . The e d u c a t i v e p o t e n t i a l o f a r c h i t e c t u r e i n the a r t r o o m and o t h e r c l a s s r o o m s i s r i c h and p l e n t i f u l . Figure 1 2 . Architecture in the classroom. CHAPTER 3 C o n n e c t i o n t o b r o a d e r t h e m e s o f a r t a n d a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d s o c i e t y The discussion i n thi s chapter gives background rationale for some of the learning sequences in the Primer. It enables some basic connections to be made with some of the broader themes of architecture. The Primer, chapter 5 of th i s document, which can e a s i l y be used as a discrete unit - contains narratives of practice which are grounded i n these themes. Of the many themes of architecture and art, I have selected f i v e major ones to focus upon here. They represent my personal choices regarding some important considerations for students, teachers, and an active c i t i z e n r y to explore. These themes are by no means an a l l - i n c l u s i v e l i s t of what could be presented in b u i l t environmental education, but taken together they support a cohesive approach for a series of learning experiences that are focused upon the b u i l t environment. The f i r s t theme I explore here i s Drawing, because some form of v i s u a l communication, drawing being the most obvious, i s c l e a r l y fundamental to any kind of planning, or design. 'Drawing' can here be expanded to include diagramming, mapping, various forms and combinations of visual/verbal communication, but some f a c i l i t y i n th i s area c e r t a i n l y frees one to move forward with design. The expressive art program can well be supplemented and enhanced by the strengthening of drawing a b i l i t y and confidence. The drawing s k i l l s that are developed through consideration of and inte r a c t i o n with the b u i l t environment integrate the l o g i c a l processes of the l e f t brain and the i n t u i t i v e and h o l i s t i c styles of thought of the right brain. The design process i s explored i n order to d i r e c t enthusiastic energy insofar as thi s d i r e c t i o n i s needed. If the design process i s powered by the notion that solutions to any problem do indeed exist, then an exploration of the processes by which one analyses a problem, explores options or alternatives, evaluates findings, and moves forward i n an i t e r a t i v e way towards a goal i s applicable i n many areas, not just i n the artroom. I see. something very natural about the design process. We 'design' i n our d a i l y l i v e s i n many creative ways, often unaware that we are indeed 'designing'. I think i t helps to consider t h i s process i n an e x p l i c i t way. Although I leave myself open to the charge that a problem solving approach i s more of an engineering point of view than an ar c h i t e c t u r a l stance, I have chosen to focus upon the imaginative approach to creating something new, rather than the consideration of established precedents. Clearly, seeing ex i s t i n g styles and typologies i s part of environmental awareness, and context i s always an important aspect of our design deliberations. I have plenty of stimulating and informative material about e x i s t i n g architecture available, but I do not e x p l i c i t l y teach the a r c h i t e c t u r a l styles or structures i n t h i s program, except when i t i s s p e c i f i c a l l y requested by a student. Phenomenology i s introduced as a theme for consideration as i t i s a key approach i n the making of humane and p a r t i c u l a r i s e d architecture. This thoughtful, r e f l e c t i v e p o s i t i o n suggests for us new ways of seeing and thinking about our world. We learn to look with attentiveness and wonder at what exists i n order to imagine and manifest what could be. The phenomenological approach helps us to search out and understand the unique character of a locale, to respect and act in concert with the s p i r i t of the place. S u s t a i n a b i l i t y i s another e t h i c a l stance I have recognised as c r i t i c a l in the putting together of t h i s program. Although I do not e x p l i c i t l y teach the p r i n c i p l e s of sustainable development i n my artroom, I believe that there are many ways that considerations regarding s u s t a i n a b i l i t y can be woven in to a l l education programs. I have gathered some reference materials, which some students have used i n the course of t h e i r project e f f o r t s , and some of the learning experiences have e x p l i c i t considerations of s u s t a i n a b i l i t y . Tied very c l o s e l y to the previous two themes i s the theme of s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , which underpins any environmental education in my mind. Architecture and the b u i l t environment are never just about form, but complex interactions between people and t h e i r settings. I think too, that many of the small interventions which we make to a f f i r m and improve our surroundings are sometimes not recognised as s o c i a l l y responsible contributions. Part of my goal i s to acknowledge the actions we already perform, as a way of encouraging further generosity of t h i s sort. Moreover, some of the learning experiences overtly address the questions that challenge us today: what can we do about poverty, threats of violence, environmental degradation? How can the next generation be f i t t e d with some of the awareness and tools they w i l l need in the future? My objective in writing t h i s document i s to share some experiences, both t h e o r e t i c a l and p r a c t i c a l , much of which i s embodied i n these f i v e themes, i n the hope that i t w i l l i n s p i r e and help others to confidently tackle some of the substantial and fascinating issues of place making i n actual classrooms. It i s , by d e f i n i t i o n , a work in progress - action research i s always i t e r a t i v e - and I welcome dialogue on any aspects of t h i s work. Themes 3.1 Drawing to art, drawing to architecture, drawing to action It i s i n t e r e s t i n g to consider how much and what types and qua l i t y of architecture would have been produced i n the world without the range of drawing tools we have discovered for the purpose of communicating ideas. The tool might vary - for example, s t i c k drawing on the sand, or scratches upon a sheet of ice may have provided a sketchplan; a l l manner of intere s t i n g methodologies have without a doubt been employed i n planning for building, since building f i r s t began. Moreover, each mode of drawing s h i f t s the perceptions of what we are experiencing. But without some way of c r y s t a l l i s i n g the i n i t i a l vision,, and a way of sharing that image with others, the making of architecture would have been severely hamstrung. Drawing i s a key part of the process. Based on thi s recognition of the importance of drawing to . any sort of design or a r c h i t e c t u r a l project, I propose that a sequence of drawing exercises might be u s e f u l l y followed before any attempts are made to create designs of any scale. 'I can't draw!' It i s safe to say that many students, e s p e c i a l l y at the secondary l e v e l , approach the artroom. with some trepidation. Some are quick to confide that they are i n the art class as a result of some force or mishap well beyond t h e i r personal control. I generally read t h i s sort of statement as a subtle request for help. When they trust me a l i t t l e more, the same student might convey the message "I can't draw" i n some form or another. I generally read t h i s as- an incomplete statement: "I can't draw... but I want to - i s thi s class going to change that?" 'Yes, you can...' I define the job of an art teacher as the a b i l i t y to reply "yes" to such questions/requests. Students need to be put at t h e i r ease - i t i s pretty d i f f i c u l t to produce anything when seized by fear of f a i l u r e , public shaming, miserable moments passed waiting only for the b e l l to ring. I w i l l t r y to set.the fears aside, but a l l the words i n the world aren't going to r e a l l y solve t h i s problem. Action i s required. Results w i l l be needed; drawing i s , aft e r a l l , an a l l y of words, but a quite d i f f e r e n t action. Eileen Adams quotes Sue Grason Ford, the director- of the annual Campaign for Drawing i n the U.K., who offers the following encouraging remarks: We believe that, given the right encouragement, everyone - not just a r t i s t s - can draw. And not a l l ' drawings have to be works of art. They can be used to explain our ideas or to understand how something works, to record impressions or to jog memories, to express what we f e e l or to entertain others.. We can . draw with anything from a pencil to a vapour t r a i l , and on anything... (Adams 2001, 34) I often t e l l students, and I note that they want to believe me, that i f they can write - and some of them cannot, so I need to be very careful here - then they can draw. Moreover, I think that i f they spent the same amount of time drawing as most of them do handwriting or pri n t i n g , t h e i r drawings would show character as the i r handwriting or pr i n t i n g does. Sometimes, however, a student's drawing i s much more developed than t h e i r writing a b i l i t y . So blanket statements are inappropriate here. For students who have well-formed handwriting, t h i s serves as a confidence booster. Whatever the s k i l l s i t u a t i o n of the student a r r i v i n g i n class at the beginning of the course, I see the growth of some drawing s k i l l as important. Visual l i t e r a c y , including the development of confidence to make purposeful meaningful marks i s , to my mind, as important as verbal l i t e r a c y . And p a r t i c u l a r l y with respect to the communication of design ideas, the two l i t e r a c i e s can be made to work together to express ideas. Architects commonly use words and images to develop and express and c l a r i f y ideas, and i n the c r i t i c a l process of communication with others. Daina Augaitis, curator of the 'hipsters' part of the wonderful 'Drawing the World - Masters to Hipsters' exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 2003 wrote: Drawing seems as basic and i n t r i n s i c to human communication as writing - we scribb l e an image to cut to the. core of a complicated idea, we doodle i d l y i n a flow of consciousness, or we jot a diagram to explain connections. Its immediacy i s as v i t a l i n the everyday world as i t i s i n the art world. (11) And Bob Steele, beloved p r o s e l y t i s e r for drawing adds: The c h i l d has three languages for common use i n the curriculum: words alone, drawings alone, and words and drawings i n a single expression. (Steele 1999, 4) So how can we teach drawing? Where might we begin - to put students at ease and to of f e r them some insights on s k i l l i n g , so that t h i s v i t a l a b i l i t y comes to l i f e ? I do not believe i n simply teaching Drawing S k i l l s as i n 'How To'. I worry that this could f e t t e r students' adventurous s p i r i t - which i n some ways, at the high school l e v e l , i s already compromised enough by the wish to conform. I therefore propose a series of exercises to loosen up, get resu l t s , b u i l d confidence - and I admit to a bias towards non-conforming, fresh, free and f l e x i b l e process and product. I do recognise however, that some students want to act l i k e a camera. While I am quick to praise the fresh and unfettered, I also respect each student's right to follow his or her own v i s i o n regarding what constitutes a good drawing. The f i r s t day I st a r t each course by giving each student a sheet of coloured paper, less intimidating than the regular- 8-1/2 x II white. I ask students some questions which are open-ended and designed to allow them to t e l l me what they want me to know about themselves: t h e i r family and heritage, t h e i r l i k e s and d i s l i k e s regarding art, t h e i r art background, t h e i r accumulated s k i l l s , confidence lev e l s , and .fears. From t h i s I can derive an idea of t h e i r suppositions regarding t h e i r l i k e l i h o o d of survival i n the artroom. The res u l t s I receive are often amazingly honest, and I then have a way of understanding the (hugely varied) backgrounds, leve l s of interest, previous exposure, s k i l l s and insights brought to the class. We might deal with families, o r i g i n s , a l l i n any st y l e of verbal or vi s u a l response - even s t i c k figures welcomed. (A surprising number o f s t u d e n t s i n secondary s c h o o l do not draw beyond the s t i c k f i g u r e s t a g e , o r use v e r y s i m p l e schema o r p e r s o n a l symbols, c l e a r l y l e a r n e d i n e a r l y c h i l d h o o d . ) S t u d e n t s a re asked t o r e f l e c t on t h e i r f a v o u r i t e p i e c e s ' o f a r t t h a t t h e y have ever c r e a t e d , and t o d e s c r i b e , p r e f e r a b l y w i t h an a n n o t a t e d diagram, one o f t h e i r b e s t c r e a t i o n s . I have asked hundreds o f s t u d e n t s t o do t h i s on t h e f i r s t day o f c l a s s , and have seldom r e c e i v e d a n u l l r e p l y , e x cept f o r t h o s e s t u d e n t s who have n e v e r had t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o make a r t b e f o r e . There i s alm o s t always some l i t t l e c r e a t i v e j e w e l c r a f t e d i n t h e i r background, w a n t i n g t o be s h a r e d a g a i n . (I have had s t u d e n t s i n the secondary s c h o o l who have never made a r t b e f o r e , never had an a r t c l a s s . Then I might get t o watch them move s w i f t l y t h r o u g h the s t a g e s o f drawing development, o f t e n g e n e r a t i n g I think, and I c l e a r l y state to students, that there are no wrong answers/responses to art projects i f the exploration i s approached with i n t e g r i t y i . e . care and thought and e f f o r t and honesty and whatever else students might determine i s important i n t h e i r own hearts. I would explain t h i s to new students i n as few words as possible, but with s u f f i c i e n t emphasis that they understand an important concept regarding approach i s being delivered, well before the f i r s t 'exploration' a.k.a. assignment-for-marks i s assigned. Loosening up Bob Steele, Betty Edwards, and many other drawing resources have a number"of drawing games/loosening up suggestions that are invaluable i n ' s e t t i n g the tone in an artroom, and keeping drawing tools moving throughout the course. One might sta r t with 'quickdraws': quick gesture drawings of people i n various poses and of in t e r e s t i n g objects for 3 0 seconds, 6 0 seconds, and up to several minutes with a varie t y of tools; t h i s sort of warm up i s not new to many art teachers. Drawing with the l e f t hand, b l i n d contours, freeze contours - stop the drawing whenever you look at'the page - these a l l serve to convince the student whose confidence i s yet to be found that he too, she too can make marks, some of which might be at least fun to look at and share. And for a surprising number of students in the secondary classroom, t h i s i s not yet a discovered fact. Many students have never drawn freely, have never f e l t successful when trying to engage i n this simple form of v i s u a l communication, of what Bob S t e e l e c a l l s "drawing-as-language". ( i b i d 8) He suggests s t r a t e g i e s to reduce the " I can't draw" syndrome which might i n c l u d e v i s u a l i z a t i o n , guided imagery, p r e s e n t i n g drawing as a game, r e l y i n g on repeated p r a c t i c e , c r e a t i n g a c l a s s ambience f a v o u r a b l e to drawing... ( i b i d 9) Students seem to l i k e to be t o l d "you are not a camera!" They a l s o enjoy the d i s c u s s i o n of r e a l i t y i n a r t and why b e i n g a person with a drawing t o o l i n hand i s so much more adventurous and fun than being a camera i n p u r s u i t of f a i t h f u l , r e a l i s t i c r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s of r e a l i t y . I f a l l students are given the o p p o r t u n i t y to loosen up, t r y some 'low-stakes', ' c a n ' t - f a i l ' drawing e x e r c i s e s , to get p e n c i l s and other t o o l s moving, the c o n f i d e n c e thus b u i l t can be the s t a r t of some e x c i t i n g and s a t i s f y i n g journeys. Each student needs his/her own sketchbook/journal Regular use of sketchbook/journals i n the secondary a r t c l a s s p r o v i d e s a p l a c e f o r 'safe' experimentation. Teachers seem t o need to prime the pump - to get the use of the student's own book an i n g r a i n e d h a b i t , but students o f t e n take over r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r continued independent work. I have n o t i c e d t h a t i f students are i n v i t e d to use the sketchbook as a sketch/journal/scrapbook, the a c t i v i t y becomes more v i b r a n t . Zany, fun assignments, at l e a s t i n i t i a l l y , are needed to l e t students know that the s k e t c h b o o k / j o u r n a l i s not a p l a c e f o r p r e c i o u s , p u b l i s h a b l e work, (maybe t h a t t o o ) , but mainly a p l a c e to t r y out ideas and to experiment and above a l l to get on with the process of making art. There are some sketchbook/journal ideas that went over well with students over the l a s t few years. Everyone seemed to l i k e copying a lovely l i n e drawing I found somewhere of a Japanese geisha - upside down and s l i g h t l y enlarged to prevent tracing. (This i s one of Betty Edwards' ideas, s l i g h t l y altered. Students seem l i k e to make autobiographical memory drawings, es p e c i a l l y when they are i n v i t e d to be as symbolic as they choose. Stick figures soon turn into f l e s h i e r folk. Drawing simple objects of personal significance, (see the work of Gu Xiong), and inventing new objects i n schematic form are often non-threatening assignments. The simple technique of 'sighting' outlined by Betty Edwards - using a hor i z o n t a l l y held pencil to determine angles i n the corner of a room frees many students who aren't sure where to begin to draw i n t e r i o r s . . I show simple perspective examples and shading to students, and they sort themselves into 'I'm ready to explore t h i s ' or 'maybe l a t e r ' . But I have found that encouraging students to look at b u i l t form and draw simple a r c h i t e c t u r a l d e t a i l s and facades often brings a pleasant surprise - i t ' s easy to make a good likeness of a building. Furthermore, i t i s fun to experiment with alternate forms of building 'likenesses' one of which i s demonstrated by Alex Morrison i n his 31 part drawing series t i t l e d "Every House I've Ever L i v e d i n Drawn from Memory", (2002) and an o t h e r i n a s k e t c h of a s t u d e n t ' s c u r r e n t home. Figure 14. B u i l d i n g sketches. Moreover, a x o n o m e t r i c drawings and x - r a y t y p e drawings of the g u t s of c a r s o r machines a r e easy t o do t o o - maybe j u s t s t a r t w i t h a s i m p l e l i n e drawing t o copy t o get t h e I have noted as w e l l t h a t s t u d e n t s are o f t e n i n t r i g u e d w i t h a r c h i t e c t u r a l p l a n s , s e c t i o n s , e l e v a t i o n s - they want t o know how t o r e a d them, and when th e y have been g i v e n a few s i m p l e c o n v e n t i o n s (door swings, w a l l s , windows) t h e y a re a b l e t o u n d e r s t a n d and ready t o use t h i s v o c a b u l a r y t o d e s i g n some remarkable c o n c o c t i o n s . The use o f v e r b a l s and visuals together in drawings, or i n any attempt to communicate graphically, gives some options where drawing s k i l l s might be a b i t shaky. In practice, architects often adapt the drawing conventions to meet the needs of c l i e n t s who might not r e a d i l y understand plan/section/elevation. Students, too, can experiment with thèse techniques - i t i s not necessary to be hamstrung by conventions. Simple sketches, diagrams and clear coding devices' can be used to communicate many l e v e l s of ideas. Students are generally fascinated with a r c h i t e c t u r a l construction drawings and renderings. These can quite e a s i l y be obtained from a r c h i t e c t u r a l firms, and are helpful for students t r y i n g to understand the connection between drawings on paper and actual, three-dimensional buildings. As well, architects can often be persuaded to donate copies of the process drawings - conceptual diagrams, r e l a t i o n s h i p diagrams and other design development drawings for a project, which are lovely for demonstrating how the art and science of architecture work together i n the evolution of a building design. Moreover, i t naturally follows that when a student i s able to read the drawings and envision what i s , or i s going to be, he or she i s much more l i k e l y to be able to eventually p a r t i c i p a t e i n a meaningful way i n a r c h i t e c t u r a l processes. Figure 16. .P l a n / s e c t i o n / e l e v a t i o n views How do others draw? It i s help f u l for students whose view of drawing i s very conventional and narrow, to view drawings from other cultures and to see that the standard, camera l i k e representational drawing i s by no means the only possible goal. I wish a l l art students i n the world could have attended the drawing exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 2003, t i t l e d 'Drawing the World: masters to hipsters'. The huge range of styles included i n that show, and the honouring of simple, honest drawings by children and teenagers of the Inkameep Day School, and some very young members of the Royal Art Lodge as well, make thi s an exhibition that offers some serious i n s p i r a t i o n for a l l receptive viewers. Figure 17. La n g l o i s . Drawings of the Royal A r t Lodge l e f t : N e i l Farber, r i g h t : M i l e s I think that copying the work of others as a way to acquire both s k i l l s and confidence i s a d e l i g h t f u l way to progress as an a r t i s t . The 80 or so teachers who had the opportunity to copy works from the masters to hipsters exhibition c e r t a i n l y seemed happy, and I heard many expressions of delight and surprise when a copying e f f o r t was attempted successfully. Perhaps we have overreacted to the copybook days by avoiding t h i s a c t i v i t y as a way of enjoying mark making, not to mention sharpened perception of the copied work, and perhaps a lovely communion at some l e v e l with the o r i g i n a l a r t i s t . Can't I j u s t t u r n on the computer? With respect to the p o s s i b i l i t y that drawing may be becoming an outmoded form of vis u a l communication with the advent of the computer image, I o f f e r a statement by one of the a r t i s t s of the Drawing the World exhibition - Jason McLean, who wrote: I f i n d that drawing, and a more hand-made approach i n general, has become a major element i n graphic design. Many young artist-designers have been combining t h e i r commercial practice with t h e i r art practice, with l i t t l e or no discernment between the two. There has also been a r a d i c a l s h i f t i n the art world i n reassessing the importance of drawing within contemporary practices. I think these two s h i f t s represent an interest i n a more personalised approach to v i s u a l communication. (quoted i n Augaitis 2003,15) So do i t . I l i k e what another of the 'hipsters', Ben Reeves, has to say about drawing. This comment begins to point at the richness of p o s s i b i l i t y i n the simple act of drawing = making marks with meaning. He said: Drawing i s both a verb and a noun. It i s at once an act of research and a report of i t s findings. It i s a t r a i l and an exploration, (quote in Augaitis 2003, 14) If students and t h e i r teachers look at drawing in thi s way, rather than as a precious, product-oriented operation, sketchbooks w i l l soon f i l l up with l i v e l y and exc i t i n g p o s s i b i l i t i e s , and s k i l l s and confidence w i l l very l i k e l y r apidly increase. Drawings of the b u i l t environment, and the processes involved in design and development of ideas which originate i n each student's head, can form a yeasty and promising part of the drawing curriculum. Certainly, those drawing s k i l l s w i l l enable students to take some wonderful imaginative journeys i n the exploration of architecture i n the artroom. Once students have discovered that they indeed can express themselves through drawing, including the conventions and evocative p o s s i b i l i t i e s of b u i l t environment and contextual drawings i s neither farfetched nor frightening. And I have seldom encountered a student who was i n d i f f e r e n t or unmotivated to explore the a r c h i t e c t u r a l aspects of the secondary school art curriculum when given the opportunity. 3.2 The design process A story of how I erred and strayed I was once p a i n f u l l y , but fortunately only b r i e f l y , ostracised by a beloved professor at architecture school because I t r i e d to get him to talk about the process of design. I accused him of dropping 'metaphysical cigar ashes' a l l over peoples' drawings, and said that I wanted some tangible, p r a c t i c a l advice about how to go about the action of design. He actually l i k e d my ash imagery guite a b i t , but he r e a l l y didn't want to t a l k about how to design and so our hard heads c o l l i d e d . I w i l l always have a huge respect for that professor, and when he forgave me for being so tiresome, and when I forgave him for his unwillingness to discuss what I considered to be a v a l i d and fundamental question, I learned.some very beautiful lessons from him. His insights enriched my work and he showed me a grace and r e c e p t i v i t y that I would probably never have received from anyone else. But I had to learn how to tal k about and think about design from others. Despite t h i s moving evidence to the contrary, I held the b e l i e f that-one could analyse the process of design, and perhaps even discuss i t i n t e l l i g e n t l y with other designers. Some other professors took a rather more practical,•and perhaps i t needs to be said, a r t i c u l a t e approach to design, and I was able to piece together some sort of working approach that helped me figure out what I needed to do at my studio desk. Articulating The Design Process It happens that one of my professors at architecture school, i n that harrowing f i r s t year when I was desperate to t a l k process, has l a t e l y written a doctoral d i s s e r t a t i o n in which she discusses the design process. In her thesis, Dr.Freda Pagani explores the design processes necessary to achieve adaptive buildings that w i l l f i t t h e i r economic, s o c i a l and ecological environment. She "describes and c r i t i q u e s the contemporary building project design process and i t s resultant product in Western culture." (Pagani 1991,1) Here the focus i s upon the steps of the design process that can be communicated, at least for discussion and consideration, to students at the secondary school l e v e l and even students who are preparing to become architects at a professional school. Dr.Pagani asserts that the design process i s a s k i l l that can be learned, (i b i d 136) This i n i t s e l f i s a very reasuring b i t of news for anyone who i s i n i t i a l l y mystified about how to begin. While her work i s concerned with complex adaptive systems, which are well beyond the scope of our interest here, the thesis includes some insights useable i n the secondary artroom. It i s assumed that the designer(s) w i l l draw on previous experience, what I have cal l e d latent knowledge, and more conscious understanding of the world, to make a design. The most basic and universally agreed upon description of design - that i n "involves analysis/synthesis/evaluation as basic processes" ( i b i d 139) i s acknowledged. Dr. Pagani notes that design involves the ' w i l l i n g suspension of d i s b e l i e f and "the a b i l i t y to tolerate the uncertainty of the process". Further, "the processes of design are simple and the results are complex products."(ibid 139) And l a s t l y , her description of the design process notes that "ideas come mostly unbidden and f u l l y formed" ( i b i d 140) before being- submitted to the analysis/synthesis/evaluation process. Knowing that an approach has been a r t i c u l a t e d and that i t i s possible to t a l k about this - i n terms which young designers might be able to grasp - might be very reassuring to teachers unused to the process of design. Dr. Pagani recommended a book c a l l e d A P r a c t i c a l Guide for Policy Analysis - the E i g h t f o l d Path to more Ef f e c t i v e Problem Solving, which she believes c l e a r l y p a r a l l e l s the steps i n the design process. The author, Eugene Bardach, defines the problem-solving process as a process of t r i a l and error and c a l l s i t ' i t e r a t i v e ' , "so that you usually must repeat each of these steps, sometimes more than once". (Bardach 2000, xiv) He suggests that i n any of the steps, e s p e c i a l l y i n the e a r l i e s t phases of the project, one's approach might be very tentative. This might be the most d i f f i c u l t part of the process to communicate to students, who perhaps need to be taught to explore a l i t t l e - to try, r e f l e c t , t r y again, and again. I have noticed that few young people are w i l l i n g to trust that a better idea might be hidden at f i r s t , that the f i r s t f l a s h of insight might not prove to be the f i n e s t possible. Joel Shack asserts a sim i l a r theory, suggesting to me i n an e-mail (25 February, 2004) that the design process... follows a li n e a r orderly sequence which i s an e f f e c t i v e model for teaching to avoid 'a leap to form', without adequately c l a r i f y i n g ' i n t e n t i o n s and reviewing alternatives. Bardach's 'eightfold path' - an articulation of the design process To summarise, the steps i n Bardach's ei g h t f o l d path are as' follows : 1. Define the problem. (p.l) For example, I might ask students to consider a person they know, to write a detailed p r o f i l e of that person, and then to design something for that person s p e c i f i c a l l y t a i l o r e d to t h e i r needs. I consider the d e f i n i t i o n of the problem -the design goal, to be as creative an aspect of the process as any other. 2. Assemble some evidence. (p.7) Bardach c a l l s the a c t i v i t i e s i n t h i s step "thinking", and "hustling data", (p.7) He asserts that "thinking", which I take to mean fresh, creative speculation about what i s possible, i s "by far.the most important". Research (data) connected to ideas can be an in t e r e s t i n g and engaging task for students at the secondary l e v e l i f i t i s presented as a way of enriching ones own deliberations. Some students might warm to the task of delving in to the history of chairs, for example, or other pieces of furniture i n t h e i r quest for the a new design. This i s the point i n the process where latent knowledge of what i s can be assembled to help create what might be. It i s important, though, not to overdo the "data" to the point of overwhelming the designer, e s p e c i a l l y at the secondary school l e v e l . 3. Construct the Alternatives (p.12) Bardach suggests that one might "er r on the side of comprehensiveness" at the beginning of the process and that one should end up much more focused - with a reduced and s i m p l i f i e d number or p o s s i b i l i t i e s - at the end of the analysis. He suggests that constructing a l i s t of a l l alternatives i s useful. I often suggest the same thing to students: a l i s t of ideas i n words and/or a series of small thumbnail sketches, maybe very symbolic, to just get the i d e a s / p o s s i b i l i t i e s into a concrete form, however sketchy they might be. Bardach stresses inventiveness here, and I do too. He notes further that "...design i s a complex process, requiring many i t e r a t i o n s , i n which you both explore d i f f e r e n t ways to accomplish a certain set of objectives and a l t e r the set of objectives i n l i g h t of what you learn about what i s actually practicable." (p.17) Young designers can be encouraged to take t h i s time, can be led to understand that t h i s ambiguity i s a d e l i g h t f u l challenge, but i n my experience, they might not i n s t i n c t i v e l y understand the joy that comes from t h i s kind of an explore. I counsel 'calm' and 'steady' a l o t at t h i s stage, as I have noted that many students l i k e to leap at t h e i r f i r s t good idea in a bolder and less contemplative manner than what Bardach seems to be suggesting. 4. Select the C r i t e r i a (p.19) Bardach suggests there are two interconnected but separable approaches - the analytical' (factual and objective) and the evaluative (value judgements) used in judging the "goodness" of an idea. Students need to understand 'analysis' and 'evaluation' i n many of the knowledge areas they are studying. Thus applying the o b j e c t i v i t y of analysis to the i r designs, and evaluating the alter n a t i v e s as well, i s an i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y s k i l l both enabling the a r t i s t i c process and enabled by the process. 5. Project the Outcomes (p.27) Bardach believes t h i s i s the hardest step i n the process and gives "the most important advice about t h i s step:... Do i t " . .The p r i n c i p a l challenge in thi s step seems to be to put the energy out to r e a l i s t i c a l l y envision what the outcome of each alternative might be. Bardach suggests models, which i n design might take the form of mock-ups or at least informed speculation of form, materials, techniques; a l l the component parts of the idea. Students are l i k e l y to need some counselling regarding patience here. I don't think many people naturally understand that a good idea might be superseded by another, better idea. A mature patience i s required to assemble r i c h enough alternatives to make a real choice. 6. Confront the Trade-offs (p. 37) Bardach allows that sometimes one alternative i s dominant, but that usually choosing between options i s more complicated. He suggests that thinking i n terms of 'trade-o f f s ' i s useful when considering p o l i c y options. I would suggest that a si m i l a r selection needs to be made in design, and that the choosing mechanisms required for a product become apparent with some consideration at t h i s • stage i n the process. 7 . Decide ! (p.40) Bardach suggests that i f i t i s d i f f i c u l t to make the decision regarding which alt e r n a t i v e to develop, perhaps the choices or trade-offs need to be c l a r i f i e d . This i s where eager young designers again may need some calming guidance. 8. T e l l Your Story (p.41) In the artroom, the p a r a l l e l i s 'Make I t ' . The outcome of the c a r e f u l and possibly sometimes chaotic design process i s l i k e l y to be much ri c h e r for the process. I have found that students who do agree to explore p o s s i b i l i t i e s , rather than simply going with t h e i r f i r s t idea i n a design project, w i l l s t a r t to integrate an approach to problem solving that i s useful i n many areas of art as well as other d i s c i p l i n e s . Although some students r e s i s t t h i s process oriented approach, i t i s an enriching experience even i n an adapted or truncated form. If the design process i s collaborative rather than i n d i v i d u a l , the problems obviously are more complex, but not beyond the realm of p o s s i b i l i t y . In many of the i r courses, students are encouraged to work i n groups on projects. Many cooperative s k i l l s can be discovered and practiced i n the group design process. Cooperative design i n the art studio both enables and employs those cooperative attributes which are c a l l e d upon increasingly i n the educational system as well as the work world beyond. The r e c e p t i v i t y and communication s k i l l s required are sophisticated and learnable. Creating learning situations i n which students singly or in groups are challenged to i t e r a t i v e l y create new connections and alternatives, to consider and r e f l e c t , to analyse, to question assumptions and create new assumptions for consideration, to evaluate, to choose and to develop ideas. This allows students to practice learnable problem solving s k i l l s which are relevant i n a wide range of applications. This way of approaching design - a process of learning to design - of p r a c t i s i n g the design process - i s p a r a l l e l to the process of p o l i c y design suggested by Eugene Bardach. It i s also, perhaps, p a r a l l e l to the process of maturing: to confidently approaching the problems one encounters, and to produce good workable ideas for dwelling harmoniously i n the world. These problem-solving approaches and s k i l l s , p r a c t i s e d i n the safety of an art studio, can be powerful tools for students i n whatever f i e l d of endeavour they may f i n d . 3.3 Phenomenology Definitions and a clarifying example When I went dictionary shopping i n 1983 or '84, I used the word 'phenomenology' as one of my c r i t e r i a for choosing amongst the vast array of d i c t i o n a r i e s available. It was a new word I was struggling with at that time, though i t was not new to several of my professors i n the School of Architecture or to philosophers. I was t r y i n g hard to construct a working d e f i n i t i o n of t h i s word as an architecture student, h a l f - r e a l i s i n g at the time that t h i s concept was fundamental to my whole approach to architecture, which was also under construction at that time. My Gage Canadian Dictionary, copyright 1983, defines phenomenology i n th i s way: n. Philosophy. The purely descriptive study of consciousness and the objects of consciousness (phenomena), without any attempt to explain causes, origins, etc. This i s the only d e f i n i t i o n given at t h i s time. It i s a good st a r t , I r e a l i s e now, but by no means a f u l l working d e f i n i t i o n of t h i s word. No mention i s made of how t h i s word has anything whatsoever to do with architecture. In my quest for c l a r i t y , i t helped to check the d e f i n i t i o n of phenomenon which reads i n part: 1. a fact, event, or circumstance that can be r observed...3. Philosophy, a.) something known through the senses rather than through thought, b.) something as i t i s observed through the senses and understood, as d i s t i n c t from the thing i t s e l f . This becomes more interesting when I consider an assertion made by Prof. Joel Shack of the School of Architecture, UBC, that there are many more than f i v e senses - how else can we learn about the world than through the standard f i v e senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing and feeling? What indeed are these other senses and how can they be engaged i n receiving/perceiving the world? Some other senses suggested by Prof. Shack are the senses that have to do with time - our bodyclock sensors and memory sensors i n which past perceptions combine with current experience. Also, there are what he c a l l s 'mapping perceptions', i n which we put perceived parts into whole patterns. There i s as well the kinaesthetic perceptions such as the senses of balance and orientation. He summarises: "Phenomenology argues for inclusiveness and m u l t i p l i c i t y and simultaneity because i t makes i t s observations and design proposals i n the l i v i n g world." (e-mail, 3 March, 2004) Prof. Shack suggests, in another correspondence to me, "perhaps the only d e f i n i t i o n needed (for the word phenomenology) i s 'seeing, thinking, building, with attentiveness and wonder.'" (e-mail, 26 June, 2002) This clear beacon of d e f i n i t i o n leads us to another source: the work of Charles Moore and Kent Bloomer, whose words predated the common use of the term 'phenomenology' of architecture, but whose work i s i t s e l f a splendid example of the phenomenological approach. When Kent C. Bloomer and Charles W. Moore wrote the landmark book Body, Memory and Architecture i n 1977, the term 'phenomenology' was not r e a d i l y bandied about, but, as ? Prof. Shack wrote, regarding the ideas of Charles Moore and Kent Bloomer: th i s simple d i r e c t way of connecting architecture to human embodiment and introducing the 'haptic' sense I have found to be an e f f e c t i v e way for young students to connect t h e i r own lived-in-the-world experience to phenomenology, (ibid) 'Haptic' i s not included i n my aforementioned dictionary -Gage Canadian 1983, but www.hyperdictionary.com says haptic means : of or r e l a t i n g to or proceeding from the sense of touch; 'haptic data'. The search engine Google led me to the website of the University of Hertfordshire Sensory D i s a b i l t i e s Research Unit which contributes that 'haptic perception' involves both t a c t i l e perception through the skin and kinesthetic perception of the position and movement of the j o i n t s and muscles. For example, i f we hold a cube, we perceive i t through the skin of our fingers and the position of our fingers. Indeed, there are more beyond the basic f i v e we seem to have agreed upon. The art educator, Viktor Lowenfeld, in discussing the in d i v i d u a l differences i n drawing aptitudes i n children, uses the term 'haptic' to describe children who get t h e i r information more from t h e i r 'inner' experience, as d i s t i n c t from children who observe phenomena outside themselves, which he terms 'visual', (quoted i n McFee 1977) Bloomer and Moore have written what they c a l l an 'optimistic' book together and have based t h e i r thesis upon the following hopeful assertions: f i r s t , that the landmarks and order of our bodies . create a basis, comprehensible by everyone, for the extension of human id e n t i t y into our environment; and second, that the world of architecture abounds i n successful and even i n s p i r i n g examples of that extension. (Bloomer and Moore 1977,131) An i n s p i r i n g example ci t e d by Bloomer and Moore i s the Hotel del Coronado i n Southern C a l i f o r n i a , b u i l t i n 1888. If the term 'phenomenological' had been i n common usage at the time of writing or of building t h i s example, the authors might have commented that t h i s building i s based on clear and inspired phenomenological understanding of i t s requirements., Instead, the authors wrote: The l i f e s t y l e of the inhabitants was well understood by a l l : i t included the pleasures of the beach, the elegance of spacious bedrooms cooled by sea breezes, and the more formal splendours of the great ballroom and dining h a l l as well as the opportunity for rendezvous i n smaller but s t i l l sumptuous parlours. The guest rooms were arranged on several f l o o r s around a great outdoor square, whose subtropical planting must have astonished travelers from the East and Mid-west just a r r i v i n g on the new transcontinental r a i l r o a d . Beside the open courtyard, enclosing one side of i t , the soaring v e r t i c a l spaces of the public rooms gave the v i s i t o r the chance to f e e l that he had arri v e d and was, i n his body and a l l his senses, for the time being i n a splendid and personal house, ( i b i d 132-3) From an examination of just one façade of th i s hotel, one can see the b u i l t - i n delight of the place. Figure 18. Facade of the Hotel d el Coronado. Another i n s p i r a t i o n a l example c i t e d of buildings that were made for people e s p e c i a l l y "concerned with being in a special Place" i s the Royal Crescent at Bath which Moore and Bloomer believe: express (es) the intense personal concern of the people who b u i l t them and (those who) continue to care for them. The right to inhabit our landscape and to esta b l i s h our i d e n t i t y i s fundamental and not limited to any group; but with that right goes the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y to care. The caring and the energy for i t depend on the s e n s i t i v i t y of the inhabitants, reinforced by professionals devoted to committing a l l t h e i r capacities to the task of understanding the potential of a place and the p o s s i b i l i t y of dwelling in i t , of experiencing i t with a l l the senses, of f e e l i n g i t and remembering i t and making i t the centre of a whole world.(ibid 138) These t h o u g h t f u l o b s e r v e r s have c o n c l u d e d t h a t l a r g e d e s i g n o f f i c e s which s e r v e huge c o r p o r a t e c l i e n t s and t u r n out u n d i f f e r e n t i a t e d urban c e l l s f o r s o c i a l masses, v i e w i n g "problems o f human i n h a b i t a t i o n as problems o f o r g a n i s a t i o n " ( i b i d 131) do not make i n h a b i t a b l e d w e l l i n g s " j u s t by g e t t i n g element o f the v i s u a l codes r i g h t " An example of a p r o j e c t i n t h i s c a t e g o r y would be t h e p r i z e w i n n i n g P r u i t t Igoe h o u s i n g p r o j e c t i n S t . L o u i s . The i n h a b i t a n t s of t h e s e h i g h r i s e apartment b u i l d i n g s were o f t e n moved i n from t r a d i t i o n a l communities t h a t were d i s p e r s e d by urban r e h a b i l i t a t i o n schemes. The accommodation was m i n i m a l , m e c h a n i c a l s e r v i c e s were undependable, t h e r e was no p l a c e p r o v i d e d f o r c h i l d r e n t o p l a y , and t h e r e was l i t t l e impetus f o r r e s i d e n t s t o m i n g l e or t o ta k e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r the upkeep o f a m e n i t i e s . V a n d a l i s m and v i o l e n c e were some o f the outcomes. The p r o j e c t p r o v e d t o be so u n s u i t e d t o the problems of human h a b i t a t i o n t h a t i t was dynamited i n 1972. Figure 21. The dynamiting of an unworkable urban housing p r o j e c t . Moore and Bloomer state: To help people inhabit the world, we f e e l the basic act i s not organizing, but caring; the arc h i t e c t ' s c l i e n t i s not undifferentiated society but caring i n d i v i d u a l s , ( i b i d 132) Moreover, they assert: The architects ' proper role... i s an accepting and absorbing one, to encourage others to make the e f f o r t and to develop the physical surrounds that make dwelling possible and attractive... i t i s l i k e a teacher reaching and moving a student, not l i k e a magnet moving (however l i g h t l y ) a cloud of iron f i l i n g s across a s u r f a c e . ( i b i d 132) When thoughtful investigation of the phenomena impacting dwelling in(a)place i s taken into account, thoughtful and i n s p i r i n g a r c h i t e c t u r a l design can be the re s u l t . This approach i s not just for the experts, but for a l l of us to take. We can do t h i s by making the e f f o r t to learn about o f f e r i n g both our settings and the process of place making, the a l e r t and caring attention that a l l of us, as inhabitants, can give. Adults can do t h i s . Students can do t h i s . Architects 'R' Us, and i t does help to have sensitive guidance from those who have made the design and delivery of our places t h e i r l i f e work: the professional architects. But we want architects to operate with what Prof. Shack c a l l s 'this careful way of being i n the world and creating with love (that is) the 'ground' that underlies phenomenology.' So how might someone put this into practice? One of the f i r s t assignments I completed i n graduate school in architecture was a c l e v e r l y designed project given so that we students might understand the attentive observation of phenomenology by p r a c t i s i n g i t , i f I might be excused for saying so, immersing ourselves, i n i t . We were asked to take a 25 minute v i s i t to the UBC swimming pool,'and to make a 50 item l i s t of our minor actions, sensations, feelings and impressions, and our responses to both design impediments and good design while personally and a c t i v e l y involved i n the sequence of experiences at the pool. The professor, Dr. Richard Seaton, noted that he was most interested i n our responses as an organism: our • introspective, i n t u i t i v e observations; and that we were meant to reach within ourselves to f i n d our responses and express our feelings i n words. (I wonder now i f words and pictures might have given a f u l l e r response.) He wanted to know about our f r u s t r a t i o n s , and our g r a t i f i c a t i o n s , the attributes of the phenomenon that emerged from the experience. The focus of our observation was meant to be recorded, not necessarily the degree of our arousal. Following are a few excerpts from my response to t h i s assignment, which I think sheds some l i g h t on the concept of phenomenology. For me, the body memory of th i s exercise kept me clear when I grappled with the notions of phenomenology over the years at graduate school. I was reminded of the process wherein I paid a more-than-usual amount of attention to my setting, and as well, put more energy into generating a more-than-usually observant c r i t i c a l response to the experience I was having. (These notes were o r i g i n a l l y written on 50 separate note cards, as assigned. I must have been quite a sight, swimming along with these cards and my pen i n a p l a s t i c bag clipped on my head!) 3:25pm Sunday, November 8, 1987 Crossing to the building from the parking l o t , I enjoy the sound of tennis b a l l s being thwacked i n the court nearby. I appreciate having something to look at besides a l l these dormant cars. I l i k e the rows of trees that march o f f i n four d i f f e r e n t directions at the edges of t h i s l o t . What's r e a l l y b e a u t i f u l about them i s that each row Is a d i f f e r e n t species and the colours are as a r e s u l t a l l d i f f e r e n t at t h i s time of year. But they a l l blend. Made a 'bandit' run across the woodchip landscaped garden. (Very unpleasant. Yuk). I am glad I have boots on. I pass a t i r e d , sad l i t t l e garden near the exhaust vent - not f l o u r i s h i n g on the chlorine fumes. Up the s t a i r s , through the entry that seems to read 'back door', and into the spectator bridge. I l i k e t h i s bridge very much, can look down both sides, trees on one side, strongly chlorinated water (vs. epidemics?) on the other side. Lots of a c t i v i t y , loud music blaring away in the background, shouts. I've never noticed before how otherworldly people look when they swim past a spotlight i n the side of the pool. Now I'm a paying guest. People waiting i n the lobby look hunched over uncomfortable. The design of the. seats makes no sense. Why would anyone design them l i k e with so l i t t l e attempt at providing comfort? And why would they be purchased for the pool complex? Manipulation? Locker room - 'warning thieves...' sign a l i t t l e disconcerting. Also i t would be very easy to f i n d one's way into the wrong (gender) dressing room. I'd l i k e to see the rooms much better marked. Damn. To get to the locker I had to cross a wet spot. Maybe I should have l e f t my boots on. Or taken my socks o f f . I'd l i k e to see a l i t t l e wooden s l a t platform at t h i s edge. Even with bare feet t h i s f l o o r i s too slippery. I hope that l i t t l e c h i l d doesn't f a l l . There has to be a better way to make a cleanable f l o o r . The shower i s body temperature today. Just r i g h t . But now that I'm wet I r e a l l y have to mince along on these slippery t i l e s . I wonder how many times they have been sued here'. And I wonder why privacy i s so neglected,in the shower room. It doesn't seem necessary. Hot tub. I am experiencing a new tendency to r e a l l y look at the other patrons before I get i n . Getting epidemic conscious, I guess. It's very overcrowded today and the water looks overused. I think.I w i l l just put my feet i n . People.look so bovine when they have been s i t t i n g here for a few minutes. The swimming pool looks much cleaner, but t h i s warmth i s hard to leave. They should never play a radio station over the loud speaker i n here. The t a l k i n g i s very eerie sounding in t h i s expansive space. Music i s great though. The water in the pool i s uncomfortably cold a f t e r the hot tub. Four laps. I'm almost out of time (25 m'ins.) and breath. (I may never smoke another cigarette.) The water temperature seems perfect now. I wonder i f a dolphin would l i k e i t i n here. I l i k e the oversized wall graphics, can enjoy them even without my glasses. Mincing back to the locker room makes me hate t h i s t i l e f l o o r even more. Smart lady just walked by wearing rubber shoes. I wish I had had my towel with me when I got out of the shower. How to do that without paying an extra quarter to lock i t up again? The a i r i n here seems very cool on wet skin. The breeze from the dryers makes i t worse. Into my clothes. Everything i s wrinkled but dry. I think these tiny lockers are r i d i c u l o u s l y small; next time I w i l l pay the extra quarter. Down the back s t a i r s into the fresh a i r - a treat after the chlorine laden a i r inside. I l i k e the action of swimming i n the water, but I am reminded today what an i n e f f i c i e n t , picky-picky operation- i t can be. Since t h i s exercise, I.have always looked more c a r e f u l l y at swimming pools, and I have never taken a dip as completely for granted as I did before completing t h i s i n t e r e s t i n g challenge. Moreover, i f I were to be part of a design team to help create an aquatic centre, notes of t h i s nature would be useful, even c r i t i c a l to the process. This type of exploration contributes to the experiencing of a place, the phenomenological processes of design, and the creation of sensitive and thoughtful places. It i s c l e a r l y not beyond the scope of anyone's a b i l i t y , t h i s process of paying close attention, and making a mental or a c t u a l l y written record of what i s observed. This sharpening of the experience c a l l s to my mind the same phenomenon that I have experienced while journal keeping for action research. The c l a r i t y of impression and pot e n t i a l for conversion of experience into useable knowledge and insight i s immensely increased with t h i s kind of conscious attention and recording. The phenomenological approach to research Rose Montgomery-Whicher, art h i s t o r i a n and art educator, speaks of the phenomenological approach to research i n t h i s way i n an a r t i c l e t i t l e d "Drawing Analogies: Art and Research as Living Practices", As a practice of inquiry - a way of questioning our experience of the world .- a phenomenological approach to research shares three important characteristics, with drawing from observation: one, i t begins i n the everyday world i n which we l i v e : two, i t i s directed towards a renewed contact with the world; and three, learning to do t h i s kind of research, l i k e learning to draw, i s large l y a matter of relearning to see. ( (Montgomery-Whicher, 217) Montgomery-Whicher believes that attentiveness and wonder are the tools with which one must view the world, and the a b i l i t y to see "the everyday as worthy of attention, to see through surface appearances and worn-out c l i c h e s , to attend to what we o r d i n a r i l y overlook, i n short to re-search." Similar to the manner that Ben Reeves sees that drawing " i s at once an act' of research and a report of sL-ts findings" , Montgomery-Whicher sees "the very act of describing and inter p r e t i n g has the capacity to. inform the way we see." (ibi d 219) Moreover, she i s concerned with the qu a l i t y of contact made between researcher and those with whom the re-search is'shared (as i s the concern of the writer of t h i s document), and she offers t h i s c r i t e r i a for success: "A successful phenomenological description e l i c i t s a...response...we think 'ah yes...I know what that's like'...we 'recognise' i t as a possible interpretation of human experience. This, Montgomery-Whicher says, .has been c a l l e d the 'phenomenological nod'." (ibid 221) Careful observation and notation, coupled with the r e f l e c t i v e analysis that needs to follow i n order to make meaning from such attentive observation, demonstrates the process of re-searching that'we have come to c a l l Action Research. The phenomenological approach to a r c h i t e c t u r a l design, and the phenomenological approach of Action Research, here applied to education, are c l e a r l y a l l i e d d i s c i p l i n e s . Prof. Shack noted that he would add to Montgomery Whicher's words: the combined 3 'ings' (of architecture) - seeing, thinking and building - a phenomenological philosophical understanding that integrates perception, analysis and synthesis l i k e language does. (e-mail 8 September, 2003) This convergence of the c a p a b i l i t i e s of v i s u a l and verbal attentiveness and open-minded wonder lead us closer to the place where we can reveal the e s s e n t i a l requirements, what Prof. Shack c a l l s " 'the essences of architecture and b u i l t places'- with words, images and b u i l t places that evoke ...the inherent poetry of everyday l i f e . " (ibid) This indeed can occur i n the process of research as well. In action research we seek to locate for the e s s e n t i a l requirements and the everyday poetry, the p r i n c i p l e s and the d e t a i l that feed our i t e r a t i v e search for refined action. We can look to inspired others for a taste of that everyday poetry. See what Vincent Van Gogh was able to do with a ..simple building that touched him somehow. The Yellow House Aries, September 1888 Oil on canvas, 76 x 94 cm RïîV museum Vincent van Gogh, Ams'erdam "My house here is painted butter yellow on the outside and has solid green window shutters; it is located directly in a square with a green park full of plane-trees, oleanders and acacias. And inside all the walls are painted white and the floor is tiled in red. Yet the most striking thing is the glaring blue sky. Inside the house I can really live and breathe and think and paint." V I N C C N T V A N c o c u F i g u r e 22. The y e l l o w House a t A r i e s : t h e a c t u a l b u i l d i n g r e n o v a t e d , and images p r o d u c e d by V i n c e n t Van Gogh c. 1888. The basis of phenomenology In an e-mail l e t t e r to me refers to Rainer Maria R i l October, 1907) who spoke o things as an act of love -objects, for buildings and Prof. Shack wrote i n part, ...of course, i t ' s not just the physical - the intangible i s made tangible to evoke the intangible, not explain i t , nor sentimentalize i t , nor dramatize i t . So, i t ' s a way of loving that honours the essence - of s i t e for example, and what one makes there. For me, this c a r e f u l way of being i n and creating with love i s the 'ground' that underlies phenomenology. Shall we imagine a world i n which everything: building, object, work of art, simplest to o l , was made with care and love? Sometimes when I slow down and just watch the students i n the artroom, working with such care and love to bring t h e i r visions to l i f e , I understand that we could indeed make a world f u l l of b e a u t i f u l and humane, supportive places, were we to nurture and support that tendency into adulthood. I wonder i f we encourage young people, not to mention design professionals whom we hire, to form the pattern of applying such loving care to our settings. We worry about the economics of care. We f r e t about wasting time.and resources, about a f f e c t i n g resale value i f we i n d i v i d u a l i s e . Perhaps i f we show our young the p o s s i b i l i t i e s , we can nurture a higher s o c i e t a l value for our places and our e f f o r t s at placemaking than the rather expedient approach that seems to me to p r e v a i l at t h i s time. (26 June, 2002), Prof. Shack ke (in Letters on Cezanne (13 f r e a l l y looking, and then making love for the p h y s i c a l i t y of places. In the same l e t t e r , The phenomenology papers In a series of lectures delivered to the School of Architecture, UBC in 1987 and 1988, Prof: Shack presented "A phenomenological approach to the design process" i n terms that students and the interested layperson could receive and use. (If we are a l l going to p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h i s process, some thoughtful e f f o r t to understand the dynamics of design w i l l be required). In Paper 1, t i t l e d "Making an Authentic 'Place-Story'", Prof. Shack offered the suggestion that a designer might imaginatively create what might happen i n a place, i n order to create form that might appropriately enable that-'place-story' . His d e f i n i t i o n of 'place-story i s more than a 'scenario' for d a i l y a c t i v i t i e s on s i t e ; place-story also includes embodiment of c u l t u r a l place r i t u a l s , accumulative experience of a building as one moves through i t and l i v e s in i t over time, [think cinematographer here] memories and association with t r a d i t i o n a l and archetypal ways of being i n and making places. It i s based on a phenomenological p o s i t i o n of actual experience, though at a l l le v e l s of experience (combining subjective, sensory, cognitive, s p i r i t u a l or poetic experience). From a phenomenological point of view, i t evaluates t h e o r e t i c a l i n t e l l e c t u a l ideas against possible experience -• thus the emphasis on 'authentic' place-story. (Shack Paper 1.1987) In my practice, I have observed that many students love to do t h i s story making. In various assignments, p a r t i c u l a r l y the design of a personal sanctuary, students at the secondary l e v e l are often able to discuss with f u l l b e l i e f what might take place in t h e i r proposed design. When i n v i t e d and encouraged, t h e y can say and show, o f t e n i n m i n u t e s t d e t a i l , what t h e i r v i s i o n h o l d s . They can imagine, f o r example, t h e d a i l y r i t u a l s of l i f e - such as a r r i v i n g , waking, e a t i n g , work and p l a y ; and dream of s p e c i a l t imes such as p a r t i e s , i n f o r m a l g a t h e r i n g s , t h a t might t a k e p l a c e t h e r e . They might be v e r y c a p a b l e o f s p e c u l a t i n g how t h e i r d e s i g n e d p l a c e s might, as P r o f . Shack p u t s i t i n the same paper, " g a t h e r meaning t h r o u g h use, e x p e r i e n c e and a s s o c i a t i o n " over t i m e . We need o n l y t o i n v i t e t h i s k i n d of c r e a t i v e s p e c u l a t i o n - young s t u d e n t s seem t o be a b l e t o q u i c k l y p i c k up on what i s r e q u i r e d and p o s s i b l e i n the e n v i s i o n i n g o f a s t o r y . Figure 23. Some v i s u a l place s t o r i e s - drawing i n bed, a home i n Haida Gwaii surrounded by rhododendron bushes. It occurs to me as well, as I write, that i f I attempted to more powerfully connect t h e i r v i s i o n of what might be (the design) to what i s (the s i t e ) , t h i s could be a much enriched assignment. For example, in the design of a personal sanctuary, I asked the students to imagine where the sanctuary might be located, to perhaps draw the context. Much more would l i k e l y come of that c r i t i c a l connection between s i t e and b u i l t form i f I were to emphasise s i t e , not leave i t as a 'perhaps' drawing. I could st a r t at the beginning of the year to ask students to 'adopt' a s i t e with which they f e e l a special kinship." They could draw and study .this s i t e using careful observation over the course of several seasons, recording t h e i r findings as occasional assigned sketch journal projects. When the time came to design a sanctuary for t h e i r adopted s i t e , t h i s gathered knowledge and insight about the s i t e would l i k e l y enrich the place-story of t h e i r personal sanctuary, tying i t to an actual s i t e , well known to them after careful study. To further enrich the visioning, Prof. Shack notes: Within one b u i l t - p l a c e can exist several layers of experience: memories of other buildings i n other places, the dreaming mind of i t s creator, the here and now hand of i t s maker, the urgency of current needs, the visions of a better l i f e , the eternal orders of the s i t e of the earth and of the sky, the eternal images of archetypal places i n our minds and i n our bodies. (Shack Paper 1) Some of this richness can be absorbed and a r t i c u l a t e d by us a l l . ' We can learn to envision - perhaps must learn to e n v i s i o n , i f we a r e t o make our p l a c e s humane, s u p p o r t i v e and b e a u t i f u l . Paper 2 i n the s e r i e s "A Phenomenological Approach t o the Design P r o c e s s " , e x p l o r e s how t o use drawing and model making t o 'see' and ' t h i n k ' d u r i n g the p r o c e s s o f d e s i g n . P r o f . Shack s u g g e s t s t h a t we t h i n k i n terms o f 'open s e e i n g ' , which i s more than v i s u a l , but i n c l u d e s emotions, memory, k i n e t i c s - beyond s i m p l e v i s u a l p e r c e p t i o n . He a l l o w s t h a t a s t r u g g l e i s i n v o l v e d here, " t o g i v e p r e s ence t o d i f f i c u l t - t o - d r a w phenomena" and t h a t r e s u l t s might be "c r u d e but o f t e n e v o c a t i v e " drawings and models. Figure 24. I t i s h i s b e l i e f t h a t p e r s p e c t i v e drawings, which he c a l l s " o n e - e y e - s t i l l - s n a p s h o t s " do more t o d i s t o r t and c o n v e r t a r c h i t e c t u r e i n t o " p i c t o r i a l c o n s t r u c t s t h a t a v o i d ( e d ) the essence o f the p l a c e " . Some of the p e r s p e c t i v e d r awing methods commonly ta u g h t t o s t u d e n t s may be i n c l u d e d i n t h i s c a t e g o r y . Figure 25. Perspective 'how to' drawings. (Ching) Prof. Shack suggests instead that evocations of ideas might give presence to c r i t i c a l phenomena associated with the design, and some of the examples he gives that we can consider are: groundedness - standing upon and set down into the ground: ourselves and our buildings connect with the earth (how a building rests) under the sky: reaching to the l i g h t and covered by the sky dome insidedness/outsidedness : how the within and without of a building merge into one another t w i n phenomena of place... (such as) l i g h t and shadow, one and many, i n t i m a t e and p u b l i c spaces j o u r n e y : r i t u a l r o u t e s , p l a c e s and t h r e s h o l d s : the p r o c e s s i o n i n t o and out of a b u i l d i n g rhythm and resonance of form and space: as we see e a s i l y i n complex r e p e t i t i v e b u i l d i n g s n e s t i n g o f p a r t and whole. embodiment of p l a c e : t r a n s p o s i n g body concepts i n t o a r c h i t e c t u r e Figure 26. Caryatids - body as support, transposing body concepts. Some of t h e s e c o n c e p t s might be a b i t hard t o draw. Yes, but we are l o o k i n g f o r the " i n n e r essence" here, r a t h e r t h a n the s u r f a c e p i c t o r i a l . P r o f . Shack uses d r a w i n g i n the d e s i g n p r o c e s s t o make p r o g r e s s , not s l i c k p r e s e n t a t i o n p e r s p e c t i v e s . He bypasses the ' t o u r i s t i c s e l f -c o n s c i o u s n e s s ' of r e n d e r i n g s , and g i v e s freedom to r e a l i s e the p o e t r y . F i g u r e 27. S t u d e n t model - t w i n phenomena: i n t i m a t e and p u b l i c space. Figure 28. Examples of the poetry: rhythm and resonance above: Gu Xiong beneath: Sydney Opera House. In the design studio, Prof. Shack experimented with large conceptual 3-D models that explored a vague 'image' of a place and large 1" - 1' models to generate the order of a place, but with the assumption that the order of the place would not be clear t i l l the end of the design process. This i s quite d i f f e r e n t from the approach I have used i n my artroom. I have encouraged students to conceive of the design using techniques of listmaking, thumbmnail and other sketchy drawings, simple plan section and elevation sketch diagrams, and then to turn to modelling, to show us a l l what the idea i s - model as culmination. In most instances, except for encouraging some very rough exploratory modelling - perhaps because of a perceived shortage of materials - I have t r i e d to reserve model making card for the f i n a l part of the project. Time to start cutting up more cardboard boxes! Prof. Shack also suggests that the designer might f i n d a poetic image - not a l i t e r a l representation but perhaps a "painting or a photograph as a poetic image or imagining one i n t u i t i v e l y yourself, ...(which) transform (s) and gain(s) c l a r i t y through a repeated cycle of i n t u i t i o n and r e f l e c t i o n . " An imagined ordering might be abstracted into a sketch plan i n the manner of some architects p a r t i c u l a r l y respected by Prof. Shack: Kahn with thick charcoal strikes s h i f t i n g volumes i n plan; Corbusier with ink l i n e s subtracting and adding int e r l o c k i n g spaces; Aalto with soft pencil, overdrawing, carving naturalized b u i l t landscapes on • paper... (Shack 1988, 5) / Figure 29. Concept sketch f o r C e n t r a l P h i l a d e l p h i a - Kahn (from Leseau). una fr?x o i / T o f " t h e P o x «7C Figure 30. Prototype concepts developed by A l v a r A a l t o (redrawn by Leseau) .Yeo\\e,v\icc , friendly .... ,,,M Figure 31. Conceptual sketch of Hong Kong - student sketchbook. This i s exc i t i n g . I haven't thought of i t t h i s way for a long time, but these ideas can be translated into a secondary school artroom. I could show students the work of these masters. They could see these designs unfolding from published drawings retained for the archival record. It i s rare to have such clear but deeply evocative idea of the 'unité d'habitation ' Figure 32. From image to r e a l i t y - co l l a g e of conceptual sketches and b u i l d i n g s by Le Corbusier (Benevolo 2) A f t e r moving i n t h i s ( a l b e i t s k e t c h i l y recorded) manner from i n i t i a l p o e t i c image t o i n n e r o r d e r o f the b u i l d i n g , P r o f . Shack s u g g e s t s the d e s i g n e r next moves t o a c t u a l i s a t i o n , " g i v i n g m a t e r i a l and s p a t i a l p r e s e nce t o the project... i n the l i v e d w o r l d - made t o be e x p e r i e n c e d f u l l y " , ( i b i d 6) The d e s i g n e r can mark the a c t u a l ground, u s i n g the e v o c a t i v e image and the diagram o f i n n e r o r d e r . I have t r i e d something l i k e t h i s w i t h s t u d e n t s : we thought about what c o u l d be done w i t h an u n d e r u t i l i s e d p a r k i n g l o t and a c t u a l l y drew l i f e s i z e d p l a n s on the paved a r e a near t o the s c h o o l . T h i s h e l p e d s t u d e n t s t o v i s u a l i s e and t o un d e r s t a n d t h e i r i d e a s more c l e a r l y . T h i s became the f i r s t i t e r a t i o n o f a l e a r n i n g sequence found i n the P r i m e r - Chapter 5 - 'Unpave'. (Perhaps the f i r s t i t e r a t i o n was the p l a n n i n g I d i d upon the beach i n f r o n t o f my f a m i l y home as a c h i l d ! ) Prof. Shack suggests that after laying out i n f u l l size on the actual ground, a new layout can be made - a sort of collage based on one's v i s i o n of the horizontal, geometrical' layout .as perceived at thi s stage - 'close-ups' of what one might experience i n moving through the imagined space. The r e s u l t i n g collage of close-ups can provide a balance between the order of the whole and the uniqueness of the parts as long as the parts are continually re-examined i n increasing d e t a i l and as long as they come into a 'discontinuous -continuity' of memory i n the imagined walks through the building and s i t e . (Shack Paper 2, 7) So the building design comes a l i v e - i n plan, section, elevation, axonometric (simple 3-D sketch at an angle b u i l t up from plan), mini 3-D sketch and model - loose and sketchy at f i r s t , and hardening up as the process unfolds. Figure 34 Axonometric and plan sketches on the p r o v e r b i a l p l a c e m a t . ( S t e g l i t z , from Leseau) A standard story that many architects delight in telling describes how the most basic concept for a mult imil l ion-dollar project was first scribbled on the back of a restaurant napkin. I have wondered why both, the teller and the listener, always seem to derive amusement f rom such a story. Perhaps the story restores confidence in the strength of the individual designer, or maybe it is the incongruity that decisions on such important matters are being made in such a relaxed, casual manner. Viewing this story in the context of graphic thinking, it is not at all surprising that inspired, inventive thinking should take place at a restaurant table. Not only are the eyes, minds, and hands of at least two persons interacting with the images on the napkin, but they are further stimulated by conversation. Besides, these persons are separated f rom their day to day work prob-lems; they are relaxing in a pleasant atmo-sphere and wi th the consumption of, one hopes, good food, their level of anxiety is significantly reduced. They are open, ready, prepared for discovery; indeed, it would only be surprising if the most furtive ideas were not born in this setting. Figure 35. Axonometric 'exploded' - a t o o l f o r understanding and communication. Prof. Shack suggests that on a project which i s a c t u a l l y to be b u i l t , f u l l size models should be made or even experimental construction of elements of the building to "get deeper into the a r c h i t e c t u r a l poetry and a c t u a l i z a t i o n of the poetic image and order - to bring the 'hand' back to architecture." ( i b i d 7) Figure 36. P o e t i c images of Leonardo da V i n c i : Studies of temporary s t r u c t u r e s f o r a f e s t i v a l (Leseau). These evocative steps towards design are so relevant to lessons I have t r i e d in my secondary, artroom. I did attempt, with the parking l o t exercises, "to bring the foot and pace back to architecture" (Shack Paper 3 p.l) Joel Shack suggests. How much ri c h e r would our e f f o r t s to 'Unpave' have been - to design and then work in plan at f u l l scale with chalks to lay out a new v i s i o n on a paved parking l o t - i f I had reminded myself of the contents of the Working Papers that I f i r s t saw in 1988. Having gone through t h i s paper again, which so c l e a r l y sets out poetic p o s s i b i l i t i e s for the design process, I see r i c h implications for another set of it e r a t i o n s in my artroom. These notions, set out by Prof. Shack i n 1987 and 1988, and which perhaps seem a b i t esoteric to anyone unaccustomed to thinking i n terms of the design process, can, with some e f f o r t , be squeezed by teachers into useable form. We design things a l l the time: programs, lessons, our personal costume for the day, lunch, a new classroom layout of furnishings. We do thi s with varying degrees of care and attention - sometimes without much thought, sometimes i n t e n t l y observant of the phenomena of our l i v e s . We might not c a l l t h i s action 'design', but that i s what creative arrangement i n i t s myriad forms i n our l i v e d world i s ca l l e d . The step from designing the ordinary items needed in our d a i l y l i v e s ' t o designing a r c h i t e c t u r a l form - making our places - does not need to be considered so formidable that i t need be reserved for only the 'trained'. To some degree, we can a l l p a r t i c i p a t e i n the design process to make our settings. If we are fortunate, we w i l l f i n d an architect of generous s e n s i b i l i t y who w i l l to share this-journey. Certainly the architecture'students at UBC were fortunate to have t h i s opportunity under the tutelage of this i n s p i r i n g teacher. A l l our c r e a t i v e a c t s , e s p e c i a l l y those a c t s e n t e r e d i n t o w i t h c a r e and awareness, can s e r v e t o t r a i n us t o move i n t o more complex d e s i g n and p l a n n i n g u n d e r t a k i n g s i f we choose. We can r e l y upon our d i r e c t e x p e r i e n c e i n the w o r l d t o guid e us, a v o i d i n g s e t t h e o r y and f i x e d i d e a s about who i s e n t i t l e d , and who i s not, how t h i n g s 'should' be or 'should not' be. I f we l o o k w i t h f r e s h s e n s e , ( a s I began t o c o n s c i o u s l y do i n t h a t t r i p t o the swimming p o o l a t the s t a r t o f my quest t o u n d e r s t a n d phenomenology), we can move p a s t p r e c o n c e p t i o n s t o new and a u t h e n t i c u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f what i s and what needs t o be. Perhaps we can r e a c h t h e p o i n t where we are a b l e , as P r o f . Shack s a y s , t o ' r e v e a l t h e i n h e r e n t p o e t r y o f everyday l i f e ' . ( e - m a i l 8 September, 2003) Perhaps we can move beyond b e i n g r e l u c t a n t o r r e t i c e n t p a r t i c i p a n t s ; we might even blossom i n t o p o e t i c s , i f we c u l t i v a t e a t a s t e and c a p a b i l i t y f o r engaging i n the n a t u r a l human a c t i v i t y o f p l a c e making. Figure 37. An evocative camp s h e l t e r which responds to context - the p r a i r i e s , and elegant c u l t u r a l precedents. ( C l i f f o r d Wiens, i n Bernstein and Cawker) 3.4 Sustainability I f we were not so s i n g l e - m i n d e d about k e e p i n g our l i v e s moving, and f o r once c o u l d do n o t h i n g , perhaps a huge s i l e n c e might i n t e r r u p t t h i s sadness of never u n d e r s t a n d i n g o u r s e l v e s and o f t h r e a t e n i n g o u r s e l v e s w i t h d e a t h . P a b l o Neruda Is this an issue for the schools? - in the artroom? The e l e c t r o n i c p u b l i c a t i o n " C a n a d i a n Responses t o Agenda 21: An Assessment", f i r s t c o m p i l e d and r e l e a s e d i n 1994, p r o v i d e s t h e framework and c o n t e x t f o r s u s t a i n a b l e development a c t i o n i n Canada. A t the E a r t h Summit i n R i o de J a n e r i o , June 1992, governments around t h e w o r l d agreed t o Agenda 21 - a p l a n which names what needs t o be done by a l l o f us t o a c h i e v e s u s t a i n a b l e development i n t h e 2 1 s t c e n t u r y . Many young peopl e were i n s p i r e d a t t h a t Summit by t h e words o f Severn C u l l i s - S u z u k i , then 13 y e a r s o l d , who spoke so e l o q u e n t l y about t h e problems we have c r e a t e d f o r her g e n e r a t i o n t o i n h e r i t and the p r e s s i n g need t o t a k e c a r e o f t h i s p l a n e t of o u r s . C a r l a Doucet, P o l i c y A d v i s o r f o r E d u c a t i o n a t t h e Canadian N a t i o n a l Round T a b l e on t h e Environment and the Economy, d e s c r i b e s t h e n a t u r e o f t h e c h a l l e n g e o f s u s t a i n a b l e development v e r y s u c c i n c t l y . She s t a t e s : " S o c i e t y must f i n d new ways of d e v e l o p i n g and must r e o r i e n t i t s e l f from an u n s u s t a i n a b l e s o c i e t y t o a s u s t a i n a b l e one. In o r d e r f o r s o c i e t y t o r e i n v e n t i t s e l f i t w i l l r e q u i r e e d u c a t i o n , p u b l i c awareness and t r a i n i n g r e l a t e d t o s u s t a i n a b l e development... (which) r e q u i r e s a m u l t i - d i s c i p l i n a r y approach. W h i l e s u s t a i n a b l e development o f f e r s hope as a c o n c e p t , p e o p l e are o f t e n u n c l e a r as t o what p r a c t i c a l a c t i o n t h e y can take... L i n k i n g s u s t a i n a b l e development i s s u e s and p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n w i l l h e l p c e n t r e t h e e t h i c a l d i m e n s i o n o f the i s s u e . " Canadian Response t o Agenda 21 For me, t h e s t u d y and p r a c t i c e of a r c h i t e c t u r e i s a m u l t i -d i s c i p l i n a r y , v e r y fundamental p u r s u i t , which c a l l s upon almost a l l the s c r a p s o f knowledge I have been a b l e t o o b t a i n , o r g a n i s e and put t o work over the c o u r s e of my c o n s c i o u s l i f e . Not v e r y much of our p r a c t i c a l knowledge i s i r r e l e v a n t when we c o n s i d e r the magnitude o f the c h a l l e n g e o f r e v e r s i n g the u n s u s t a i n a b l e c o u r s e o f development i n many ar e a s o f the planet.' The. t h o u g h t f u l o b s e r v a t i o n and c r e a t i v e a l t e r n a t i v e e n v i s i o n i n g i n h e r e n t i n the p r o c e s s e s o f d e s i g n , the dynamics o f c o o p e r a t i v e community a c t i o n , the c o n s t r u c t i v e t h r u s t o f b u i l d i n g o r c h a n g i n g something f o r t h e b e t t e r : t h e s e a r e t h e elements o f a r c h i t e c t u r e t h a t have r e l e v a n c e and v a l u e f o r t h e c l a s s r o o m . I f t h e s e elements or t o o l s a r e s h a r e d and s u s t a i n a b l e p r a c t i c e s are encouraged t h r o u g h m e a n i n g f u l and engaging p r o j e c t s i n an artroom, young p e o p l e can be f i t t e d w i t h t h e n e c e s s a r y c a p a b i l i t i e s and c o n f i d e n c e t o meet t h e v e r y f o r m i d a b l e c h a l l e n g e s t h a t are ours a t t h i s t i m e . So do we really have a problem? "There i s an e x c e p t i o n a l degree of agreement w i t h i n the s c i e n t i f i c community t h a t n a t u r a l systems can no l o n g e r absorb the burden o f c u r r e n t human p r a c t i c e s . The depth and b r e a d t h o f a u t h o r i t a t i v e s u p p o r t f o r the Warning s h o u l d g i v e g r e a t pause t o t h o s e who q u e s t i o n the v a l i d i t y o f t h r e a t s t o our environment." World S c i e n t i s t s ' Warning t o Humanity" 18 November, 1992 For r e s i d e n t s o f t h e p r o v i n c e o f B r i t i s h Columbia, t h e eve n t s o f the summer o f 2003 - t h e f i r e s and th e n t h e f l o o d i n g - became a l o c a l Warning, something t h a t we i n t h e s e b l e s s e d p a r t s had not e x p e r i e n c e d t o a g r e a t l y n o t i c e a b l e degree. Many o f the s t u d e n t s a t the s c h o o l where I- t e a c h have e m i g r a t e d t o Canada from crowded and p o l l u t e d p a r t s o f A s i a . They o f t e n comment on the q u a l i t y o f the a i r and r e v e l i n t h e f a c t t h a t t h e y can d r i n k the u n p o l l u t e d water d i r e c t l y from the t a p i n the Lower M a i n l a n d . U n t i l the d r a m a t i c e v e n t s o f t h e 2003, t h e s e new Canadians, l i k e many l o n g t i m e r e s i d e n t s , have f e l t t h a t we ar e r e l a t i v e l y untouched by t h e problem o f g l o b a l warming. T h i s i s , of c o u r s e , not t o say t h a t we have been untouched by e n v i r o n m e n t a l d e g r a d a t i o n . We a r e b e g i n n i n g t o purch a s e b o t t l e d water, o r a t l e a s t keep s p e c i a l f i l t e r s i n our r e f r i g e r a t o r s . From time t o t i m e , we might see. someone wea r i n g a m e d i c a l mask w h i l e out i n the. smog. Moreover, s t u d e n t s are w e l l aware o f the term ' e x t i n c t ' and 'non-b i o d e g r a d a b l e ' . I have t a k e n s t u d e n t s t o the Vancouver garbage dump, and watched them r e a c t w i t h d i s g u s t and new r e s o l u t i o n s . One c l a s s even got busy w i t h a s t r o n g l y worded p e t i t i o n t a k e n t h r o u g h o u t t h e v i c i n i t y o f the s c h o o l , t o encourage the 'other 3 R's' - reduce, reuse and r e c y c l e . S t u d e n t s , l i k e a d u l t s , want t o be p a r t o f the s o l u t i o n r a t h e r than p a r t of the problem. I am always h e a r t e n e d by e v i d e n c e whenever I i n i t i a t e even the s i m p l e s t o f e c o l o g i c a l r o u t i n e s . Many s t u d e n t s f l a t l y r e f u s e t o put paper i n t o t h e garbage can anymore. That same m o t i v a t i o n makes then r e c e p t i v e t o p r o j e c t s of a s o p h i s t i c a t e d s u s t a i n a b l e n a t u r e as w e l l . They know about s a v i n g the t r e e s and why t h a t i s i m p o r t a n t . They are ready t o l e a r n how t o use r e s o u r c e s e f f i c i e n t l y t o s a t i s f y our d a i l y r e q u i r e m e n t s . F i g u r e 38. C o l l e c t i v e n o t i c e b o a r d . Science and i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y teachers have been busy. Students have been alerted. And whereas students of an e a r l i e r generation would never have considered using 'soft drugs', for example, but might have smoked tobacco and l i t t e r e d the streets with packaging, some of today's youth might be more open to exploration of mind a l t e r i n g drugs, but heed the a n t i - l i t t e r and anti-tobacco slogans scrupulously. Times have changed. It can perhaps be said that we are making some progress, at least as far as education of our young i s concerned. David Suzuki i s optimistic about our e f f o r t s to teach our children. He notes that: Our giant brain allows us to see patterns by discerning r e p e t i t i o n , s i m i l a r i t y and difference. From t h i s we gain history and we gain.foresight - we can plan. Because we can learn from experience, we can teach our children more than we knew when we were th e i r age. We can change more rapidly than evolution would allow us to, responding to threats by drawing from our experience and deciding to a l t e r the way we l i v e . " David Suzuki, The Sacred Balance Students generally are beginning to show interest in, understand, and discuss the concepts of sustainability. The Brundtland Commission made what has become a widely accepted c a l l to "...meet the needs of the present without compromising the a b i l i t y of future generations to meet t h e i r own needs." (Wackernagel and Rees 1996,33) This i s the core d e f i n i t i o n of sustainable development. My students understand, notwithstanding the r e l a t i v e l y clean B.C. a i r and water, that we have s o i l e d the planet, and that much i s to be done to halt the damage and turn i t around. Indeed, sophisticated students at the high school l e v e l speak of the concept of sustainable.development with some measure of understanding and confidence. They have been paying attention, although t h i s term i s , regrettably, not much discussed in formal learning situations at the secondary school l e v e l . I know that in a l l subject areas we need to engage learners i n discussion about the health of our planetary home. We need to discuss sustainable development as a route to the future health of the planet. A good place to star t the conversation i s provided by Wackernagel and Rees who assert that s u s t a i n a b i l i t y requires that our emphasis s h i f t from "'managing resources' to managing ourselves, that we learn to l i v e as part of nature." (ibid 4) What does t h i s mean? What can we do, personally and c o l l e c t i v e l y , to l i v e i n a sustainable way? Do we not l i v e as part of nature already? What are the implications of Wackernagel and Rees' assertion that "...human enterprise i s inseparable from the natural world. Humankind i s often the dominant species i n v i r t u a l l y every s i g n i f i c a n t ecosystem on the planet. Human beings are embedded in nature."? (ibid 4) Certainly, i f we are going to engage students in the act of designing places, we need to acknowledge that 'the environment' i n which we are locating our visions i s a c r i t i c a l part of the exercise. Do we know that? Do we act on i t ? Some would say that in general, we do not. At least not with s u f f i c i e n t resolve to undo the very considerable environmental damage that has already been done. Do we generally recognise that our expectations are r i s i n g and very d i f f e r e n t from the standards of the previous generation i n Canada? I have noted a s t a t i s t i c which I cannot properly footnote but which begs to be included here which states that while family sizes have dropped p r e c i p i t o u s l y i n North America, the average house size has almost doubled from 1,100 i n 1949 to 2,060 square feet i n 1993. This i s not a healthy development. We need to show our next generation the pattern that i s emerging i n our l i v i n g habits. How else w i l l they understand the implications of our d a i l y choices? We need to teach them that ...as l i v i n g standards r i s e , more and more people l i v e on ecological carrying capacity 'imported' from somewhere else. The obvious follow up question i s : how long w i l l i t be before we run out of 'somewhere else'? (Answer: we already have.) If the so-called 'advanced' countries continue to promote a l i f e s t y l e whose s a t i s f a c t i o n w i l l require the equivalent of several more planets, they' are, i n effect, b l i n d l y planning t h e i r own demise. The greatest contribution the developed world can make to s u s t a i n a b i l i t y i s to reduce i t s resource consumption by a l l means at i t s disposal...there may well be greater ecological, community and personal merit in learning to l i v e more simply so others can l i v e at a l l . " (ibid 155-6) Maurice Strong, i n an undocumented but unforgettable statement quoted in the Guardian, points out that "a c i t i z e n of an advanced i n d u s t r i a l i s e d nation consumes in si x months the energy that has to l a s t the c i t i z e n of a developing country his entire l i f e . " It i s not f a i r of us not to pass t h i s understanding on to the next generation. They need to know thi s and we need to do something about i t together. Dr. Freda Pagani taught a course t i t l e d " S u s t a i n a b i l i t y " at Royal Roads University i n the summer•of 2003. A statement i n her course outline reads: " S u s t a i n a b i l i t y i s both an idea and a way of doing things, a journey rather than a destination." Our c o l l e c t i v e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s to give young learners the benefit of these insights. Although i t i s an issue that overarches a l l d i s c i p l i n e s and affects us a l l , many teachers are reluctant to tackle the question of s u s t a i n a b i l i t y . We might shrink from t h i s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y because of a lack of knowledge, understanding, optimism, energy, or opportunity. But we are a l l on the planetary journey together and our destination w i l l be bleak i f we do not explore t h i s idea, and fi n d new ways of doing things in our journey together. So how can students understand this and what can we do to learn and practise this approach? Perhaps I w i l l go into production as a poster maker. I can see my artroom spotted with words as well as the ever-changing supply of student work and examples of the fine works of gl o b a l l y aware master a r t i s t s . I think students are each somewhere on the continuum from somewhat to deeply disturbed by the psychological depth charge of present and future environmental degradation. On behalf of future generations, I am too. (I have long assumed that my generation might make i t r e l a t i v e l y unscathed, es p e c i a l l y i n this- very p r i v i l e g e d part of the globe. After watching f i r e and flood so close to home, I am, l i k e many others, now strongly questioning that airy assumption.) So what can we do i n the artroom? I can't r e a l l y start teaching ecology per se - I think students would rebel i f the class began to take on the shape and tenor of a science class. But based upon the b e l i e f , strongly held, that i t a l l hitches up somewhere, that arts and sciences and humanities a l l interlock at the key places, there are some things I can i n i t i a t e into the artroom. I can i n j e c t e cological thinking into our projects. I can encourage students to seek and discuss relevant information so that i n every classroom, not just the non-existent veco' classroom, we can b u i l d a knowledge base, work out and work on strategies for resolving our planetary problems, and b u i l d a confident, o p t i m i s t i c stance for the future. I sometimes t e l l students that, in the fullness of time, I w i l l be j o i n i n g the group that needs to be cared for. And, only h a l f - j o k i n g l y , I add that I see my job i n the classroom as somewhat s e l f - s e r v i n g : my students are the generation that I w i l l be depending upon to take care of things. So I had better get i t r i g h t ! But I recognise at the same time, that dropping the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y on them without some tools i s heavy and unfair. I do not have a very broad s c i e n t i f i c background, although some s c i e n t i f i c rigour was included in the a r c h i t e c t u r a l t r a i n i n g I am' r i c h l y p r i v i l e g e d to have received. And I confess to an indecently recent sharpened i n t e r e s t i n the good health of our planet. When I was a student of architecture in the 1980's, 'green' was, for many students and many of our teachers as well, just another colour. I was t o l d by a professor i n my f i r s t year design studio that my e f f o r t s to f i t out an apartment bu i l d i n g with solar devices was 'boring' and that what I was meant to learn i n th i s studio was good, strong and e x c i t i n g design. Furthermore, the successful, e f f i c i e n t , experimental solar home, b u i l t by forward looking architecture students near to my campus housing at UBC was summarily demolished one day, as i t was not deemed to be important enough to save, despite the e f f o r t s of some students who were canvassing to have i t preserved. But times, perhaps, are changing. There are some simple measures I was beginning to learn about as a student .architect to conserve resources, choose healthy materials, manifest planetary consciousness. I grabbed a book, vintage 1976, that was being discarded from the Ar c h i t e c t u r a l Reading Room at UBC c a l l e d Low-Cost, Energy E f f i c i e n t Shelter for the owner and builder, edited by Eugene E c c l i , and I have referred to that book from time to time i n designing buildings for friends. I have a k i t produced by CMHC c a l l e d "Your Tools to a Healthy Home". I have long admired and been attentive to the work.of David Rousseau, a friend and former work partner who wrote the very popular and useful book t i t l e d Your Home, Your Health, and Well-Being, which I have also used as a reference and which s i t s on my bookshelf at school.. Some of my students some o f t h e s e mater •r, t h e cour s e of ma i a l s m t h e k i n g t h e i r r o i e c t s I Home, Tour Health, and Well-Being Modes. DESIGNS • SYSTEMS • MATERIALS • RENOVATION • CONSTRUCTION ENVIRONMENTAL iLLNESS - HOME MANAGEMENT - CONTAMINATION TESTS • RESOURCES soldi, and Wéfl-oeinf makes it possible to regain control over the quality of our indoor arning how and where pollutants affect us in our homes (air. water, furnishings, fin-in applying the care full/ explained step-oy-step solutions, we can transform our tful. quiet, clean air. extremely pleasant places "^here are illustrated, practical, pre tn to every conceivable problem, whether for renovations, new homes, whole r a angle room. A special detailed section gives recommendations for those with vity (aJerjy). DavH] Rousseau -s an Architectural designer, environmental researcher, and professional builder m ISBN SV88I79-0I7-6 f i g u r e 39. Dav i d Rousseau s P r a c t i c a l guide-In the a l b e i t few projects I have given students to consider in the artroom that .have an e x p l i c i t e cological component, I have noticed a degree of interest that cheered me. Based upon the knowledge that the exhaust emissions of vehicles contributes a great deal to the p o l l u t i o n of.our a i r , and to the global warming phenomenon, students have set t h e i r energies to work to investigate and design alternative f u e l l e d vehicles which, in some instances show evidence of inte r e s t i n the s c i e n t i f i c aspects of the problem. (Some students responded with lovingly drafted carriages to be pulled by the family horse; one r e p l i e d with an exquisite drawing of a man on a f l y i n g carpet - i t i s an artroom a f t e r a l l . ) And some students are interested in i n vestigating simple solutions for making buildings e c o l o g i c a l l y sound. • I can't push i t to the point where students are turned o f f and unwilling to investigate these options, but, where there i s interest, I am ready with simple materials, to encourage some s c i e n t i f i c rigour. And some students, with whom I have discussed a project i n which e c o l o g i c a l l y sound housing i s researched and designed, responded very favourably to what they termed the 'challenge'. These projects are elaborated upon i n the Primer. There are some fine examples of handsome and sustainble buildings which can serve as models to ins p i r e and dir e c t eco-motivated energies of students. Following are some views of the C.K.Choi Building at UBC, which opened i n 1996 and features reused and recycled materials, natural rather than energy wasting v e n t i l a t i o n systems, highly e f f i c i e n t l i g h t i n g , and the novel composting t o i l e t s and grey water r e c y c l i n g system. I would t h i n k a f i e l d t r i p t o t h i s i n s p i r i n g b u i l d i n g o r the newer L i u Ce n t r e f o r the Study of G l o b a l I s s u e s , a l s o a t UBC, would be o f g r e a t i n t e r e s t t o s t u d e n t s , f o r a wide range of reasons, i n c l u d i n g the o p p o r t u n i t y t o see f i r s t hand the l e a d i n g edge of sound s u s t a i n a b l e b u i l d i n g p r i n c i p l e s . Green Buildings 3: Swooping for Air C It Choi Institut* 0' Afitn netcwcn vJivveriry o' Bntisn Coiumouj ItEKSHfV M*tiu.»ki Wno.ni Archincts F i g u r e 40. C.K.Choi B u i l d i n g f o r t h e I n s t i t u t e o f A s i a n R e s e a r c h . There i s not a shortage of information about how to l i v e i n a sustainable way, and teachers can e a s i l y locate the necessary materials required to supplement our projects, once chosen. It i s well beyond the scope of t h i s work, and my present expertise, to provide a l i s t of sources. But I do have another story and some advice, passed on from David Suzuki's wonderful book, The Sacred Balance which can be used as i n s p i r a t i o n for students and teachers a l i k e . F i r s t , the story. An architect who David Suzuki c l e a r l y admires, William McDonough, dean of Architecture at the University of V i r g i n i a i n C h a r l o t t e s v i l l e , " l i k e s to c i t e a story related by the ecophilosopher Gregory Bateson: At new College i n Oxford, England,,the huge oak beams of the university's main h a l l are some 12 metres long and 0.5 metre thick. In 1985, dry rot had f i n a l l y weakened them so much that they needed to be replaced. If oak trees of such size could have been found in • England,- they would have cost about US $250,000 per log for a t o t a l replacement cost of about US $50 m i l l i o n . Then the univer s i t y forester informed the administrators that when the main h a l l had been b u i l t 350 years e a r l i e r , the architects had instructed that a grove of oak trees be planted and maintained so that when dry rot set in , about three and a half centuries l a t e r , the beams could be replaced. (Suzuki adds) Now that i s long-term planning, and McDonough believes t h i s has to become standard i n a r c h i t e c t u r a l thinking." (Suzuki 1997, 224-5) We can a l l learn to think t h i s way. And f i n a l l y , the advice. In a section t i t l e d "What can we do?" in Chapter 9 - A New Millenium, David Suzuki, gives a series of simple s u g g e s t i o n s f o r a c t i o n s we can a l l t a k e . I w i l l n o t e here o n l y a few o f the p r a c t i c a l approaches D a v i d S u z u k i s u g g e s t s f o r cha n g i n g the Way we t h i n k and l i v e , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h o s e t h a t may connect most r e a d i l y w i t h d e s i g n work i n an artroom: Think c r i t i c a l l y about the information that floods over us. Consider i t s sources carefully... Trust your common sense, your a b i l i t y to assess information... I am w i l l i n g and a b l e t o assemble s i m p l e and u s e a b l e m a t e r i a l s f o r use by s t u d e n t s i n the art r o o m . I do not t h i n k s t u d e n t s w i l l t o l e r a t e my t u r n i n g t h e a r t r o o m i n t o a s c i e n c e l a b , but t h e y seem a g r e e a b l e enough about the p r o s p e c t o f d o i n g some s i m p l e r e s e a r c h on i s s u e s c o n n e c t e d t o d e s i g n p r o j e c t s . Ones who r e s i s t w i l l not be pushed. F o l l o w i n g are some r e s o u r c e s I keep handy: t i t F i g u r e 41. CMHC pamph l e t s - r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e from CMHC o f f i c e s . Suzuki continues: P r o j e c t your mind f a r ahead i n t o the f u t u r e and c o n s i d e r the problems t h a t we are l e a v i n g as a l e g a c y f o r our c h i l d r e n and grandchildren... This projection and the recording of deliberations might be easier for art students because of the accumulation of graphic s k i l l s and confidence, and the habit of creative envisioning. I can see how t h i s can be integrated into a project for students to consider the future and the works of a r t i s t s who have portrayed future p o s s i b i l i t i e s as well. R e f l e c t on how we can meet our fundamental needs w h i l e a l s o making a living... I have observed that students l i k e to engage i n conversations regarding our needs as opposed to our wants. This obviously has an eff e c t upon subjects chosen for design projects and upon outcomes. Data such as the e a r l i e r mentioned information about the increase i n house size over time i s i n t e r e s t i n g and relevant for young people who are forming, t h e i r attitudes and l i f e patterns. They want to l i v e well on the earth, they c e r t a i n l y Want the planet to be well, and they are w i l l i n g to put considerable thought into the designs for l i v i n g that they develop i n art classes as well as elsewhere. Over the years, I have noted that students love to design places for themselves and th e i r families: a personal sanctuary, a home for themselves and/or t h e i r family - these topics engage the i r deep attention over an extended period in some instances. I have not emphasised as much as I might have, the challenge of designing for the eco-benign quality that Suzuki suggests, but I w i l l in the future. I can see very f e r t i l e p o s s i b i l i t i e s here for gently s h i f t i n g the emphasis towards an eco-planetary commitment with respect to place making. 4 - Work to get your home as ecologically benign as possible. Of the three Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle - reducing i s by far the most important precept-Reduction of size and ov e r a l l material use i s a r a t i o n a l , supportable approach to design, not d i f f i c u l t to understand, support and integrate into planning. - Lest anyone despair, i t i s worth remembering Margaret Mead's words : "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, i t i s the only thing that ever has." (Suzuki 1997, 209-218) This well known maxim provides a very suitable connector to the next section of thi s document regarding the connections of my c u r r i c u l a r proposals to broader themes of architecture. Thinking of ourselves as part of a community, and engaging i n c o l l e c t i v e actions together, i s the l o g i c a l extension of our deliberations i n bringing the ideas of sustainable design into the artroom. 3.5 Social responsibility, Community action Some people don't have a place. This i s obscene. My p e r s o n a l focus f o r my p r o f e s s i o n a l and v o l u n t a r y energy, i n much of my a d u l t l i f e , has leaned towards involvement i n community a c t i o n a g a i n s t the e f f e c t s of poverty. I have long b e l i e v e d t h a t human d w e l l i n g c o n s i d e r a t i o n s are something I c o u l d most m e a n i n g f u l l y address. T h i s c r y s t a l l i s e d i n t o a l i f e p a t t e r n f o r me over c o f f e e one morning many years ago, with a s o c i a l worker, then working at the emergency s e r v i c e s o f f i c e on Drake Street,, Vancouver. She had j u s t t o l d me how hard i t was f o r her to d e a l with women who came to her i n the night to ask f o r help i n f i n d i n g a p l a c e to stay. A f t e r a l l the s h e l t e r p l a c e s were f i l l e d , t h i s s o c i a l worker r o u t i n e l y gave the women two d o l l a r s - so that they c o u l d buy c o f f e e i n a café and wait f o r the s h e l t e r s to empty out i n the morning. ( E x i s t i n g s e r v i c e s are, i f anything, under even more pres s u r e c u r r e n t l y . ) I was h o r r i f i e d at the thought - but even more h o r r i f i e d by what t h i s k i n d l y and good woman s a i d next: "Housing i s not my i s s u e . " At that moment, something came c l e a r f o r me. I r e a l i s e d we must choose our i s s u e s and move them ahead as best we can. I c o u l d never r e c o n c i l e how a woman i n charge of s e t t l i n g homeless women co u l d t h i n k t h a t "housing" was not her i s s u e , but I do r e c o g n i s e t h a t we a l l need to choose where our e n e r g i e s are going to be spent, and to focus our work so that goals can be achieved. Personally, I don't lean nearly so e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y towards promoting the harder s c i e n t i f i c aspects of sustainable development. I do, however, understand that without wise attention to ecological matters, other human considerations may not be relevant for much longer. The Canada and Agenda 21 commentary document, already referred to i n an e a r l i e r section, devotes a chapter to combatting poverty. Two sentences jump o f f the page for me: " S u s t a i n a b i l i t y cannot be achieved without eradicating poverty." (p.1,Chapter 3) And, furthermore, "The rel a t i o n s h i p between poverty and degradation of the environment i s evident."(p.3,Chapter 3) The commentary continues with the observation that the causes of poverty, which are rooted both g l o b a l l y and nationally, r e s u l t i n diminished access to economic, s o c i a l , and p o l i t i c a l options for the poor. The thrust of the e f f o r t to eradicate poverty i s thus to regain access by the poor of options, and to transform oppressive systems using a multi-sectoral and m u l t i - d i s c i p l i n a r y approach. The commentary asserts that "poverty eradication and s u s t a i n a b i l i t y w i l l be achieved through community based development strategies... transformation of ... p o l i c i e s that impede successful development e f f o r t s , and mechanisms for communities and governments to share i n p o l i c y formation." (ibid) So what does this have to do with the artroom? How can the students i n an art course get involved in t h i s sharing of s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ? I believe that the artroom can be an important learning ground for acquiring the s k i l l s and understanding e s s e n t i a l to the movement against poverty. Obviously, students must be made aware of the poverty that e x i s t s : i n our own neighbourhoods, in our c i t i e s , and further a f i e l d . Envisioning solutions, not simply for the a l l e v i a t i o n of homelessness, but to the underlying causes of poverty and homelessness, can be part of imaginative deliberations i n the artroom. Another of David Suzuki's proposals for action, found i n The Sacred Balance: Get involved... action invariably precedes a profound sh i f t in values, so actually doing something i s important. In the process, one learns and becomes committed.. I sponsor a student club at school c a l l e d Colts that Care and Colts Humanitarian Aid. I am always delighted on Mondays at lunchtime when my classroom f i l l s up with over seventy students who have come to sign up for volunteer hours i n the community and for fundraising for global projects. I believe that much of the motivation springs from a simple desire to make the world a better-place. We joke sometimes about how good volunteer work looks on a resume, but I think there i s much more to i t than that. These students have,raised many thousands of dollars for good global causes and have given s i m i l a r l y thousands of hours of t h e i r time for causes i n the community. It i s many of these students who have spent hours- making posters and informative artwork which enlightens the general population of our school with respect to issues surrounding the r e a l i t y of poverty and the a l l e v i a t i o n of poverty. The i n t e r e s t and energies are there; i t i s up to educators to guide that impulse and to provide some scope for action. We can o f f e r design projects that .promote thoughtful, e c o l o g i c a l responses as part of the art curriculum - the opportunity to combine the wish to l i v e well with p r a c t i c a l investigations of how to accomplish t h i s . We can o f f e r students opportunities to do and to learn and to learn commitment. The Ministry of Education has drafted (February 2000) a document c a l l e d Social Responsibility which reinforces the ideal of encouraging such a component in the curriculum. A 'rating scale' for s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s included i n the Performance Standards document, which might seem a b i t fatuous to some, but which provides some food for thought regarding behaviour goals we might embrace. The several aspects of behaviour to be rated are: 1. Contributing to the classroom and school community 2. Solving problems i n peaceful ways 3. Valuing d i v e r s i t y and defending human rights and 4. Exercising democratic rights and r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . A way of meeting and/or exceeding the f i r s t goal i s a r t i c u l a t e d in t h i s way: "works a c t i v e l y to improve the school or community: often volunteers for extra r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s and shows leadership s k i l l s " . While I am not sure whether the p r o v i n c i a l Ministry would inte r p r e t these goals i n the same manner that I might do, I can see that some of the a c t i v i t i e s one might provide i n the artroom might well serve to help students meet these l i b e r a l goals. So what can we DO? Art students can play a major role in the simple act of b e a u t i f i c a t i o n of t h e i r surroundings, and i n providing thoughtful works of art to provoke thought or even to promote ec o l o g i c a l values. I consider these acts of environmental enhancement to be an important aspect of the art curriculum and am well aware of the power of such acts for students. Because our school was scheduled to be demolished i n 2004, T was granted permission from the School D i s t r i c t to embark on a vigorous program of school b e a u t i f i c a t i o n for the l a s t two years of our building's l i f e . This involves the painting of wall murals i n spots throughout the school and the painting of students' lockers, which proved to be a very popular a c t i v i t y . This l i f t e d our s p i r i t s and possibly helped.to reduce the vandalism that might have arisen i n our old,, soon to be abandoned school building. At another point i n our recent history, in answer to a school-wide question "What can we DO to help people less fortunate than ourselves?", students in my art classes researched and recreated at very large scale the logos of many of the major helping organisations available to people experiencing the impulse to get involved. In every corridor of the school, logos were displayed, which t i e d i n with the theme of an assembly involving the entire school community. Many students, e s p e c i a l l y the 'Colts that Care' have spent countless hours creating well-researched public education posters for the school which focus on themes of poverty, p a r t i c u l a r l y related to the work of "Doctors Without Borders'. Much of t h i s work was done outside of class time - students often spend hours a f t e r school i n the artroom, engaged i n such tasks. With respect to goal 4, 'exercising democratic rights and r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s ' , the school i n general, and the artroom in p a r t i c u l a r can play a rewarding role in fostering t h i s kind of development. From the rating scale, we see that a way of meeting and/or exceeding the expectations of the fourth goal i s : "shows a strong sense of community-mindedness and accountability; can describe and work toward an ideal future for the world". This c a l l s to mind the words of an African theologian, Emmanuel Tehindrazanarivelo, who t e l l s us: ...the African t r a d i t i o n sees education as a process of bringing a sense of awareness to people; that i s , an awareness of worth, belonging, and r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ; a sense of t r a d i t i o n , roots, and projection - a sense of being human within a community. The knowledge produced through education provides people with a v i s i o n that makes them able to interpret and to be creative so they can produce action as an expression of t h e i r own l i f e and the l i f e of the community." (Arnold et a l , 1991, 150) Global i n i t i a t i v e s Every year for the l a s t ten, the students and teachers of a l o c a l l y developed course at our school c a l l e d Global Perspectives have v i s i t e d an area that i s experiencing hardship, and work together with the l o c a l people of that area to complete a project. Some of the countries these students and teachers have v i s i t e d include r u r a l and i s o l a t e d parts of Ecuador, Guatemala, the Philippines, China, Thailand, Guatemala and Santa Domingo and Cuba. At times, art students have provided support to t h i s program, perhaps by making a scale a r c h i t e c t u r a l model of a building to be constructed i n the r u r a l area, perhaps by sending art work along as g i f t s to students i n the area, or by helping to p u b l i c i s e fundraising events for the program. Although such projects c l e a r l y involve much beyond the d i s c i p l i n e of art, the meaningful actions of t h i s program s t r i k e me as a d e f i n i t e example of community action at i t s f i n e s t . Such programs, of which art can be an important component, are to me exemplary models of social, r e s p o n s i b i l i t y education. There are lo t s of things we can do that don't involve leaving our own country, or even our own neighbourhood in some instances. Understand our local reality In a recent study t i t l e d homelessness - THE MAKING AND UNMAKING OF A CRISIS, Jack Layton, formerly a Vice-President of the Federation of Canadian Mun i c i p a l i t i e s and Toronto City Councillor t e l l s us that "On Toronto streets, one homeless c i t i z e n dies every six days". (Layton 2000, xix) He believes that homelessness i s "a s o c i a l construction, a r e s u l t of our c o l l e c t i v e actions as a society, an a r t i f a c t . " ( i b i d xxi) To me i t seems that i f t h i s i s true, the unmaking of homelessness could be a re s u l t of our c o l l e c t i v e actions as well. Theories and research abounds with respect to the causes of and reasons for homelessness. The media and the l i t e r a t u r e c i t e the main factors: economic downturn, unemployment and underemployment, changes i n ' s o c i a l and medical ( p a r t i c u l a r l y mental health) policy, g e n t r i f i c a t i o n - the l i s t goes on. But i t i s a r e l a t i v e l y recent problem. Layton notes that "computer searches of Canadian newspapers of the '60s, '70s or early '80s yields no mention of the word homelessness.(ibid 3) 1987, The International Year of the Homeless, brought attention to this phenomenon to the public eye. It i s important for students, as the generation to i n h e r i t t h i s s o c i e t a l , and perhaps personal problem, to understand homelessness and i t s ramifications. I think students need to understand the facts about homelessness and as well, need to be given the opportunity to address the problem and seek solutions to both the a l l e v i a t i o n of and the eradication of th i s form of advanced poverty. The Toronto group CERA, Centre for Equality Rights In Accommodation, i s one of many a r t i c u l a t e and vocal groups whose mission i t i s to see that we are informed about th i s problem as a society. They assert that in 1976, our country r a t i f i e d the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which ensures that everyone enjoys an adequate standard of l i v i n g . Recently the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cu l t u r a l Rights has expressed grave concern that Canada i s allowing v i o l a t i o n s (documented by CERA) of the right to adequate housing to occur, and has recommended that the problem of homelessness i n Canada be addressed as a national emergency. CERA's charting of how the "epidemic" and "national disaster" of homelessness has spread i n Canada since that covenant was signed i s i l l u m i n a t i n g and s u c c i n c t l y expressed at t h e i r website -(www.equaiityrighs.org/cera/docs/tcupdate.rtf.) Such action groups perform a valuable service to interested students and other c i t i z e n s by making t h i s information r e a d i l y available. CERA's Test Case L i t i g a t i o n s are bringing people whose rights have been denied to the courts a l l across Canada in an e f f o r t to p u b l i c i s e t h i s problem and to claim fundamental rights for the disadvantaged. Most students I broach t h i s subject with, in the inner c i t y (Richmond) school of very mixed economic l e v e l s where I teach,'are not aware of the reasons why the few panhandlers they see i n the streets are there, asking for money or work. Few of my students are aware that, only a few miles from t h e i r r e l a t i v e l y comfortable neighbourhood, s i t s the postal code zone which i s documented to have the lowest per-capita income in a l l of Canada - the Downtown Eastside community of Vancouver. Students arrive with t h e i r own personal biases to the discussion regarding why the problem exists and what we should do about i t . I have found that students are interested and w i l l i n g to do the research and spend t h e i r creative energies involved i n t h i s issue. This kind of creative problem finding and solving i s well suited to the artroom as well as other classrooms. In t h e i r collaborative e f f o r t . Educating for a Change, the authors assert that " s o c i a l change education encourages people to i d e n t i f y , value and contribute what they know so they can solve problems together. The s o c i a l change educator must design d i f f e r e n t processes that a c t i v e l y i n v i t e such j o i n t learning and problem solving". (Arnold et a l 1991, 127) Such educative action t i e s together the creative problem solving common to the artroom, the m u l t i - d i s c i p l i n a r y thrust of the educational system, and the s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y goals a r t i c u l a t e d i n the B.C. Ministry Performance Standards. Such action also brings to l i f e the Afri c a n theologian's abovequoted goal to create i n students "a sense of being a l i v e within a community". Such action i n the classroom also meets the d e f i n i t i o n of the authors of Educating for a Change that education i s : A way to help people c r i t i c a l l y evaluate and understand themselves and the world around them, to see themselves as active participants i n that world. Our hopes for s o c i a l transformation are ignited as people come to see themselves as creators of culture, history and an alternate s o c i a l vision... (ibid 151) In th i s way, my e f f o r t s at educational research, should they be meeting some of these goals, push past the o r i g i n a l goals of educational action research to become par t i c i p a t o r y s o c i e t a l action, to the degree that we see ourselves - myself and the students - as active participants and co-learners with respect to the s o c i e t a l change that we address. In the continued support that we give one another as researchers, designers, learner/students and participants i n our society, as we probe for causes and solutions together to a painful aspect of our Canadian r e a l i t y , we might reach the transformation goals of education described e a r l i e r by M i l l e r and S e l l e r . Poverty - a definite culture in our multicultural, p l u r a l i s t society A young Philippino boy, recently arrived i n Canada and separated from his Philippino-Canadian friends i n the course of an alt e r c a t i o n , was l a t e l y beaten to death by a group of young Indo-Canadians near a schoolyard. The ensuing debate focused upon whether or not t h i s was a 'ra c i s t ' incident. In our part of the world, we have achieved a quite sophisticated l e v e l of m u l t i - c u l t u r a l acceptance, as the extent of our c o l l e c t i v e l y expressed g r i e f over this death w i l l perhaps att e s t . And perhaps we read too much into t h i s incident. It may well be that i t i s not the t i p of a 'ra c i s t ' iceberg, but a h o r r i b l y unfortunate accident that happened between two groups of boys of d i f f e r e n t ethnic backgrounds. I am heartened when I read accounts of students-come-lately to Canada who t e l l t h e i r stories of i n i t i a l culture shock and f r u s t r a t i o n and eventual integration and feelings of acceptance i n the culture we are a l l working to evolve here. It i s an exciting aspect of our contemporary l i f e in t h i s region and I perceive a generally optimistic appraisal of our growing successes, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n my school community. Art has a place in t h i s s e t t l i n g . A curriculum-that embraces and celebrates the p l u r a l i s t i c nature of our region supports and encourages th i s s e t t l i n g and the common understanding that must grow i f we are to t r u l y become a society, a l l together. Dr. F.Graeme Chalmers, presently David Lam Chair i n M u l t i c u l t u r a l Education and Professor of Art Education at UBC, asserts that 'multicultural' means acknowledging more than just ethnic differences, that we need to recognise " a l l aspects of c u l t u r a l d i v e r s i t y " (Chalmers, 1996,4) which includes such differences as economic situation, class, age and a b i l i t y , gender and sexual orientation, as well as the much focused upon et h n i c i t y . I have noted my perception that the multivarious e t h n i c i t i e s have been well-served in our region. The arts, not to mention s o c i a l action i n general, have proceeded well beyond the tokenism that precedes a f u l l e r understanding of meaningful m u l t i c u l t u r a l orientation. We are, I think, generally moving past the l i m i t i n g Eurocentrism that characterised much of our art studies previously. To focus t h i s issue to the area of architecture, I see a cheering array of styles emerging i n the b u i l t form of the region which r e f l e c t s our acceptance of our d i v e r s i t y . Except for the sometimes painful discussions surrounding the so-called 'monster' houses, the architecture of t h i s region i s perhaps generally accepted as riche r for t h i s d i v e r s i t y . F i g u r e 4 2 . S e a b i r d S u s t a i n a b l e C o m m u n i t y p r o j e c t , t h e R o u n d h o u s e . But Graeme Chalmers i n c l u d e s a quote i n h i s d i s c u s s i o n o f p l u r a l i s m which b r i n g s me t o a l o n g pause: " n o t h i n g human need be f o r e i g n i n a m u l t i c u l t u r a l s o c i e t y " , ( i b i d 7, r e f . K a t t n e r ) In my s c h o o l community, the c u l t u r e of p o v e r t y i s , i f p r e s e n t , h i d d e n , not w e l l acknowledged and c e r t a i n l y not w e l l - u n d e r s t o o d by those who do not e x p e r i e n c e i t d i r e c t l y . Graeme Chalmers urges us t o ask "Why do we make A r t ? How do we use A r t ? And what i s A r t f o r ? He su g g e s t s t h a t we s h o u l d encourage s t u d e n t s t o a c t as a n t h r o p o l o g i s t s , t o s t u d y a r t t o i d e n t i f y what m a t t e r s i n a c u l t u r e . He p o s i t s t h a t A r t i s "what a c u l t u r e says i t i s " , i n the sense t h a t a r t i s a " r e p o s i t o r y o f c u l t u r a l meaning". ( i b i d 30) Perhaps we c o u l d the same about a r c h i t e c t u r e . By r e a d i n g t h e e x i s t i n g b u i l t c u l t u r e , we can d e r i v e a g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f how d w e l l e r s see themselves and what i s i m p o r t a n t t o them. By making a r t (and a r c h i t e c t u r e ) we i d e n t i f y ourselves and our aspirations, and provide for s o c i a l and c u l t u r a l change. Art (and architecture) can become a "powerful pervasive force that helps to shape our attitudes, b e l i e f s , values and behaviours." (ibid 31) Dr. Chalmers asserts that we need to i n s i s t upon inclusion of art that has perhaps been overlooked or marginalised in the past i n the Eurocentric orientation that we have favoured. He c i t e s murals, street art, public art, as areas of art history that we should not overlook. Certainly i f we focus on the b u i l t environment, as i s the intention here, the merging of the b u i l t form with art i s a very compelling study. Consider a Cuban street mural, or a highly embellished I r i s h neighbourhood, or a high school corridor with public art which has served to enhance and i d e n t i f y the culture and make manifest aspirations ranging from simple aesthetic, to p o l i t i c a l , to deeply s p i r i t u a l issues. Figure 43. Cuban p u b l i c a r t . The poor are an aspect of our culture less well known than perhaps any ethnicity that i s a part of our society There exists a subculture of poverty i n our culture, as di f f e r e n t from the mainstream as i f the people were from a distant unpronounceable land, l i t t l e heard of and seldom v i s i t e d by ourselves. The Gap exists, between the mainstream and the poor, and s t a t i s t i c s n o t i f y us that i t • i s widening. Representatives of a l l e t h n i c i t i e s are found i n t h i s culture of poverty, but some groups are overrepresented to be sure. I think i t i s one of our jobs i n the schools to shed l i g h t upon t h i s culture as well as a l l the other cultures we examine and celebrate. If we are to have a properly integrated culture, we w i l l need not only to understand th i s aspect of our culture, but we w i l l need to act upon thi s understanding - act appropriately upon th i s understanding. This means no tokenism, no shallow responses, but well grounded, informed and authentic responses to genuine issues. Inasmuch as the fortunate ones understand t h i s subculture hardly at a l l , we need to act with care and s e n s i t i v i t y i n order not to make painful mistakes. Perhaps i t i s t h i s fear of error that keeps us from responding when a ragged panhandler approaches us. Perhaps i t i s thi s fear that l e t s us turn a b l i n d eye to the troubles of the disadvantaged people i n our midst, who are c o r r a l l e d into such areas as the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. We need to know about the people who have no place to l i v e , who are tucked into crevasses at the margins of our ex i s t i n g b u i l t culture. We need to understand what i t i s l i k e for so many of the people of our regions who l i v e in substandard or even t o t a l l y inhumane conditions. I think i f we know about these conditions, i f we l e t our students know about these conditions, the urge to do something about t h i s s i t u a t i o n naturally follows. I read stories to my students, and otherwise make available information about the poor i n our culture and in other cultures as well. I t e l l them about the recent photographic i n i t i a t i v e of the 2004 Downtown Eastside P o r t r a i t Calendar i n which 110 black and white disposable cameras were handed out to residents of the area i n order to f a c i l i t a t e image making of the i r neighbourhood. I show them the photographs of the resu l t i n g calendar, along with a l l the other a r t i s t i c and informative images I can fin d that w i l l help them to understand poverty. Figure 44. Photographs from the Downtown Eastside Photographers' 2004 calendar. There Is a whole connection with Vancouver and our environment and what our environ-ment baa to blame far the serious heroin and cocaine abuse. I think one of the reasons why tfim fa happening m because they tear down buildings, for example, across from Eaton's. If that building waa there, people would ba in there, doing things, living, working... and it's gone. It's this big hugs empty lot that's like this tooth that's been pulled out of the smile of Vancouver. The way we treat architecture and specs In this city is really connected, I think, to heroin abuse, tf there were mora gardons and less asphalt this wouldn't be ao much of a problem and I really believe that. This has been my neighbourhood for twenty years So when these gsls ask ms, where are you from, I say Tm from right here - where are you from?' I think that these women can bo saved, snd should be saved. A ht of people think that this is Vancouver's problem, but these woman come from all aver Canada. They're not all from the Downtown East Side. They're from everywhere In Canada. These kids, those women have parents and relatives all over Canada, from coast to coast. Its a national problem. 'I'd really like to see these gals look at themselves a Uttte bit differantty and have a lit-tle bit of respect for themselves and try to get their dreams happening because they all have dreams, all have great expectations end they all have plana snd fantasies. It would be realty B-eat if this could be a turning point for them. • s personal thing to have a record of your-self, snd these gsls hsvs a record of them-sshms in the heroin ghetto. So I'd like it if they couid took bade and he Inspired by these pho-tographs and fd Oka them to fust ah... buy s oneway ticket somewhere aha and get the monkey off their back. Therm are a lot of sixteen year-olds, seven-tsen yaar-ofoa down here, that I realty hope are not hers ten years from now. And I encourage them to change their minds shout being there. You know, I say to them. Isn't there some-where that you'd like to go?".../ get them to talk about their dreams so they dont forget them. A lot of times I ask them whet they | n t e r r P o v e j t y : Enter S h i ( l - • I t dimension Vancouver's Darkest Cloud by A. Peter Jubb If you can judge a chain by its weakest link, can you judge a city by its poorest neighborhood? That sure would make tourism easy wouldn't it? You could bypass Manhattan for the Bronx, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica for Compton, or in our case Robson Street and Stanley Park for the sketchy alleys and taverns of the Downtown East Side So what would a tour of the Downtown East Side be like? What makes the neighborhood really stand out from the rest of Vancouver? Down near Gassy Jack your first tour guide might be Neil from London Ontario who was kicked out of his house when he was 13 for trying weed Since then. Neil's family has mostly been Charity end fvy Neil is also unemployed as a runner. From E to e Z, Neil will find it ell for you (gratuities expected, of course]. On his arm of the journey Neil will probably tell you that there is in fact a lot of good on the streets, tt's like a famify, hell say., Everyone watching and searching. wanting and needing - buying and selling somehow brings them together. Everyone has a buddy, but few have friends. Neil might introduce you to his friends Mr. Brownstone, Harry Jones and his brother Blanco in the alley behind 30 Hastings. Here you can collect free hype sticks and water bottles! Then Neil might make tracks in Chinatown where hell chase the dragon across the street from Sun Yat Sen Gardens. Don't worry, cops don't believe in dragons, he'll tHI you Up the street in Memorial Park, your next guide might be Dave from Abbotsford. who won't tell you anything about himself but hell offer you a cigarette. Dave's one of this city's newest rock stars, king of his own sensa-tions, part of the coke generation. And although he spends most of his time on the streets he is quite bitter Well, to get the best for worst) view of this part of town it is best to start at night in the area commonly known as Zombie Town, or what I like to call the Belushi Belt which is famous for its quantity of heroin and coke users The streets end alleys between Pender and Cordova and from Gambie to Main typify this area's financially challenged population. Despite the destitution the area enjoys a dynamic economy and its rest-dents are highly mobile. Although there ere no tours of this bois-terous district, any number of residents will offer you a unique glimpse of up or down on these The streets ere tough, hell tell you. The only bande that play here ere rubber; the perfume is always opium, the fashion is always retro grunge. A rat's worth of saloons rumbling with sticky barstools, gym bags, and missing teeth. A minefield for the soul. mis Food For Thought" Figure 45. Excerpt from Taxi, a l o c a l newspaper. I explain to my students the extent of the s o c i a l dysfunction that has emerged in the neighbourhood, and I explain how cruel i t i s to turn the area into a gawk-show, by cruising through to take a look. I believe, however, there i s much we can do, as 'mainstreamers', to understand, to a l l e v i a t e and to work towards eradication of poverty i n our culture and in the global culture as well. Students love to discuss issues of relevance. I might draw a l i n e down the centre of the artroom and write 'yes' at one end and 'no' a t the o t h e r . I might ask the s t u d e n t s i f t h e y t h i n k t h e y s h o u l d g i v e money t o someone i n the s t r e e t who asks f o r i t . Take your p l a c e on the l i n e , and e x p l a i n why you are t h e r e . (I might ask them t o w r i t e t h e i r name and t h e date on the l i n e , as we might r e v i s i t the l i n e l a t e r , a f t e r some d i s c u s s i o n . ) I want s t u d e n t s t o t a k e a p o s i t i o n , t o f o r m u l a t e and t o share t h e i r v i e w s . I want t o i n t r o d u c e d a t a f o r them t o stud y , s t o r i e s f o r them t o hear, a r t f o r them t o l o o k a t , q u e s t i o n s f o r them t o ponder, dilemmas f o r them t o i n v e s t i g a t e . And e v e n t u a l l y , I want t o g i v e them o p p o r t u n i t y t o t a k e some a c t i o n , a l b e i t l i m i t e d a t t h i s s t a g e . I might ask them t o c o n s i d e r l i f e i n a s h e l t e r f o r homeless p e o p l e . There a r e l o t s o f ways we can l e a r n about t h i s r e a l i t y w i t h o u t t u r n i n g the peop l e we are concerned about i n t o monkeys i n a zoo. Many so u r c e s of i n f o r m a t i o n e x i s t , and I would g u i d e s t u d e n t s t o those r e s o u r c e s . Perhaps t h i s would l e a d t o some d e s i g n i n i t i a t i v e s . I c o u l d show them the r e s u l t s o f some d e s i g n i n i t i a t i v e s o f o t h e r s . M I X . Architecture's rising stars Stephanie Fors\the and Todd MacAllen have won almost every design competition they have entered TREVOR BOODDY , >v/,icA iu more , „ , „ o n e ™ ™ «7 M , nom* „ » A eootw ?w) * "**" « • « M O N A « A , A T T « „ E , R T ( ^ ) ^ P " , V " ' C D ^ having Figure 95 _ Sample pages ! » * O M t inditidu,!! " £ X m C n , b , : r ° f "™ l*»J » «O** in tt control I, i, „ ' ,1"" "° P " ' °' *« °"' 1 0 P"t'c.pa, t ;„ c o m m „ „ a , Jn"CY, and „ „ „ ttach c h . U « ? , | ! ! h,° P ' 0 V I * " ™ and „ „ ™fof f r o m ^ t t e r n ^ L ^ u a a e ^ ^ ^ ^ <;<„) ,_!<; OWN , o F ONE 5 -» «> ° n , ! \ t „r .«x ï . * * * * " * ""'Li KB*** ' If. ..., - room " l u an c 100OV 5 J "wgc*"-S a n c t u a r y i s a f a s c i n a t i n g concept f o r t e e n a g e r s , i t seems. Many examples e x i s t o f l o v e l y and i m a g i n a t i v e measures which p e o p l e have d e v i s e d t o respond t o t h e i r needs f o r peace and p r i v a c y . GEORGE BERNARD SHAW'S WRITING HUT 8' x 8' 64 square feet George Bernard Shaw, perhaps the most significant British playwright since the seventeenth century, wrote his most creative work, including his plays Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, Back to Methuselah, and Saint Joan, in a little writing hut at the bottom of his garden at his home in England. Shaw designed the hut himself as a tiny office built on a cen-tral steel-pole frame so that it could be manually rotated to follow the arc of the sun. He worked alone and loved his privacy; he even adjusted his telephone for outgoing calls only. 6 8 69 Figure 96. George Bernard Shaw's sanctuary (Tiny Houses). I think that the opportunity to dream cr e a t i v e l y i s one of the fundamental joys of t h i s project. Students were asked to consider possible 'programs' that would su i t t h e i r circumstances and personal preferences. Simply put: who would be allowed to come in to the personal sanctuary, and what would be the a c t i v i t i e s that would take place there. Results of these deliberations tend to range from simple, singular design intentions, to complex, s o c i a l , action-packed design b r i e f s . Figure 97. Student worksheet prepared f o r t h i s p r o j e c t . Students can brainstorm i n t h e i r sketchbooks, and t h i s preliminary dreaming phase can be a very enjoyable part of the project. Some students might want to simply convert t h e i r bedroom to a more elaborate or l i v e l i e r or more pleasant place, others might want to design a f a n c i f u l free-standing building the l i k e s of which has never been seen before. The task as I see i t i s to give students the design tools to enable the development and manifestation of the idea at least i n drawing and model form. Once students have accumulated some confidence i n drawing buildings from observation, however simple the re s u l t s may be, they usually understand that i f approached systematically, drawing a building i s actually not such a d i f f i c u l t operation as they may have once thought. (I have a secret theory that most buildings are a c t u a l l y quite easy to draw.' If they weren't, they would l i k e l y never have been designed or b u i l t . This of course excludes some of the very ex c i t i n g work done by some of the b r i l l i a n t a r c h i t e c t s , some computer generated/designed structures, and some buildings made without the aid of drawings.) At any rate, buoyed by some success, students are perhaps less l i k e l y to be frightened by the prospect of drawing a building that doesn't exist - except i n t h e i r own imaginations. But f i r s t , the idea needs to be developed. Back to dreaming. I have never been as clear and a r t i c u l a t e i n my classroom about the steps i n the design process as Bardach i s i n his e i g h t f o l d path to design (discussed i n Chapter 3 ) , and I think I w i l l t r y to be more a r t i c u l a t e about the methodology of design i n the future. I do believe that i f enough envisioning takes place, the program, including cast of characters and range of a c t i v i t i e s becomes clear, and a good responsive design almost naturally flows out of t h i s d e l i b e r a t i o n . Bardach suggests the f i r s t step might be stated: 'define the problem'. Speculating about what might be or as Bardach puts i t 'assembling some evidence' or 'thinking and hustling data' can engage students for hours i f they are shown simple ways to express what they are thinking. In order to plan e f f e c t i v e l y on paper, students need to know simple conventions for plan, section, elevation drawings and how to show walls, windows openings and to sketch massing. Out come the green peppers to remind about these simple views, and a few l i n e s sketched on the board or a chart are a l l that i s r e a l l y needed to get students moving towards a design. It i s a very simple vocabulary that i s required: Students need to know these rudimentary drawing techniques so they can do what I might c a l l fooling around with some ideas or what corresponds to Bardach's step 'construct the alterna t i v e s ' . Ideas should be kept sketchy at t h i s point; nothing done i n thi s phase should be too precious. Otherwise too much energy gets invested i n the product, and further exploration might be precluded. Figure 98. Simple conventions f o r drawing plans. Figure 99. Sample p r e l i m i n a r y sketches. Classes are u s u a l l y m u l t i - l e v e l . Results vary, but not n e c e s s a r i l y c o n s i s t e n t l y with l e v e l or age. The generated ideas, wishes and dreams need to be analysed and evaluated i n some way - what i s most satisfactory, and which ideas are within the realm of p o s s i b i l i t y at least to be manifested i n drawing and/or model form. This i s the process that Bardach c a l l s 'selecting the c r i t e r i a ' . In the r e a l i t y of an actual building, many constraints are entertained at t h i s stage. In art class, some of the 'real l i f e ' factors can be included or excluded at w i l l : economics, materials, s o c i a l r e a l i t i e s , zoning bylaws, and the l i k e . We can decide i f economics w i l l matter i n t h i s project, and consider how d i f f e r e n t i t might be i f we take one decision about economic constraints rather than the other. We can assume that the planning department w i l l accept our creations, or we could study the bylaws to see i f our ideas w i l l be welcomed or at least allowed. Or we can cheerfully ignore a l l these considerations i f students are at a stage where learning to be free and p l a y f u l with ideas i s most appropriate. Having generated some alternatives, we might push those ideas a l i t t l e to see what might come of them. Again, Bardach c a l l s t h i s "projecting the outcomes'. This requires a l e v e l of patience that many students at high school l e v e l do not e a s i l y find, but i f we can promote th i s sort of exploration, students w i l l t r u l y be engaging i n the richness of the design process rather than rushing to the f i n a l solution too quickly. I t r y to encourage students to make working models, which are patched together roughly to test ideas - c l e a r l y d i f f e r e n t from the finished model i n l e v e l of craftsmanship. A l l but a few students r e s i s t this idea and l i k e to make t h e i r models as well crafted and beautiful as possible, right from the star t . Figure 100. A working model of l i t t l e investment i n time and c a r e f u l c r a f t . Once some e x p l o r a t i o n o f p o s s i b l e a l t e r n a t i v e s has t a k e n p l a c e , i t comes time t o d e c i d e upon a c o u r s e o f a c t i o n and th e n c l e a r drawings o f t h e i d e a and a model t o communicate the concept are p r e p a r e d . T h i s s t a g e does not need t o be to o i n f l e x i b l y t i e d t o a d e c i s i o n - changes can s t i l l be made i n t h e m o d e l l i n g up t o the time o f c o m p l e t i o n . Figure 101. Model made with love and care. I ask s t u d e n t s t o b e g i n m o d e l l i n g by drawing a p e r s o n t o s c a l e on c a r d - then t h e house can be made t o pers o n s c a l e . I n t e r e s t e d s t u d e n t s a r e encouraged t o e x p l o r e the use o f th e a r c h i t e c t u r a l s c a l e , but some choose t o f o r e g o t h i s t o o l . S t udents o f t e n d e s i g n on graph paper and s e t the s c a l e a p p r o p r i a t e t o t h e i r needs. Some s i m p l y draw a s c a l e p e r s o n t o h e l p g u i d e the drawing, -1À -1 •A-1 1 AT Figure 102. Human sc a l e examples guide a r c h i t e c t s i n t h e i r d e l i b e r a t i o n s . Figure 104. A rendering of a sanctuary. I have found t h i s to be a very s a t i s f y i n g project for students who are new to design. It can be from the heart and successful even for students who aren't ready to take too many chances i n the artroom, and i t can be a highly imaginative exercise for those students who are ready to take an imaginative f l i g h t . Figure 105. Examples of student sanctuary models. One student even nested her sanctuary below the water i n a large pool. Figure 108. Pool t a b l e s and giant screens f i g u r e d prominently i n designs. Figure 109. Many students simply made an i d e a l bedroom, some very s i m i l a r i n type to t h e i r own rooms at home. On r e f l e c t i o n I can see that t h i s project i s a good way to introduce the p o s s i b i l i t i e s of pursuing alternatives and applying some rigour with respect to the analysis and evaluation of new ideas. In the next i t e r a t i o n s , I w i l l t r y to put more emphasis upon, and fi n d more ways to express, the stages of the design process, p a r t i c u l a r l y as ar t i c u l a t e d by Bardach, to give students a richer experience i n the generation and consideration of p o s s i b i l i t i e s . Another way thi s whole lesson sequence (including the next topic - a family retreat) can be developed i s by introducing and a r t i c u l a t i n g as c l e a r l y as possible some of the concepts discussed i n the phenomenology section of thi s document. I could encourage students to understand t h e i r dreams more f u l l y by appealing to t h e i r senses when they are dreaming t h e i r sanctuary: not just what goes on there?, who i s allowed to come in?, (creating a place story) but what about the views, the colours, the textures, the style, the smells, the sounds, the feelings engendered, the moods evoked, the l i s t s of adjectives we could make to describe i t , the types of spaces - for example, cosy or open?, the comforts provided. I could guide students to show in words and/or pictures what makes the place special? What makes i t unique?, what makes i t decidedly yours? Upon r e f l e c t i o n , I don't think I have ever done enough of thi s sort of dream-guiding when we have approached t h i s project. I think i t i s help f u l to lead students through some of these considerations. Additionally, I might try, another time when thi s project i s underway, to ask students to f i n d a place that i s al i k e i n some quality - not the space they would create, but one that has some s i m i l a r i t y . I might ask them to make notes about t h e i r experience i n that space - much l i k e my phenomenological t r i p to the pool, recounted i n Chapter 3. I might sometime ask students to f i n d a poem or a story that could f i t the place, some music that would go well with t h e i r vision, some art pieces that could be displayed there, some clothing they might wear to spend time there. Students were able to look at materials catalogues and paint colours, and they could investigate these resources c a r e f u l l y , even to the point of preparing materials and colour boards for t h e i r creations. Alternately, most students enjoyed showing colours, sample materials, even s p e c i a l l y designed furniture as part of the modelling exercise. Also, although I did ask students to have some sense of the s i t e or context for t h e i r design, much more could be done to bring the relationship of the designed space to the exi s t i n g space to l i f e . I once asked a prospective c l i e n t to send me a small box f u l l of b i t s of vegetation c o l l e c t e d from her s i t e , and a verbal/visual description of the views at various times of the day from her s i t e . This was a very enjoyable exercise for us both. I could ask students at the beginning of the year to 'adopt a s i t e ' - to sketch i t maybe once a week i n t h e i r sketchbook, perhaps guiding them to focus upon a range of considerations.: vegetation and changes through the seasons, views out and i n , neighbours, passers-thro', even guesses about the history of the s i t e and potential s i t e development. F i g u r e 110. Some s t u d e n t s c o n s i d e r e d s i t e - t h e beach. I asked s t u d e n t s t o w r i t e a d e s i g n b r i e f o r program (who and what happens t h e r e ) and t o draw some s k e t c h e s b e f o r e commencing w i t h model b u i l d i n g . I would show s t u d e n t s some of the i n s p i r i n g , f r e e s k e t c h e s made by the masters i n the d e s i g n phase. (See Chapter 3 - the Phenomenology s e c t i o n f o r some examples.) Next time I would show s t u d e n t s how t o make a x o n o m e t r i c drawings - which a re s u r p r i s i n g l y easy t o p r e p a r e . F i g u r e 111. a x o n o m e t r i c d r a w i n g - s i m p l y t w i s t t h e p l a n t o an a n g l e , keep a l l v e r t i c a l s j u s t t h a t : v e r t i c a l . Next time as w e l l , I would encourage m o d e l l i n g as e x p l o r a t i o n more, r a t h e r than l e t t i n g the emphasis f a l l on t h e c r a f t of m o d e l l i n g f o r t h i s e x e r c i s e . With a p r o j e c t o f t h i s scope, I would be i n c l i n e d t o save some of the large modelling techniques suggested i n the Phenomenology section for the more sophisticated project to follow - the family retreat. This idea of sanctuary can take many forms, and can be a very personal or a communal project. It seems to me that the envisioning of sanctuary can be a wonderful way to lead students to the understanding that place can be, as Eudora Welty declared, something that heals, soothes, and f i l l s the vacuum that humans, i n the course of l i v i n g . t h e i r l i v e s , can experience a l l too often. We can make places that make us f e e l better. 6. f a m i l y r e t r e a t A more complex project also on.the sanctuary theme - a family retreat - might require a more sophisticated design process than the previous personal sanctuary project. Some of the more detailed phenomenological approaches to design might be here explored as well, as suggested by Joel Shack learning experience links 3 R's: Receive messages from precedents (awareness of the environment) and Respond to perceived human need Educative value: More complex but similar goals to those i n the previous lesson. Practice using the a n a l y t i c a l tools, exploration of form - right and l e f t brain integration. Connection to Architectural/Art themes: Again, s i m i l a r goals to lesson 5.with some emphasis on a phenomenological approach to the design question. For t h i s project, I have d e f i n i t e l y emphasised the r e l a t i o n s h i p of the designed building with the s i t e ' o r loc a t i o n . Perhaps sensible economic considerations can be thrown to the winds - perhaps not - i t needs to be clear whether money i s a constraint or not - but c l e a r l y s i t e i s l i k e l y to be an i n t e g r a l part of t h i s project. I have started with some guided envisioning of a place where one's family could go to retreat from the routines of d a i l y l i f e . Students might sketch some lovely settings, real or imagined, where they would envision t h e i r family, could rest and relax'together. Joel Shack suggests what he c a l l s 'deep immersion' i n the s i t e i n a l l seasons, which again, could be r e a l or imagined, but would expand the understanding of the circumstances i f a l l seasons were to be considered. I have noticed that forests and water figure prominently i n many schemes done by students in the past, but some students are reluctant to move too far from the a r t e r i a l s that could f a c i l i t a t e a quick transport back to t h e i r friends and t h e i r d a i l y l i v e s . Be that as i t may, students could be guided to consider the group of people who w i l l use the retreat, and the neighbours, and the neighbourhood, in as much d e t a i l as seems reasonable. Moreover, i f at a l l possible, precedent examples can possibly be found, i n r e a l i t y and i n the media, which might stimulate and insp i r e , but which should not be allowed to dominate the design process. Inasmuch as families can be very complex e n t i t i e s , I introduce the idea of 'zoning' a building to accommodate the range of privacy-communal requirements, which even members of very small families c l e a r l y understand. The making of 'bubble diagrams', a' tool used i n the planning stages by designers to enable f l e x i b l e t e s t i n g of alternatives, i s re a d i l y understood and easy for students to use. _-_ Figure 112. Examples of bubble diagrams. I c o u l d show an example o f a bubble diagram, which s i m p l y r e c o r d s , u s i n g n o t h i n g more f a n c y than c i r c l e s drawn on a page, the r e l a t i v e s i z e o f spaces r e q u i r e d , and some i n f o r m a t i o n r e g a r d i n g the r e l a t i o n s h i p o f spaces t o one a n o t h e r . Codes can be developed: spaces t h a t are v e r y c l o s e l y r e l a t e d can be j o i n e d w i t h a t h i c k l i n e , t h i n n e r l i n e s can j o i n spaces of l e s s i m p o r t a n t c o n n e c t i o n , jaggedy s t r o n g l i n e s can s e p a r a t e spaces t h a t s h o u l d be kept s e p a r a t e . I use the word 'spaces' a t t h i s s t a g e , r a t h e r than 'rooms', t o h e l p keep t h i n k i n g open and f l e x i b l e about what might comprise t h i s r e t r e a t . 'Rooms' are i n many minds q u i t e d e f i n e d spaces, w i t h p a r t i c u l a r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s t h a t may be d i f f i c u l t t o q u e s t i o n . A 'space' might t a k e forms not yet d e f i n e d and/or assumed. We c o u l d s t a r t w i t h l i s t s o f i n h a b i t a n t s , t h e i r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , and spaces r e q u i r e d , o r we c o u l d move r i g h t on w i t h bubble diagrams once the i n i t i a l e n v i s i o n i n g of s i t e and b u i l d i n g u s e r s / i n h a b i t a n t s i s done. I t r i e d a v a r i a t i o n on the bubble diagram l a s t time I d i d t h i s p r o j e c t which was v e r y s u c c e s s f u l . I made a v a i l a b l e a l o t of l i g h t c a r d b o a r d s t r i p s , l o t s of tape and some l i g h t c a r d b o a r d s h e e t s and c o n s t r u c t i o n paper. S t u d e n t s were asked t o make a rough s y m b o l i c s i t e on the c a r d s h e e t s , and the n t o work w i t h the s t r i p s o f c a r d t o form t h r e e -d i m e n s i o n a l bubble diagrams on the mock-up of the s i t e . From t h e s e p r e l i m i n a r y s t u d i e s w i t h s i m p l e c a r d b o a r d s t r i p s , my s t u d e n t s moved t o s i m p l e s k e t c h e s and then s i m p l e m o d e l l i n g t e c h n i q u e s and f i n a l p r e s e n t a t i o n models. Figure 114. Simple p r e s e n t a t i o n models. On r e f l e c t i o n , and from d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h o t h e r s , e s p e c i a l l y J o e l Shack, I see t h a t t h i s c o u l d become a much r i c h e r e x e r c i s e . J o e l s u g g e s t s t h a t we might "make of e v e r y b u i l d i n g a ' s o c i e t y of rooms'- (rooms, not j u s t f l e x i b l e s p a c e ) " which t h i s form of bubble diagramming seems t o s u p p o r t . T h i s i s f i n e w i t h me as l o n g as s t u d e n t s do not adhere too c l o s e l y t o t h e i r i d e a s about s p e c i f i c rooms: bedroom, k i t c h e n e t c . They need t o be encouraged t o i n v e n t new ways f o r a bedroom or a k i t c h e n t o be c o n f i g u r e d . They need t o q u e s t i o n what t h e y know about th e s e rooms. J o e l f u r t h e r s u g g e s t s t h a t we t h i n k on what the b u i l d i n g as a whole and each major p a r t 'wants t o be'- i d e a s which can sometimes be g e n e r a t e d by a good bubble diagram and i m a g i n a t i v e d r e a m i n g / s k e t c h i n g combined. D e v e l o p i n g a p l a c e s t o r y or p o s s i b l e s c e n a r i o s t h a t might u n f o l d i n the p r o j e c t i s a d e l i g h t f u l way f o r s t u d e n t s t o sharpen t h e i r v i s i o n of what might be i n t h e i r d e s i g n e d p l a c e . But t h i s can be deepened by f u r t h e r s p e c u l a t i o n r e g a r d i n g what might have happened p r e v i o u s l y on t h a t s i t e , and what might happen t h e r e as a f a m i l y r e t r e a t comes t o l i f e . T h i s k i n d o f i m a g i n i n g b r i n g s t o the p r o j e c t a v i v a c i t y and depth t h a t a s i m p l e s t o r y or l i s t (or program of b u i l d i n g elements and space s i z e s ) c o u l d not, on i t s own, p r o v i d e . Students can be encouraged to experiment with various ways of responding to these imagined place s t o r i e s . They can be guided to try some alternative designs with respect to b u i l t form and arrangement that could accommodate t h e i r dreams. Annotated drawings wherein simple words and phrases help to thicken out ideas regarding how l i f e might enfold i n the retreat can be a lovely element of the design process. And students can evaluate t h e i r ideas by doing as Joel also suggests "read stories into t h e i r drawings to test authenticity" - i . e . imagine i f t h e i r l i f e stories r e a l l y could be accommodated in t h e i r creation. Students as well can l i k e l y be persuaded to try to do some simple drawings to i l l u s t r a t e key parts of t h e i r design -to show what a walkthrough of t h e i r creation might reveal. Perhaps th i s could be connected to the plan view. I have noted i n the past that some students l i k e to show with arrows on plan i n which d i r e c t i o n they are looking and to draw what they might see from that vantage point. Those that are drawn to t h i s careful investigative drawing might benefit from encouragement to c r y s t a l l i s e t h e i r visions in th i s way. This project can be taken i n many directions, and students can decide how far they i n d i v i d u a l l y wish to take the ideas. Some students choose to get very elaborate and grand, others choose the simple l i f e . The p r o j e c t a l s o c o u l d be used t o i n t e g r a t e some o f the i d e a s of s u s t a i n a b l e development: h e a l t h y c h o i c e s w i t h r e s p e c t t o m a t e r i a l s and t e c h n o l o g y , the ' s m a l l i s b e a u t i f u l ' approach can w e l l be a p p l i e d t o r e s t and r e l a x a t i o n , and c e r t a i n l y such elements as a l t e r n a t e h e a t i n g and c o o l i n g and waste management c o u l d be e x p l o r e d . I n my next go'round, I am newly m o t i v a t e d t o gu i d e s t u d e n t s t o i n v e s t i g a t e how t h e i r f a m i l y r e t r e a t c o u l d be based upon some o f t h e s e s i m p l e p r i n c i p l e s of s u s t a i n a b i l i t y . One s t u d e n t chose t o d e s i g n a t i n y r e t r e a t t h a t i n c o r p o r a t e d s o l a r p a n e l s on the r o o f . She d i d some r e s e a r c h and p r o u d l y d e s c r i b e d the green a s p e c t o f her d e s i g n a t the group p r e s e n t a t i o n . With t h i s p r o j e c t , t h e Figure 1 1 7 . Model views - some chose to develop a very elaborate sanctuary. 7. unpave -community process The i n d i v i d u a l s i t e , and even the i n d i v i d u a l house and yard, are to the landscape region what the single c e l l i s to the human body. Just as the health of the human body i s dependent on the health of a l l i t s c e l l s , so the ecological health of a landscape region i s dependent on the health of i t s i n d i v i d u a l s i t e s . Patrick Condon (quoted i n the Vancouver Sun September 6, 2003 p.C2) learning experience links 3 R's : Respond to human needs in a s p i r i t of cooperation and s o c i a l Responsibility Educative value: Engage kinesthetic and mathematical l o g i c a l ways of learning, and gives practice i n v i s u a l i s i n g . Transmit simple concept of f u l l scale. Practice interpersonal s k i l l s , exploration of form - right and l e f t brain integration. Connection to Architectural/Art themes : Large drawings to be made. Practice with the steps of the design process (on your feet for the most part) and a phenomenological approach to design. Community action with issues of s u s t a i n a b i l i t y to consider. I would venture to guess that almost every area where students congregate to be educated has paving thereabouts. And I would further o f f e r that some of that paving i s not necessary. Moreover, the process of paving the earth can cause problems. In a feature news a r t i c l e concerned with 'The New (sustainable) Suburbia' p a r t i c u l a r l y Surrey's East Clayton housing development, b i l l e d as a part of North America's new housing revolution, some emerging ideas for planning sustainable communities are outlined. In 1995, the Surrey Municipal Council, led by the mayor Doug McCallum, i n concert with Patrick Condon, UBCs James Taylor Research Chair i n Landscape and Livable Environments, began to move forward with a planning process and a scheme to design a sustainable community which conformed to emerging national, regional and l o c a l p o l i c i e s .promoting sustainable development. Although t h i s p a r t i c u l a r project demonstrates the controversy and messiness common to leading edge exploration and change, some of the operating p r i n c i p l e s attempted i n the development might be of inte r e s t to students i n the art studio. With respect to paving, one of the 'green' p r i n c i p l e s for s u s t a i n a b i l i t y i s a c l e a r l y a r t i c u l a t e d goal i n t h i s housing development. The designers wanted to: Preserve the natural environment and promote natural drainage systems (in which storm water i s held on the surface and permitted to seep natu r a l l y into the ground). William Boei, The Vancouver Sun, 6 September, 2003 page C4 Surrey i s highly paved, and drainage has long been a problem i n the municipality. In the a r t i c l e i t i s noted that "Low-lying parts of Surrey had been flooding more often since the old forests were cut down, and the more land was paved, the worse the flooding became." (ibid, C3] Surrey provides a good example of thoughtful response to damage accrued by over-paving, and a further excerpt from t h i s feature story i n the Sun provides s u f f i c i e n t background to at least get students thinking about the rationale for reducing paving, and what measures might be i n i t i a t e d . Riparian parkway cross-section 0.6m 2i-3im . 15m 2.2-3.2m Varies: 9.5m -10m L5m The East Clayton project features a proposed "riparian parkway" - a 27-metre-wide arterial road complex that includes four lanes of traffic, two walking paths, three boulevard areas with trees, and an artificial stream that would be green space most of the year, but during wet weather would carry excess rainfall to an artificial wetlands area. Source; James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Livable Environments Today, McCallum insists, development in Sur-rey is "well controlled," and "East Clayton is just a good example of that." Surrey is civilizing most of the highways and major arterials that angle across its landscape, adding grass medians, trees and boulevards. Even before East Clayton came along, McCal-lum says, Surrey was nudging developers to build more back lanes and narrower streets so as to dis-courage neighbourhoods from turning to park-ing lots. "It's been very effective in the newer commu-nities," he says. "By narrowing the streets, we're forcing the cars off the streets and they have to start to use their garages." Surrey has been encouraging small-lot subdi-visions for several years. And McCallum adds that Surrey has sworn off massive shopping cen-tres like the one at Guildford, which require vast stretches of land to be paved. "You're not going to see those huge paved parking lots any more." Surrey is also pushing the use of porous drive-ways that absorb water, and it has spent big mon-ey in the past four years to strengthen dikes, build pump stations, improve drainage and reduce the frequent flooding that has plagued the lowlands, especially in the flood plains of the Serpentine and Nicomekl rivers. Perhaps most significantly, the city has built Surrey Lake, a four-hectare artificial lake on the boundary between the uplands and the lowlands, which serves as a massive detention pond for runoff water. McCallum, whose administration built it, calls it "an environmental masterpiece" that not only helps control flooding by holding water until it can drain through natural systems, but is also growing into a bird sanctuary, salmon habitat and recreation area Surrey Lake opened just last year and "what we have found this year for the first time is a huge number of fields being farmed which had never been farmed in the history of Surrey," McCallum says. That includes Fry's Corner, a low-lying area near the Serpentine River where the Fraser High-way crosses 176th Avenue. It hadn't been planted in at least 30 or 40 years due to frequent flood-ing, but McCallum says it's growing a crop this year. Figure 118. Excerpt from the a r t i c l e quoted above. I t h i n k t h i s (or a s i m i l a r package of) i n f o r m a t i o n i s s u f f i c i e n t t o make s t u d e n t s aware of the i s s u e s s u r r o u n d i n g n a t u r a l d r a i n a g e , and the r a t i o n a l e f o r t h i n k i n g about 'unpaving' our land. I would not want to produce a resistance to t h i s information by providing too much s c i e n t i f i c data i n the artroom. Certainly interested students could be guided to investigate the questions of natural drainage more thoroughly, but in general, a simple rationale should s u f f i c e . Once students understand that unnecessary overpaving i s causing problems, i t i s a fine, l i f e - a f f i r m i n g i n i t i a t i v e to f i n d such a place and consider what might be done i f the paving process were to be reversed: vunpave'. I see t h i s project as an opportunity to pursue two goals -a small contribution to greening of our neighbourhood, at least i n theory, and an opportunity to practise working communally to achieve a desired goal. I t r i e d t h i s project at a school that had a massive parking l o t that was underutilised by cars. While some parts of the paving were used for games, some of the hard surface was not needed and could have been unpaved. We talked i n the classroom about other ways the paved area could be u t i l i s e d . Suggestions were made which included gazebo type shelters - some of rather f u t u r i s t i c design, and others which included provisions for simple sanctuary. Students organised themselves into groups, and with some preliminary discussion and sketching on paper at t h e i r desks, began to plan what they might do to redevelop the excessive paved area outside the school. Figure 119. A simple preliminary sketch When the time seemed ripe, and I think I made a poor c a l l as to when that time arrived, each student was given a piece of chalk and ushered out the door to begin sketching, d i r e c t l y onto the pavement, t h e i r schemes at f u l l scale. They were very highly motivated, and keen to get out there and begin drawing on the asphalt. Figure 120. Student at work on the paved area. I wish I could c a l l those students back together into the classroom now. I saw, upon r e f l e c t i o n then, and even more c l e a r l y now, that I missed a wonderful opportunity to encourage collaboration amongst the groups. While the small groups were very successful at working together to decide what t h e i r creation might be, and how to set i t out upon the paved surface, the entire arrangement lacked coordination. When the students and I noticed t h i s , we t r i e d a t r i c k often attempted in the b u i l t world: to soften our mistakes with vegetation. To the students' credit, they were able to see the joke in th i s , and we a l l learned something about community planning by recognising our error. The rain soon washed away our e f f o r t s , and I wish I had found the time to r e v i s i t t h i s exercise with that group. F i g u r e 121. Drawings and f u l l s c a l e p l a n s on pavement. I have t r i e d t h i s p r o j e c t w i t h o t h e r , younger s t u d e n t s , who were t h r i l l e d a t the i d e a of c h a l k i n g t h e i r d e s i g n s a t f u l l s c a l e as w e l l . I t i s a w o n d e r f u l way t o c l a r i f y t h e p l a n view and t o encourage t h e a b i l i t y t o v i s u a l i s e . I now see t h a t a l t h o u g h each e f f o r t I have made i n t h i s p r o j e c t 'unpave' has produced some e x c i t i n g r e s u l t s , the i d e a can be v e r y much e n r i c h e d by i n c l u d i n g c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e r a t i o n a l e f o r s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , and the e x e r c i s e o f c o l l a b o r a t i v e s k i l l s a t b o t h the s m a l l group and l a r g e r group l e v e l . With t h i s emphasis, the a s p e c t of s o c i a l l y r e s p o n s i b l e d e s i g n can be f o c u s s e d upon, and v a l u a b l e s k i l l s o b t a i n e d . Furthermore, t h e a c t i o n o f w o r k i n g a t the f u l l s c a l e c r e a t e s the o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x p l o r e the i d e a s o f f e r e d by J o e l Shack i n t h e s e c t i o n on phenomenology. We might, a f t e r making a f u l l - s i z e l a y o u t on t h e ground, t r y making a s k e t c h c o l l a g e o f views o f what we might see i n o t h e r d imensions as we a c t u a l l y move t h r o u g h the h o r i z o n t a l p l a n view. T h i s a c t i o n would b r i n g the p l a n s t o l i f e i n a way t h a t might e x t e n d the v i s i o n i n g i n t o a new and e x c i t i n g r e a l m . Figure 122. Students working together on t h i s cooperative p r o j e c t . G e n e r a l l y , when we t h i n k of paving, we t h i n k of a s p h a l t : p a r k i n g l o t s , driveways, roads, and the l i k e . I am s t r e t c h i n g the p o i n t here, but perhaps when a patch of l a n d i s i n a c c e s s i b l e f o r some reason, we c o u l d m e t a p h o r i c a l l y at l e a s t , c a l l i t 'paved'. A b e a u t i f u l v a r i a t i o n on the i d e a of sanctuary, d i s c u s s e d i n the p r e v i o u s s e c t i o n , i s the c r e a t i o n of a communal-sanctuary by a group w i l l i n g to donate some energy to the common good. I have seen a few l o v e l y examples of t h i s , and would i n c l u d e them here i n the l e s s o n sequence c a l l e d 'unpave'. The f i r s t example i s a recent development by the N ' g y s t l e S o c i e t y , a group of people d e d i c a t e d to forming a h e a l i n g community, on Haida Gwaii (formerly c a l l e d the Queen C h a r l o t t e I s l a n d s ) . T h i s group and s u p p o r t i v e v o l u n t e e r s d e c i d e d t o make a sanctuary space behind t h e i r community o f f i c e s , on a patch of land badly overgrown, i n e f f e c t 'paved', with brambles and weeds. A f t e r c o u n t l e s s hours of very d i f f i c u l t l a b o u r removing the t h i c k and p r i c k l y growth, they c l e a r e d a p l a c e where tog e t h e r they c o u l d begin t o e n v i s i o n a p e a c e f u l outdoor space. They wanted to make a p l a c e where they c o u l d s i t outdoors and q u i e t l y meditate or converse with o t h e r s . V a r i o u s people i n the community o f f e r e d ideas and hard work, and soon a l o v e l y communal sanctuary was underway. Gravel was de c i d e d upon t o thwart the r e t u r n of the brambles. Someone c o n t r i b u t e d an e v o c a t i v e p i e c e of driftw o o d , another added a p r e c i o u s g l a s s f l o a t found on the beach, p l a n t i n g s were i n t r o d u c e d and garden s t a t u a r y , a bench and a p i c n i c t a b l e were p r o v i d e d . F i g u r e 123. The s a n c t u a r y g a r d e n i n S k i d e g a t e . Inasmuch as my students have r e c e n t l y moved i n t o a new s c h o o l , and complaints are heard along the l i n e s of "our s c h o o l looks l i k e every other s c h o o l now", th e r e may be some o p p o r t u n i t y to t r y some communal development of spaces i n my very near f u t u r e . I t h i n k i t i s q u i t e s a f e to say t h a t each s c h o o l has some l i t t l e area t h a t c o u l d b e n e f i t from c o l l a b o r a t i v e student a t t e n t i o n . Perhaps t h i s i s a wonderful a r t p r o j e c t w a i t i n g to u n f o l d . 8.community u p l i f t providing a r e f i t learning experience links 3 R's : Receive messages of the environment, Respond to human needs i n a s p i r i t of cooperation and s o c i a l R e s ponsibility Educative value: Gives practice in v i s u a l i s i n g what might be appropriate interventions. Practice interpersonal s k i l l s , negotiation and working together. Connection to Architectural/Art themes: Recognise that simple interventions can raise the qual i t y of the environment and discover personal e f f i c a c y . Expressive art making. I spent four very happy years teaching i n an old school, slated for demolition and replacement. Although the school could have been said to be crumbling about our ears, the school community was generally happy there. Over the f i v e decades t h i s school had operated, many layers and accretions - signs of l i f e had been applied, and few would ever have commented that the school lacked 'soul'. The fact that the building's shelf l i f e was soon to be reached provided a stimulus for me to do some serious decoration. I saw i t as the opportunity to dress up and honour t h i s old building before the demolition crews arrived. After some serious negotiation with the school d i s t r i c t and the head of the painting crew i n par t i c u l a r , I received permission to launch a r e f i t i n i t i a t i v e at the old school. (This permission i s sometimes d i f f i c u l t to obtain as union regulations discourage anyone other than CUPE members from doing any action that might be part of someone's job description.) painting lockers and murals My request was for permission to make paintings on the lockers and, where appropriate, murals on the walls. I needed to show that the operation would be well controlled, and that inappropriate art work would not be included. At the agreement stage, af t e r many months of sporadic discussion, the painting crew foreman even gave me a number of used cans of paint to use i n the project. In order to 'control' the locker painting project, I devised a design sheet for students to use to plan t h e i r artwork, and to demonstrate appropriateness. It had to be signed by myself before paint would be given out. In the i n i t i a l stages, u n t i l our very supportive p r i n c i p a l was assured that there wouldn't be inappropriate paintings l i n i n g our h a l l s and frightening the grade 8's, (not to mention t h e i r parents), the designs had to be vetted by the administration as well. The d e s i g n sheet p r o v e d t o be a good i d e a . S t u d e n t s had a chance t o d e v e l o p t h e i r i d e a s a l i t t l e , b o t h i n t h e i r s k e t c h b o o k s and f i n a l l y on the d e s i g n s h e e t , and any w i l d , f r i g h t e n i n g o r o t h e r w i s e i n a d v i s a b l e i d e a s were c o n v e r t e d i n t o w o r k a b l e ones. I n i t i a l l y , o n l y s t u d e n t s e n r o l l e d i n my a r t c l a s s e s were a l l o w e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e , but soon another a r t t e a c h e r got i n v o l v e d f o r a time i n the p r o j e c t as w e l l . B e f o r e l o n g , t h e p r o j e c t was opened up t o the e n t i r e s c h o o l and many s t u d e n t s who were not e n r o l l e d i n V i s u a l A r t s got i n v o l v e d . A l l s t u d e n t s f o l l o w e d the same procedure o f d e s i g n / a p p r o v a l b e f o r e sandpaper, p a i n t and brushes were r e c e i v e d . A few s t u d e n t s t r i e d t o i n j e c t some s u b v e r s i v e , not t o mention unapproved, c o n t e n t i n t o t h e i r p a i n t i n g s , but p a i n t i n g over was the a c c e p t e d n e x t s t e p . A f t e r t h r e e y e a r s o f p a i n t i n g , our o l d s c h o o l l o o k e d d e l i g h t f u l . Some f i n e p a i n t i n g s were p a i n t e d over by new owners of the l o c k e r s a t the s t a r t of new s c h o o l y e a r s , but m o s t l y s t u d e n t s a r r a n g e d t o p a i n t someone e l s e ' s l o c k e r i f th e y were a s s i g n e d one i n September t h a t a l r e a d y had an ar t w o r k on i t . I was a b l e t o purchase t e n o f the p a i n t e d l o c k e r s from the d e m o l i t i o n / s a l v a g e company. These w i l l be mounted on a c o n c r e t e w a l l i n t h e new s c h o o l t o b r i n g some ' s o u l ' and even ' g h o s t i e s ' of the o l d b u i l d i n g i n t o our new, F i g u r e 125. L o c k e r s . murals The painting of murals was organised according to a sim i l a r plan. I showed students a model of a design approval drawing, for which i t was necessary to draw a simple elevation of the wall to be painted, complete with landmarks to i d e n t i f y location. Students then would design t h e i r mural and show the colour scheme. Approval received: l e t the painting begin. F i g u r e 128: Sample mural approval drawing. It turned out that far fewer students wished to be involved in mural painting than i n locker painting, but a few good murals resulted from t h i s i n i t i a t i v e . Figure 129. Sample mural proposals and a painted mural. the scrapbook Throughout the time leading up to the departure of our school community from our school building, I asked students to look very c l o s e l y at thi s beloved old building and draw. Sketchbook expeditions were frequently taken when projects were complete, and some of the in-class drawing assignments such as sighting, practice with elevations, shading exercises, etc. were directed to the subject of our school. Students were often surprised to note that a very f a m i l i a r place becomes much more fa m i l i a r and understood when the place i s c a r e f u l l y studied and drawn. We made a huge scrapbook of drawings of the school and of the new school under construction as well. Figure 130. The completed scrapbook. I wish I had been f a m i l i a r with Eileen Adams' ideas about s t y l i s i n g views of f a m i l i a r surroundings before we l e f t the school. I can imagine a lovely set of colourful simple views of the old school, within and without, would have been yet another way to catch the essence of our grand old place. design for a new school -community visioning Although the prospect of a new school f o r our s c h o o l community brought with i t many o p p o r t u n i t i e s to l e a r n about a r c h i t e c t u r e and to dream about what might be, I was r e l u c t a n t t o get my a r t students too i n v o l v e d i n the p l a n n i n g process. Budget c u t s . Many students were n a t u r a l l y i n t e r e s t e d i n what the new s c h o o l might be l i k e . S e v e r a l of my c l a s s e s - E n g l i s h as w e l l as A r t , had done some 'imagineering' e x e r c i s e s when we heard t h a t the new sc h o o l had been approved. These i n v o l v e d c o n s i d e r i n g the gen e r a l s t y l e and tone o f the b u i l d i n g - 'techy' and 'homelike' were the l e a d i n g p r e f e r e n c e s . And I kept the design drawings a v a i l a b l e i n the artroom f o r i n t e r e s t e d students t o read and study. One student, on h i s own i n i t i a t i v e , made a l o v e l y s c a l e model of the s c h o o l . Others drew the new b u i l d i n g s under c o n s t r u c t i o n . And some got i n v o l v e d i n the a r c h i t e c t ' s c o m p e t i t i o n . The a r c h i t e c t o f our new sc h o o l , L a d i H o l o v s k i , o f f e r e d a $200 p r i z e f o r the best i d e a , drawn by an a r t student, regarding•how t o f i t out and decorate the 'student p l a c e ' which i s a c t u a l l y j u s t a very wide p a r t of the c o r r i d o r of the new s c h o o l , near the multi-purpose room and acr o s s from the t e a c h i n g c a f e t e r i a . I was r e l u c t a n t to c a r r y any very s p e c i f i c dreaming too f a r ' because I knew t h a t the deep budget cuts were going to take p l a c e . I d i d not t h i n k that students should become too i n v o l v e d i n a f r u s t r a t i n g s i t u a t i o n where dreams were c l e a r l y not going the come to pass, and where even the s i m p l e s t v i s i o n s would l i k e l y be compromised. (It tu r n s out t h a t the 'student p l a c e ' i n our new sc h o o l i s completely unadorned, p a i n t e d grey, and f u l l of o l d f u r n i t u r e from the o l d s c h o o l . Budget cuts.) Notwithstanding these c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , I d i d t e l l my students that the a r c h i t e c t had made t h i s o f f e r , and, although budget cuts would be l i k e l y , perhaps we could do some envisioning for thi s area, maybe for future reference, maybe just for the exercise. Quite a few students part i c i p a t e d , and c e r t a i n l y the discussions about how teens might l i k e to develop a large, busy and important space in the school were f r u i t f u l . But the economic constraint was foremost i n my mind - our budget was severely slashed - and I did not want to set anyone up for disappointment. Some student schemes involved cheery murals and graphics, l i g h t i n g e f f e c t s , s p e c i a l colour schemes and wall coverings, raised platform arrangements, simple but comfortable furniture arrangements, (such as we had i n the student entry lounge i n the old school), and wonderful f l o o r patterns. I did not keep the entries, but many students were happy to be recognised by the arc h i t e c t - he agreed to s p l i t the money prize seven ways, so the 'contest' aspect was somewhat diminished and the dreaming/wish-list aspect was underscored i n a low-key manner. Perhaps some day we w i l l be able to aff o r d to do some creative interventions i n that area of our new school. I think we a l l need to inhabit the space and think about i t for awhile, and then eventually we w i l l be able to marshall some energy to develop thoughtful, r e a l i s t i c , and achievable design proposals. future iterations I am inspire d by the work of B.C. public school teacher Linda Faulks, who recently delivered a keynote address to the B.C. Art Teachers Association Conference i n Richmond. This energetic.teacher has worked with students to produce over 250 murals for schools, as well as hospitals and other community venues. I am inspired as well by the town of Chemainus on Vancouver Island, which i s b e a u t i f u l l y r e f i t t e d with murals by a range of a r t i s t s and themes. Teachers and students might also want to investigate the p o l i t i c a l mural painting t r a d i t i o n s i n such places as Ireland and Cuba, to name only two of the diverse global sources of i n s p i r a t i o n and guidance. BELFAST MURAL Figure 131. P u b l i c a r t . E m b e l l i s h m e n t of p u b l i c b u i l d i n g s sometimes t a k e s courage and always r e q u i r e s c a r e f u l p l a n n i n g , but i t can be an e n r i c h i n g c o n t r i b u t i o n t o the b u i l t environment, and a d e l i g h t f u l way f o r p e o p l e t o put a p o s i t i v e i m p r i n t upon t h e i r s u r r o u n d i n g s . collaboration The art department i s often asked to collaborate with other d i s c i p l i n e s within the school to provide a r t i s t i c support for projects. One other scheme which Visual Arts students participated in was the embellishing of a g r a f f i t i wall for a school play. This project became the backdrop in the drama classroom for years a f t e r the play, adding a l i v e l y touch to an otherwise drab area. Figure 132. Art students painting sets. 9.product design learning experience links 3 R's: Receive - sharpen p e r c e p t i o n s of some t h i n g we take f o r granted. Respond to p a r t i c u l a r needs of an i n d i v i d u a l . A component of S o c i a l R e s p o n s i b i l i t y - c r e a t i v i t y vs. mass consumerism. E d u c a t i v e v a l u e : Opportunity to develop a n a l y t i c a l problem s o l v i n g and e x p r e s s i v e s k i l l s . V i s u a l i s e what might be a p p r o p r i a t e . Engage v e r b a l / l i n g u i s t i c i n t e l l i g e n c e . Connection to A r c h i t e c t u r a l / A r t themes: Develop drawing to communicate ideas, develop a b i l i t y to generate and e v a l u a t e o p t i o n s . S u s t a i n a b i l i t y c o n s i d e r a t i o n s - products t h a t are kind to the p l a n e t , reuse of r e c y c l a b l e m a t e r i a l s . chairs On the assumption t h a t everyone l i k e s a good p l a c e to s i t , I f i r s t i n t r o d u c e d the t o p i c of c h a i r s to a Woodworking c l a s s i n which I was the Teacher on C a l l , and i n which I was unable, l e g a l l y , to t u r n on the power t o o l s . T h i s s t o r y i s more f u l l y recounted e a r l i e r i n t h i s document. A d d i t i o n a l l y , i n t h a t s i t u a t i o n , I had no idea how long I would be s u b s t i t u t i n g i n the c l a s s , so the p r o j e c t was c o n f i n e d to one 75 minute p e r i o d . I very b r i e f l y o u t l i n e d that d e s i g n i n g f o r a s p e c i f i c person i s q u i t e d i f f e r e n t from mass p r o d u c t i o n f o r the s p e c u l a t i v e market, and I asked the students to s t a r t by l i s t i n g at l e a s t f i v e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the person who would be the r e c i p i e n t of t h e i r c h a i r . I e x p l a i n e d t h a t they c o u l d experiment to f i n d a way to communicate t h e i r i d e a s , and that words and p i c t u r e s together, and sketches from as many angles as seemed necessary would be the scope of the work. I suggested t h a t students t r y to generate a few alternatives, but we were a l l very mindful of the amount of time we would have to complete t h i s project. The results were ac t u a l l y quite d e l i g h t f u l , though the constraint of b u i l d a b i l i t y of a model, or eventually, of an actual product, was not a key part of student considerations. •î)-c-W o o d -Top -5-ter4y ' K I M A b o i W • ) Sp*ed e.o_«,Jiy Figure 147. Snazzy eco-cars. -4W MS •AMI Afjta/i ******* /Vkx A-eÙUc iJkéhmtxMadbif # * ^ I ire".-»» W S E E £ f'l I. ( \ ? • I ' , IN ..... ,-.t,v' ,1 ^ •* Figure 164. Designs f o r s t r e e t d w e l l e r s . . ,,wv ^ ' I « ftjAO 1 a s k e d s t u d e n t s t-i n the n ; . r°° S e t h e i r s t j g e n e r a t e d i« y were £ ° P , r i a t e the n**-„J? a n d t o m a ke P r o j e c t . th^r homeless nT* t 0 m a k e l e n a t u r e o f CO^T: - S « « . ™ - f t , M the p e r s o n . s c a l e Q f the Safe! Te>R.ief'->r' u>t . 5 He>W THI-S I D E A W C O U D H t L P ie. k e k E / 3 3» T t + £ « S T R O M C | E ' S r A S P E C T Re, (E.T T H A T C O O L O S E - M o E E DE-\> E-Lcp&D •. M£.) 4*06 reeds -to hotneJe&b ffieffe tedlt njel| very coin-f^, pla'-e-fo l/i/e.'i l yv/F 1 ' £-RAFTH£>, O P M P - E T E . i spern- a. lot^+ime. on4Vié a rd pufa Wc f e f l b H Wit/ fseujirg l'eae.15 really tard) If /fg> .The next aspect of the project might be to consider what sort of home a person who has been l i v i n g on the street might want. The debate rages i n the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver whether the provision of very small studio apartments i s a humane gesture or simply perpetuates the substandard l i v i n g conditions of the disadvantaged. Some s o c i a l housing advocates i n s i s t that apartments must be a minimum of 400 square feet. Students are interested i n t h i s debate and of f e r well-considered opinions. In another i t e r a t i o n , I would extend t h i s project one more step: to consider and design a dwelling space that might i d e a l l y meet the needs of the o r i g i n a l homeless person envisioned in the May in the l i f e of...' exercise. g l o b a l p e r s p e c t i v e s o n s h a r i n g I have introduced the Global Perspectives program e a r l i e r in t h i s document. The participants i d e n t i f y and respond to a need i n à d i f f e r e n t disadvantaged or stressed community somewhere on the globe each year. Students e n r o l l i n the course, c a l l e d Global Perspectives 12, and commit to fundraising and learning about the country of concern throughout the course. In March of the school year, the students, usually numbering about twenty, v i s i t the community and help to complete a building project of some type, i n i t i a t e d and enabled by the funds raised. The art students support t h i s program i n any way they can: making models of the building project to help participants understand the building project, advertising with posters where needed, donating art works to the fundraising auction. In 2003, the Global Perspectives group t r a v e l l e d to Cuba, a s s i s t i n g r u r a l Cuban workers in a small i n t e r i o r town in the construction of a community building near a school, to replace structures flattened by a recent hurricane. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to see a vernacular building f i r s t i n plan and then in r e a l i t y , p a r t i a l l y powered by the i r own energy. The students were gratef u l for the opportunity to see f i r s t hand and to p a r t i c i p a t e i n an a c t u a l a r c h i t e c t u r a l p r o j e c t . They came away w i t h many new i n s i g h t s , not the l e a s t of which was a new a p p r e c i a t i o n o f t h e energy r e q u i r e d t o produce b u i l t form - p a r t i c u l a r l y i n an a r e a where horse-drawn c a r t s were used t o move b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s and workers as r e q u i r e d . Figure 166. Students at work on a b u i l d i n g i n Calimete, Cuba 1 2 . the world trade learning experience links 3 R ' s Receive messages, Respond to situations appropriately and imaginatively, Social Responsibility Educative Value : Social e t h i c a l debate - interpersonal and intrapersonal, a n a l y t i c a l problem solving, verbal l i n g u i s t i c s k i l l s , transmit scale and modelling techniques, transformational p o s s i b i l i t i e s . Connection to Architectural/Art themes: phenomenological observation and connection of form to requirements of the situation, design process, human s u s t a i n a b i l i t y considerations to be explored, community awareness and action. After the events of September 11, 2001, I noted that many of my students were quite shaken. I in v i t e d them to comment in journal writing a c t i v i t i e s , and in class discussions, reasoning that i f they needed help processing t h e i r responses to the events, the more avenues open, the better. Kids seemed relieved to know i t was ok to be upset and to share t h e i r fears and nightmares. After a certain time had passed, I began to think that some sort of rebuild/recovery response might be helpful, so I i n i t i a t e d a b r i e f project to encourage some possibly healing c r e a t i v i t y on the 'ground-zero s i t e ' Figure 167. Vancouver School of Theology 'Perspectives' Winter 2001 We s t a r t e d by l o o k i n g at t a l l b u i l d i n g s i n g e n e r a l . I found a f a s c i n a t i n g a r t i c l e i n the newspaper which f e a t u r e d a meeting s h o r t l y to take p l a c e at a seven-star h o t e l to seek s o l u t i o n s to world poverty. Nelson Mandela, B i l l C l i n t o n , and B i l l Gates were s l a t e d to make the opening speeches, and the guests i n c l u d e d many heads of s t a t e and l u m i n a r i e s . The i r o n y of t h i s d i s c u s s i o n t a k i n g p l a c e i n a h o t e l i n which s u i t e s cost upwards of $10,000 Cdn. per n i g h t was not l o s t on my students, and they were d e f i n i t e l y i n t e r e s t e d i n s p e c u l a t i n g about t h i s b u i l d i n g - the world's t a l l e s t h o t e l . - W O R L D . Elite to meet at $10,000-a-night Arabian hotel to solve poverty World leaders and celebrities will gather for three days this fall at seven-star hotel LONDON — The world's first seven-star hotel wi l l play host to some of the world's most LnfluentiaJ figures in a unique attempt to thrash out a solution to global poverty. World leaders, scientific pioneers, bi l l ion-aires and music superstars have answered the call from the crown prince of Dubai to a luxurious summit by the Arabian Sea. B i l l Gates, Bi l l Cl in ton and Nelson M a n -dela wi l l make opening speeches at the Bun al-Arab hotel, where diners take a submarine to the restaurant and suites cost more than $10,000 C d n a night. Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart wi l l per-form at the October gathering as an ai fded incent ive for the digni tar ies, w h i c h i t is hoped wi l l include Tony Blair and U S . Pres-ident George W Bush, to lift bill ions o f chi l -dren from poverty. The Business Leaders Forum is support-ing the event and an inv i tat ion has been extended to the Pr ince o f Wales, its presi-dent. Prince Wi l l i am and Prince Harry have also been invi ted to jo in a celebrity po lo match-Organ ize rs hope to raise m i l l i o n s for U N I C E F and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund by broadcasting the all-star concert, held on a beach, on satellite and the Internet Kof i Annan, the U N secretary-general, is expected to sit at the top table wi th James Wolfensohn, president of the Wor ld Bank, and Michael Moore, the director-general of the World Trade Organization. Richard Ho l -brooke, the Amer ican diplomat who mas-terminded the Bosnian peace accord, w i l l be on hand to steer the participants through any tricky negotiations at the three-day event The Burj al-Arab is the world's tallest hotel and contains only suites. Visitors arrive by Rolls-Royce or helicopter. The Daily Telegraph Some of the most influential people in the world will attend an October fund raiser at the Burj al-Arab, the world's tallest and first seven-star hotel. Figure 168 Reprint of the D a i l y Telegraph i n the Vancouver Sun, (date unknown) I explained to the students that architects begin t h e i r process of designing a building, however complex, by developing a 'program' which takes into account and forms record of the basic considerations of the project. Decisions are made and data i s co l l e c t e d regarding the a c t i v i t i e s that w i l l unfold i n the building, the proposed bui l d i n g users, the types and location and size of the spaces that w i l l make up the building, budget, building typology and the l i k e . I asked students to speculate about the program for t h i s hotel, and to f i l l i n a very simple chart recording these speculations. Figure 169. Program sheet. When we began to discuss what might be done with the s i t e of the former World Trade towers, s p i r i t e d discussion resulted i n the classroom. We addressed questions about whether the towers should simply be replaced as they were arranged i n i t i a l l y , or whether something very new and d i f f e r e n t should be erected on the s i t e . Some students r e s i s t e d the idea of thinking about the s i t e , stating t h e i r view that too much attention had already been paid to t h i s event, however awful i t was. Others took a more sentimental view, suggesting that the dead should be memorialised and that monuments to peace and harmony should be erected there. Several students wanted to explore skyscrapers more closely, and to propose that a new, but d i f f e r e n t sort of skyscraper should be b u i l t on the s i t e . One student thought only small scale, very l i f e - a f f i r m i n g projects should be b u i l t there: small hospitals, rest homes, daycares, and other community enterprises should be scattered throughout a park. Those who showed an interest i n skyscraper typology and technology studied the p r o f i l e s of some of the world's t a l l e s t buildings, and some went further to research in more depth. WUJKJLJL» Reaching dizzying heights 550 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 How the new building ranks against other structures 1 Chicago Sun-Times building Iproposed} 2 World Financial Center, Shanghai, China 3 Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 4 Sears Tower, Chicago 5 Jin Mao Bulllding, Shanghai, China 6 World Trade Center. New York 7 Empire State Building, New York 8 Central Plaza, Hong Kong 9 Bank of China, Hong Kong 10 Tuntex and Cheln-Tai Tower, Kaoshlung, Taiwan 11 Amoco Building, Chicago 12 iohn Hancock Tower, Chicago 13 Shun rung Square, Shenzhen, China 14 Sky Central Plaza, Guangzhou 23 Scotia Plaza, Toronto 15 Balyoke Tower II, Bangkok, Thailand 24 Trump World Tower, New York 16 Chrysler Building, New York 17 NatlonBank Plaza, Atlanta IB First Interstate World Center, LA. 19 ATAT Corporate Center, Chicago 20 Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago 21 Effet Tower, Parts 22 First Canada Place, Toronto 25 Canada Trust Tower, Toronto 26 Commerce Court West, Toronto 27 TD Centre, Toronto 28 Seattle Space Needle 29 Wall Centre, Vancouver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Figure 170. Diagram of skyscraper p r o f i l e s . (Vancouver Sun, 21 J u l y , 2001) Some students began to program th e i r own t a l l buildings, others made a rudimentary program, some simple sketches, and moved to model making. It was the end of the school year, and students were anxious to move into the t h i r d d i m e n s i o n , so we d i d not spend a l o t of time on the d e s i g n p r o c e s s . But at the year end e x h i b i t i o n , the room was e n l i v e n e d w i t h a v a r i e t y o f r e s p o n s e s t o the 911 event, and somehow, t h i n g s f e l t a l i t t l e b e t t e r on t h a t s u b j e c t . Figure 171. The WTC s i t e (Maclean's 16 September, 20022 5b l e v e l s " *&Oicv hectares :and, l ining the depression h stone and filling it with 227 lion litres of water diverted n the sea. 1 soon learned that iy more Vancouver-style con-ninium towers aire planned for site — a squadron worth up to tillion, much larger, than our ricord Pacific development; : inspired i l . ; p' ' ne only clue that -this wis . bai and not Dav« 1 ot.GraJte, :et was the dome-like fuis at lop of the condo towers. I Jd later learn that Islamic reli-us authorities had.rejected re fully rounded earlier.vet' ns of these as too closely tmbling mosques.: ubai Marina is "Very False writ" in both senses of the asc: an intensification of the icouver original and very false king to anyone who knows False Creek hlghrlses are similar to those belne built In the Dubai housing project, which look* to Vancouvw f6t Insplrrrtlon. phase of Dubai Marina, a S3-bllllon simulation of Vancouver's most famous wat«r body and Its surrounding residential towers, rise* on the sands of the fesert Just outside of Dubai. Developer Mohammed Al Abbar decided that the Concord PatJflc-styk» to wen would he the/bast Option for Ms housing project. :. In m all architectural history is Kwok said his original concept ndered in Las Vegas' fantastic for Vancouver's Concord Pacific * constructions — and even development came out of 1970s laf boasts .1 saturnine Planet tropical resorts, combined with Mywood — i l stil l seemed the tall, thin lowers of Hong Kong ngc for nie to find so perfect he knew well from working there une ofaCanadiAn city here. To these distant sources was tit whai is amazing is not just added something already cstab-t Canadian expertise built a lished in Vancouver's False Creek mr image of a prominent part South — a commitmrnt to mixing ârteouver so far away, but what social classes and building cora-• borrowing says about our munityand wealth for all through "'* place in the world. Dubai public amenities like parks, day-rum reveals the collision of our care centres and arts facilities, (-conception with how the This social diversity is missing Id actually regards us. in the Dubai project, designed he similarity of Dubai Marina and built as it was by imperial fiat, :nlse Creek Is no accident. In not democratic process. The will 5, developer Mohammed A l and financial wherewithal of jar toured the world looking EMAAR's Al Abbar and the com-the right_approach to the pany's effective owner. Crown eest housing project ever Prince Mohammed bin Rashid A l lertaken in his country and Maktoum, made Dubai Marina >pcd in Vancouver on ibe last materials with blinding speed of his journey home. One of because the company functioned Uibar's closest advisors had as developer, banker, marketer. :ity planning department and ven community, all rolled into me and all rolled oui instantly. But the tiniest of Dubai Man-ia's details echo their Vancouver ourcc. The first buildinc con-fked al Grosvenor Interna-nal Property's Vancouv ce with Stanley Kwofe in t :19f.0s, when the Shangh; ned architect had just arriv n Mom: Kone. soon'be-converted ir minium apartments. Many of downtown Vancou-" vet's coodos are sold to a mobile golden class speculating globally and many more to Canadian baby boomers waiting to retire. Don't be distracted by the vital energy of younger renters occupying "saife haven" cortdos these days, giving our downtown its tempo-rary patina of diversity — this group will be kicked out just as soon as the arthritis kicks in-Judging by Dubai Mirmsjfthe world regards Vancouver aHe'c-f tiooately, though as a jejune, resort, not a mature and'serious. metropolis. Anyone not desiring' a descent by this city Into perroa-new status as a "resort" needs to I >pa§nim\m*f***m*n*tm i ° ^ * ' d ^ ' e ^ a b e c a u s e p e r , i ceptions build realities even-quicker for dries than for people Dubai's thinking in this regard T may be more advanced than attn obsessed as we are for thej moment with our condo boom;.! plus an Olympic building crest t ' come. The fan. A edition of theu daily Engliilangtiage newspapeti Khaleej Times drives home thatj point, saying: "Dubai has to stan'i flunking less about constructions as i driver of growth, a n d morei about qualitative improvements^ (hat can make assets more pro'' ductive." That may be one reason why^ Lee, Hagkull and Daniel Hajjar, ai Canadian who was prelect archiVj tect for the Dubai Marina project)" are all still in the United Arab. Ernirates, although the first twpi ll^rsMS u e w i t n n e w employers. More!) impressively, Lee and Hagkull arc,] now raising families In a city [hey'j regard as safe, stimulating and full: of superb iru^tructuie. , And they're not alone. While in; Dubai, I met many other members; Blair Hagkull (left), Daniel Majjar (middle) and Robert Lee are throe Canadians who were lit the Dubai Marina pi eject. Hagkull and Lee wero senior managers lor Concord Pacific ith families in North Vancouver^ bankers from Calgary, huildinft product salesmen from Kam^ looDS. SFU students startinc in the! Figure 174. News a r t i c l e , the Vancouver Sun 7 Feb.2004 p.F21) CHAPTER 6 O u t c o m e s a n d c o n c l u s i o n s 6 . 1 W h a t t h e p e o p l e s a i d Some very busy and a c t i v e people have been i n v o l v e d with me i n t h i s p r o j e c t . They have l i s t e n e d to my s t o r i e s , and agreed to read t h i s document throughout the course of i t s w r i t i n g , and I am very g r a t e f u l f o r t h e i r time and commentaries. T h i s i s a c r i t i c a l step i n the process of a c t i o n r e s e a r c h . While I have been able to i n c o r p o r a t e many of these shared i n s i g h t s i n t o renewed c y c l e s and i n c a r n a t i o n s of i d e a s i n the classroom, much th a t has been given t o me by my 'research f r i e n d s ' w i l l e n r i c h subsequent work undertaken a f t e r the completion of t h i s p r o j e c t . I t i s a p p r o p r i a t e to r e c o r d , a l b e i t s k e t c h i l y , feedback r e c e i v e d ; p a r t i c u l a r l y those ideas t h a t are not e x p l i c i t l y i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t o the Primer at t h i s time. Many suggestions got f o l d e d i n to the body of the work upon r e c e i p t , and I w i l l not r e i t e r a t e t h a t commentary here. Suggestions f o r f u t u r e i t e r a t i o n s and a l t e r n a t i v e approaches are noted i n t h i s s e c t i o n , and general commentary about the Primer and i t s a p p l i c a t i o n s and achievements, and flaws too, are recorded here. My 'research f r i e n d s ' are a v a r i e d group. The most i n t e n s e l y i n v o l v e d people are those who agreed to act as my t h e s i s committee. Dr. F.Graeme Chalmers, P r o f e s s o r of A r t Edu c a t i o n and David Lam C h a i r i n M u l t i c u l t u r a l Education at UBC, i s the c h a i r of my committee, and J o e l Shack, P r o f e s s o r of A r c h i t e c t u r e , UBC, and Dr. Freda Pagani, D i r e c t o r , S u s t a i n a b i l i t y at UBC, j o i n e d the committee at my request. thesis committee Graeme Chalmers i s a noted a r t educator whose work has,been p u b l i s h e d e x t e n s i v e l y throughout the world, i n p l a c e s where people want to improve the s t a t e of a r t e d u c a t i o n . His guidance has been v a l u a b l e to me f o r t h i s p r o j e c t and over the long term as w e l l . I t was an i n i t i a t i v e of Graeme's many years ago t h a t f i r s t helped me to understand the value of b u i l t environmental education to the classroom. His books: B r i t i s h Columbia Houses (with Frances M o o r c r o f t ) , Greek and Roman B u i l d i n g s , and Romanesque and Gothic B u i l d i n g s , were (and arguably s t i l l are) the most prominent of l o c a l r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e when I f i r s t s t a r t e d to search i n 1982. I was a f l e d g l i n g a r c h i t e c t u r e student, j u s t b e g i n n i n g to understand how these i n t e r e s t s of mine, i n e d u c a t i o n and a r c h i t e c t u r e , c o u l d be combined. His books helped me to f i n d t h a t path. Many years and l o t s of e x p l o r a t i o n l a t e r , Graeme encouraged me to b e l i e v e i n t h i s 'Primer', which i s an accounting, i n p a r t , of my experience with b u i l t environment e d u c a t i o n . He thought other teachers might l i k e t o view my p e r s p e c t i v e s , at a time when I wasn't yet t h i n k i n g t h a t my experience might be v a l u a b l e to o t h e r s . At h i s s u g g e s t i o n , I p a r t i c i p a t e d i n two B.C. A r t Teachers' Conferences, g i v i n g workshops to i n t e r e s t e d teachers who wanted to know more about the p o s s i b i l i t i e s of a r c h i t e c t u r e f o r t h e i r classrooms. These workshop p r e s e n t a t i o n s r e p r e s e n t e d a great step forward f o r me, as I had d e f i n i t e l y not c o n s i d e r e d g i v i n g a workshop to teachers about t e a c h i n g ideas b e f o r e t h a t time. Moreover, Graeme suggested t h a t I study with h i s c o l l e a g u e , Dr. R i t a Irwin, to l e a r n about a c t i o n r e s e a r c h , which became the m e t h o d o l o g i c a l underpinning f o r t h i s work. I l e a r n e d t h a t a c t i o n r e s e a r c h can be a key process i n t e a c h e r s ' development, based on c r i t i c a l l y examining one's own p r a c t i c e and s h a r i n g i d e a s , and I was emboldened to s t a r t c o n s i d e r i n g what c o n t r i b u t i o n I might make. R i t a helped me to understand t e a c h i n g as an a r t , and l e d me to understand t h a t the a u t o b i o g r a p h i c a l search, r e s o l v e d i n t o n a r r a t i v e , can be a l e g i t i m a t e form of r e s e a r c h . The c y c l e s of p l a n n i n g , a c t i o n , o b s e r v a t i o n , r e i t e r a t i o n - a l l punctuated by t h i n k i n g , a n a l y s i s , r e f l e c t i n g , r e c o r d i n g , have l e d to a r i c h c o l l e c t i o n of m a t e r i a l on my study s h e l v e s . From t h i s Mata', I have cut the shape of the Primer. The d e v e l o p i n g t r a d i t i o n of A c t i o n Research i n g e n e r a l , and a d v i s o r s such as Graeme Chalmers i n p a r t i c u l a r , i n my l i f e , encourage ownership by t e a c h e r s of t e a c h i n g . Graeme shared with me the h i s t o r i c a l p e r s p e c t i v e of b u i l t environment e d u c a t i o n i n our r e g i o n , t e l l i n g me of the p r o v i n c i a l Program Implementation o f f i c e i n Richmond i n the ' s e v e n t i e s , where l o c a l l y developed c u r r i c u l a were c o l l e c t e d and promoted. I began to'imagine a s e r i e s of my l e s s o n s about a r c h i t e c t u r e put together so that others c o u l d t r y them out. Graeme arranged f o r me to do a r e - e n t r y p r a c t i c u m through SFU with N e i l P r i n s e n i n the course of my r e t u r n to t e a c h i n g . N e i l has been t e a c h i n g over t h i r t y years, and i s a fund of knowledge about the e x i s t i n g a r t scene. He famously s a i d the words, 'I don't know an y t h i n g about a r c h i t e c t u r e ' one day i n c o n v e r s a t i o n , which I r e c o g n i s e d as an important statement i n forming my t h e s i s q u e s t i o n . In m u l t i c u l t u r a l Richmond, Vancouver, and to a l e s s e r extent, . Burnaby and other m u n i c i p a l i t i e s of the r e g i o n , c u l t u r a l p l u r a l i s m i s the r e a l i t y . Graeme has w r i t t e n e x t e n s i v e l y on t h i s s u b j e c t . Reading h i s works and engaging i n d i s c u s s i o n s r e g a r d i n g c u l t u r a l openness helped me to t h i n k about i n c l u s i v i t y i n ways I might not have p r e v i o u s l y understood, and helped t i e my r e c o g n i t i o n of the i s s u e s surrounding disadvantaged and homeless people i n our a f f l u e n t c u l t u r e and i n our g l o b a l v i l l a g e t o the classroom. He i n t r o d u c e d me to the work of E i l e e n Adams B r i t i s h a r t educator, some of whose ideas are set out i n Chapter 4 of t h i s document. I wanted t o i n c l u d e b u i l t environment educators who had a c t u a l l y presented m a t e r i a l to t e a c h e r s i n B.C., and I l e a r n e d t h a t E i l e e n Adams had been here to d e l i v e r a course i n the 1980s. Graeme's e x t e n s i v e w r i t i n g experience has g i v e n him many s k i l l s to pass on to the l e s s experienced w r i t e r . I am t h a n k f u l f o r the hours he spent r e a d i n g my i n i t i a l l y rough document, f i n d i n g e r r o r s and making suggestions as to how I might r e f i n e t h i s work. His emphasis on c l a r i t y was important at the i n i t i a l stages when ideas were emerging from my head in a form that would eventually require more shape and focus. • At an e a r l i e r stage i n his career, Graeme worked with June McFee. His recommendation of.her encyclopedic work Art, Culture and Environment - A Catalyst for Teaching, helped put my lessons into a broader educational context and helped me to es t a b l i s h what art educators can learn from the psychologists. He i n s i s t e d as well that I needed to a r t i c u l a t e e x p l i c i t l y how my ideas are grounded in e x i s t i n g educational theory. This has given me a much stronger grasp of the educative value of these lessons as well as of b u i l t environment education i n general. Prof.Joel Shack was one of my mentors as I moved through a r c h i t e c t u r a l education towards a B.Arch. Later he was chair of my thesis committee as I completed the reguirements for a MASA (Master of Advanced Studies i n Architecture). He i s a highly regarded professor both i n the design studio and as a teacher of the fundamental area of a r c h i t e c t u r a l programming, and he shared his perspectives on the c r i t i c a l ideas of phenomenology and sensitive design with others at the School of Architecture at UBC. Joel challenged me to consider what i s architecture, and how do we know i f we are actually doing i t ? He kept asking, "what makes architecture 'sing'?, and what i s the place for architects i n the process of place making?", while I searched to f i n d the place for the other participants besicles the experts. He caused me to question my sometimes unscholarly rhetoric, and i n s i s t e d that I think through a l l the d e f i n i t i o n s , terms, assumptions, biases and perhaps unrigorous indulgences that I produced i n the course of s e t t l i n g my position. I have a stack of e-mails that took hours for him to write, f u l l of questions, challenges and encouraging words. Most of what he said caused me to rewrite, refine and strengthen the body of thi s document. His questions and advice have c l a r i f i e d my understanding of what we are c o l l e c t i v e l y t r y i n g to accomplish i n our actions of place making. Moreover, as an educator I have a renewed sense of what i s possible, and how I can keep growing as a teacher because of his uncompromising and stimulating commentary. Question everything. Joel' s questions and commentary have sharpened my a b i l i t y to consider context, circumstance and what might evolve from that: how we can come to r e a l l y understand a place and consider the appropriate responses and processes for developing that place. He embodies r e f l e c t i v e observation and sensitive response, and shows me yet how to f i n d the true stories i n l i f e - to look into my own experiences and see what I know - both i n the practice of architecture/education and the writing about such practice. Joel i n s i s t e d throughout t h i s exercise that I "honour the declaration made by teachers: T don't know anything about architecture'", that I look at thi s statement from a l l sides, including the arc h i t e c t s ' . In that challenge he forced me to refine and focus the a r t i c u l a t i o n of my intention, which again found i t s way into and throughout the documents. I am more c l e a r l y understanding that need to honour the students as well, l i k e the ones who discovered they were 'allowed' to paint my ugly old beige f i l i n g cabinet, which has improved the environment i n my classroom i n a small but very p o s i t i v e way. Four, years l a t e r those students s t i l l occasionally bring friends into my room to show t h e i r contribution o f f . Even such a simple act of environmental embellishment puts one on the path towards confident and f r u i t f u l collaboration with others i n the process of place making. Jo.el recognises the d i f f i c u l t y of understanding the complexity of our environment, and makes a suggestion that I find challenging and helpful when I worry about introducing too much hard science into the art program. As an educator, he i n i t i a t e d the idea of 'seed projects', wherein- students could grapple with an aspect of a complex situation, instead of taking on more that they were capable of handling. For example, he suggests that a better locker provided for users of a building could change the whole nature of an i n s t i t u t i o n . (I understand t h i s a l l too well -budget cuts forced the i n s t a l l a t i o n of h a l f - s i z e lockers at our new school. This was a big adjustment for students accustomed to f u l l - s i z e lockers; most of the user comments in the i n i t i a l stages of occupancy had to do with t h i s matter.) Looking at a focused project i s a way of beginning to understand and cope with the complexity of issues without becoming overwhelmed. Carefully chosen projects can i n this way y i e l d extended benefits and insights, e s p e c i a l l y when students are at the beginning stages of environmental awareness and responsiveness. Joel forced me to look again at the basic questions of architecture: and with this insistence he raised the quality of the dialogue a great deal. He asks: What does i t mean to make with s i n c e r i t y - habitable places of re a l beauty and comfort - that are t r u l y humane - well b u i l t - of authentic material - good neighbours - to improve the ethics of sustainable environment -accommodating without irony - (a place that) contributes to the commonweal?. He challenges: f i n d the poetry - be a l e r t to the environment - draw - look with attentiveness and wonder -fi n d the essentials and search for evocative ways to describe the essentials - f i n d the inherent poetry of everyday l i f e - look with special ways of asking. These are good words for architects and for anyone who wants to be involved i n the f i t t i n g out of our settings, whether they be trained or simply want to be active rather than passive dwellers i n the places that result from our e f f o r t s . D r . F r e d a P a g a n i was also one of my teachers at the School of Architecture, i n the design studio and as co-author of a p r a c t i c a l course i n graphic expression. In her current capacity as Director, S u s t a i n a b i l i t y , at UBC, she i s a force behind many of the innovative sustainable developments on the campus. Freda observed early on that t h i s thesis needs to address the professional expertise of the a r c h i t e c t . I have alluded i n general to what an architect does, but i t i s not my intention to get students to understand how to practise as architects. I am looking for ways to encourage confident collaboration with the experts, and to help laypersons appreciate and apply t h e i r own latent understanding of the environment with the recognition of t h e i r right and a b i l i t y and r e s p o n s i b i l i t y to p a r t i c i p a t e . She draws a p a r a l l e l between the move to increase p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the shaping of the designed environment with the increased involvement of people i n our society i n the care and healing of t h e i r own bodies. We are less l i k e l y , i n current times, to unquestioningly accept the verdict and d i r e c t i o n of a medical doctor than i n former times. It i s commoner now to ask questions, to do some independent research, to consult al t e r n a t i v e p r a c t i t i o n e r s , and to trust one's own i n s t i n c t s i n the search for best health practices. In the same manner, what we might c a l l . emerging 'people power' can be directed towards environmental i n i t i a t i v e s , rather than passively and unquestioningly accepting the decisions of the a r c h i t e c t . This i s a key point that I have made in t h i s thesis, and the p a r a l l e l serves to illuminate the point. As Graeme noted i n the same regard, decisions do not arrive, from the top down anymore, people with ordinary powers i n society, rather than just the leaders, are learning to take a responsible and active stance in many ways. Certainly this-i s observable with respect to our health, and i t i s perhaps in some ways also a growing trend with respect to the making and f i t t i n g out of our places. A basic intention of this work i s to encourage students and t h e i r teachers to be involved. I hope we a l l w i l l learn to ask questions and f i n d answers more readily, to look with scepticism at the idea that decisions regarding our settings are best l e f t to the experts alone, and to t r y some alternatives. This action i s a l l predicated on having confidence in one's own a b i l i t y to f i n d appropriate and l i f e - a f f i r m i n g answers to our environmental needs. Further to the démocratisation of our society, Freda urged me to j u s t i f y action research as a process of i n v e s t i g a t i o n and caused me to c l a r i f y t h i s process i n a way that has been very valuable. I embraced t h i s research t r a d i t i o n with enthusiasm and perhaps somewhat unquestioningly, and am more, convinced, a f t e r looking at action research from a less convinced perspective, that i t i s indeed a way for teachers to take hold of teacher growth, and to claim ownership of teaching. These i t e r a t i v e and r e f l e c t i v e processes have been an important vehicle for my professional growth and for the formalised recording of some aspects of that growth, embodied i n t h i s document. Freda makes the point that there are many ways to understand a building, and suggested that t h i s work r e l i e s very heavily upon drawing as an approach. I see drawing as an important t o o l for seeing what i s , and for communicating what might be possible, but by no means would I suggest that a program be l i m i t e d to drawing. Aside from the phenomenological approach documented here, which involves the recognition and use of senses beyond the standard f i v e , students are given the opportunity to go well beyond mark making. In some of the lessons, students are asked to combine both visuals and verbalisations i n t h e i r outputs, we work from existing v i s u a l and verbal narratives of our society to understand what an appropriate response might . involve, and invent narratives of what might be. A variety of materials and a range of scales are explored i n the lesson sequences, and an attempt i s made to connect outcomes to both personal positions and broader i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y context. She suggests that we might v i s i t more actual buildings i n the community; to f i n d ways to question what exists i n buildings beyond the ones we commonly inhabit and examine, and so learn to describe and consider the important aspects of b u i l t form - perhaps even to invent narratives regarding what we observe. Students would c l e a r l y benefit from th i s sort of exploration, and I begin to consider some more a r c h i t e c t u r a l f i e l d t r i p s for the future. Freda asserts that students need to understand our dependency on the i n f r a s t r u c t u r e . Perhaps t h i s i s where my own i n s e c u r i t y reveals i t s e l f . I'm not sure I understand' the i n f r a s t r u c t u r e and our dependency upon i t well enough to properly foster t h i s understanding. Although I have the benefit of a good a r c h i t e c t u r a l as well as educational background, there are mysteries i n that i n f r a s t r u c t u r e that I'm not ready to tackle. I need help. Reading David Suzuki helps to at least give me the courage to think about s u s t a i n a b i l i t y . And some of the work done by the Association for the Promotion and Advancement of Science Education published in Prism, and FORED BC published i n Landscapes inspires me to look further. But I have learned to be careful not to push my art students too far into the science realm. Some of these considerations f a l l generally beyond t h e i r perceptions of the scope of the art curriculum. On the other hand, some students are keen to t i e s c i e n t i f i c exploration to t h e i r art projects. I see that having materials available and encouraging research i s part of my r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , and I w i l l continue to seek ways to further connect the s c i e n t i f i c aspects of our environment, including our dependency upon the infrastructure, to our art a c t i v i t i e s . She offered some insights on the Primer lesson t i t l e d 'unpaving': that perhaps control of groundwater i s better than natural drainage i n some instances. This proves to be a big job to discover the necessary information about the infr a s t r u c t u r e . I have been motivated to investigate t h i s further and perhaps w i l l collaborate with some knowledgeable experts- to devise ways to teach myself and my students how to approach t h i s complex subject. I recognise that I need some actual useable ideas regarding how to understand our dependency upon the inf r a s t r u c t u r e . I understand that i t i s important to work with the integrated whole rather than i s o l a t e d systems, as Freda asserts, but I s t i l l wonder how much s p e c i a l i s e d knowledge i s needed to do th i s with any meaning. Freda suggested that the value of s u s t a i n a b i l i t y might be used as the ground for the 'Primer', based on the view that s u s t a i n a b i l i t y i s a value that we can use to inform a l l our basic decisions. She suggested as well some ways that s u s t a i n a b i l i t y could be woven into b u i l t environment education, and I repeat those suggestions here: -emphasize the interconnectedness of things and people -uncovering of community values -care with the use of resources and production of waste -long-term thinking -considering the s o c i a l and ecological consequences of decisions as well as the economic ones -the creation of place that w i l l be valued -enlarging the context of design decisions to include the l o c a l ecology and community. I know that our chances of maintaining l i f e as we appreciate i t on t h i s planet are very much t i e d to our understanding of and increasing commitment to p r i n c i p l e s of s u s t a i n a b i l i t y . We can s t r i v e to integrate these p r i n c i p l e s i n our decisions and in our teaching. o t h e r A r e s e a r c h f r i e n d s 1 I asked several teaching and a r c h i t e c t u r a l colleagues to comment on these ideas I have c o l l e c t e d and documented. D i a n n e C o u l t e r , o n e o f t h e V i c e -P r i n c i p a l s a t o u r s c h o o l , has just completed a graduate degree i n Education. She i s therefore very much in tune with the process of writing a thesis, and gave me very valuable advice and encouragement. Quite aside from her feedback, reading Dianne's thesis proved to be an i n s p i r a t i o n for me. She i s brave, unafraid to speak her mind, and clear about what she believes. I found that aft e r reading her document, I was more i n c l i n e d to state, my case with a firmer c l a r i t y that had been my i n i t i a l stance. Like everyone else who participated so generously with me in t h i s project, Dianne i s a very busy person -p a r t i c u l a r l y t h i s year. She i s the administrator i n charge of l i a i s o n with the .architectural firm that designed and supervised construction of our new secondary school. We are taking occupancy of thi s complex new building as I. write. Although a layperson with respect to architecture, t h i s fearless woman part i c i p a t e d up to her elbows i n the entire process of bringing the school to completion, and I never once heard her whine or whimper. I appreciate her involvement i n t h i s process on behalf of the school community. Mrs. Darlene Macklam, the P r i n c i p a l of the school, provides another example of how an interested layperson can become a wise c l i e n t , capable of helping to steer the design process to a s a t i s f y i n g conclusion. These two women are heroes worthy of emulation as interested and committed participants i n the important work of designing our environment. And that i s what t h i s thesis i s a l l about. Dianne thinks, a f t e r reading some parts of t h i s document, that I could teach even teach her to draw 'in t h i s safe environment'. She i d e n t i f i e s herself as 'one of the "I can't draw people"'. Moreover, she thinks she might possibly be able to teach students to draw and to do some of these lessons. I was very pleased to hear t h i s . One of Dianne's daughters, teaches elementary school and has l a t e l y been required to teach art, without the benefit of much :training. Dianne thought she might pass some of these ideas to her daughter. She wrote as a marginal note i n Chapter 3 that she 'thoroughly enjoyed reading t h i s ' , and continued 'You cover so many themes: poverty, the environment, and others, and yet the overriding theme - of everyone being involved and capable of being involved i n t h e i r place making carr i e s through. Who you are i s very much a part of t h i s t h e s i s . ' S u s a n V i c c a r s , a r t t e a c h e r Susan has a wide ranging experience as an art teacher i n the public school system, as both a Faculty and School Advisor to pre-service teachers, and l a t e l y as a participant on the Visual Arts'' 11-12 Integrated Resource Package (2002) Writing Team. Susan's response to thi s document i s enthusiastic. She l i k e s the 3 R's as an organizer for the rationale and the actual lessons, and agrees with the premise that we know a l o t about architecture, whether we recognise t h i s or not. As a very experienced art teacher, Susan found the i n i t i a l material, p a r t i c u l a r l y regarding knives and guns i n the Primer, to be 'comforting', but not r e a l l y necessary at this stage in her career. She did suggest, however, that i t might be good to include some additional information about sources of glue sticks for the guns as well as a bit. more d e t a i l about setting-up a designated area for th e i r use, for the inexperienced teacher. As well, she found the early lessons to be a b i t oversimplified for her needs, though she acknowledged that the opportunity i s provided i n these a c t i v i t i e s to gauge students' powers of observation • as well as noting how they perceive t h e i r surroundings - a 'multisensoral' approach. Susan questioned how my position with respect to f l e x i b l e deadlines works i n meeting administrative deadlines for reporting. It i s a position I have considered quite a l o t , and experimented with from time to time as well. I have found that, p a r t i c u l a r l y in the art class, students work at di f f e r e n t rates and set themselves goals that may not f i t e a s i l y into the general schedule. Some students l i k e to expand and elaborate on a project that has p a r t i c u l a r l y caught t h e i r imagination, and I f e e l that forcing such students to conform to a deadline could preclude the p o s s i b i l i t y of t h i s s a t i s f y i n g and f r u i t f u l exploration. I simply explain that the schedule i s negotiable, and students need to keep me informed with reports of t h e i r progress i f they are doing an extended exploration. They know that at the end of the term and at year end, they had best appear with a completed project, but that I am w i l l i n g to give what we c a l l 'progress marks' where appropriate. Often students come to me af t e r a school holiday, or a period of absence from school due to sickness or tr a v e l , to say that they spent much of t h e i r time working on the project and that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves i n the process. I often explain to classes that I think one of the chief differences between a 'student a r t i s t ' and an ' a r t i s t ' i s external or inter n a l motivation, and I am quick to comment when I see that someone i s becoming an i n t e r n a l l y motivated a r t i s t . I have seldom seen t h i s f l e x i b i l i t y abused by students, and often seen very highly developed res u l t s , well beyond my i n i t i a l expectations, when extra time was given. Susan observed that the i n i t i a l 'mapping' exercise bears a resemblance to the well-known entry p o r t f o l i o project for Emily Carr I n s t i t u t e of Art and Design. Although I have advised applicants regarding t h i s Emily Carr challenge over the years, I had not consciously recognised t h i s s i m i l a r i t y . . I suppose that curriculum connections can be made wherever art i s going on, but t h i s connection p a r t i c u l a r l y pleases me. Susan sees some real merit in the use of the green pepper to teach the concept of plan, section and elevation views. This was new to her, and she thinks i t w i l l prove useful i n her own classroom. She has asked students in the past to make models from building elevations - s p e c i f i c a l l y from the elevations shown in Graeme's B r i t i s h Columbia Houses, and t h i s idea of thinking in plan and section as well as viewing elevations would lead to a more r e a l i s t i c appreciation of the whole building. The ideas of considering e x i s t i n g building, both from memory and as a focus for a drawing, and the p o s s i b i l i t i e s of a l t e r i n g existing a r c h i t e c t u r a l elements, at least on paper, appeal to Susan. She thinks she might l i k e to t r y some of these i n her classroom, as w e l l as the drawing through doorways e x e r c i s e s and the programming and p l a n n i n g and m o d e l l i n g of a sanctuary and a f a m i l y r e t r e a t . She p a r t i c u l a r l y l i k e s the idea of u s i n g bubble diagrams, both drawn and i n three dimensions, to develop plans f o r more complex p r o j e c t s such as the r e t r e a t . T h i s i s something t h a t I l e a r n e d as an a r c h i t e c t which e a s i l y t r a n s f e r s to the classroom, but i s not apparent to someone who hasn't been shown t h i s simple device. She t h i n k s the ideas around 'Unpaving' are i n t e r e s t i n g , and might be i n c l i n e d to t r y a v a r i a t i o n on t h i s theme. As w e l l , she r e c o g n i s e s that i n i t i a t i v e s to b r i g h t e n the environment both w i t h i n and without the s c h o o l are worthwhile and r e l e v a n t . She i s p r e s e n t l y engaged i n s i m i l a r embellishment of . c o r r i d o r w a l l s at her s c h o o l . Other ideas t h a t might f i n d t h e i r way i n t o Susan' s program are the product design p r o j e c t s and the connection of caravan d e s i g n to the landscape and to window design. The sequence of l e s s o n s r e g a r d i n g poverty, and of the demise and r e b u i l d i n g of the s i t e of the World Trade Center are a l s o s t r o n g i d e a s f o r Susan. She s a i d the a c t i v i t i e s are 'wonderful', and I was very p l e a s e d to have t h i s v e r d i c t from a teacher who i s experienced i n many aspects of a r t e d u c a t i o n and w e l l aware of e x i s t i n g p o s s i b i l i t i e s . One aspect of t h i s work t h a t Susan f e l t c o u l d be f u r t h e r c o n s i d e r e d i s e v a l u a t i o n . She t h i n k s i t might have been u s e f u l t o i n c l u d e more ways to e v a l u a t e drawings, and some e x p l a n a t i o n of how I marked my students' work. I have e x p l a i n e d my p o s i t i o n with r e s p e c t to a v o i d i n g over-p r e s c r i p t iveness i n the i n t r o d u c t i o n to the Primer, but I r e c o g n i s e t h a t some teach e r s would look f o r more guidance i n t h i s matter than I have pr o v i d e d i n the worksheet samples i n the Primer. Susan suggested t h a t teachers c o u l d r e f e r t o the newly a v a i l a b l e V i s u a l A r t s 11 and 12 A r t Foundations and Studio A r t s I n t e g r a t e d Resource Package (2002), e a s i l y accessed on the B.C. M i n i s t r y of Education website. She noted t h a t there are some assessment and e v a l u a t i o n samples i n the appendices to t h a t document, i n c l u d i n g r u b r i c s and e v a l u a t i o n sheets that c o u l d be e a s i l y adapted f o r use with these l e s s o n i d e a s . (Susan a c t u a l l y wrote th r e e of the samples h e r s e l f . ) These e v a l u a t i o n t o o l s a l s o focus q u i t e e x p l i c i t l y upon some of the s k i l l s and image development s t r a t e g i e s t h a t are p r e s c r i b e d i n the IRP. My assumption i s t h a t t e a c h e r s would use these resources i n s e t t i n g goals as w e l l as i n e v a l u a t i o n of l e a r n i n g outcomes, i n a way t h a t would r e f l e c t t h e i r p e r s o n a l p e r s p e c t i v e s , values and methods i n program development and implementation. Susan suggested t h a t I should make an e f f o r t to have the Primer i n c l u d e d on the M i n i s t r y of Education L i s t of P r o v i n c i a l l y Recommended M a t e r i a l s and L e a r n i n g Resources. The M i n i s t r y e v a l u a t e s e d u c a t i o n a l l y a p p r o p r i a t e m a t e r i a l s intended f o r use by te a c h e r s and students, through a process t h a t i s c a r r i e d out by p r a c t i c i n g t e a c h e r s . The l e a r n i n g resources f o r use i n B.C. schools f a l l i n t o one of two c a t e g o r i e s : p r o v i n c i a l l y recommended m a t e r i a l s or l o c a l l y e v a l u a t e d m a t e r i a l s . I have d e l i b e r a t e l y t r i e d to keep the ideas of the Primer n o n - s p e c i f i c to my area, o p t i n g i n s t e a d f o r a more gen e r a l thematic p o s i t i o n . Susan's comments have s t a r t e d me t h i n k i n g about ways I might make this work available to teachers through the p r o v i n c i a l evaluation process. Marnie Tamaki architect, teacher Marnie and I went through graduate school together and formed a business partnership, with three others, a f t e r we graduated in the MASA program. For several years we worked together not only as a r c h i t e c t u r a l colleagues, but we did a series of graphic design projects together, and also formed a teaching partnership - working with highly motivated youngsters in extra-curricular programs. I value Mamie's feedback p a r t i c u l a r l y , because we have worked together so much and have explored together what i s involved i n teaching, both from the a r c h i t e c t u r a l as well as the p r a c t i c a l , educational point of view. She c l e a r l y understands the context from which several of these ideas have sprung. Mamie's f i r s t comment was that the lessons of the Primer should be published. She has viewed much of the document and f e l t that.the Primer needs to be altered a b i t i n order that i t might stand alone, but her strong view was that these lessons should be shared. She appreciates the quality of the lessons that she c a l l s 'gentleness' and sees the lessons as a way of encouraging c r e a t i v i t y , both i n students and in teachers. Inasmuch as Marnie has had no teacher training, but considerable p r a c t i c a l experience as a teacher, she wondered i f I could perhaps be a b i t more pres c r i p t i v e with respect to how to teach, how much time might be spent on each of the lessons, and how the results might be evaluated i f that were part of the requirement. Inasmuch as these ideas are pitched toward the trained educators of the public school artroom, I f e e l the sharing of insights would be compromised by too much d e t a i l regarding 'how to'. I have included some sample worksheets for i n t e r e s t , but I worried when I added them to the Primer that they might even be a b i t too e x p l i c i t . When I explained t h i s to Marnie, she r e p l i e d that probably a careful reading of the Primer and the chance to try the ideas would be enough to reduce the fears of an untrained teacher when approaching t h i s material. She thinks that perhaps the many samples of student work might stimulate teachers and help them to c l a r i f y t h e i r own personal lesson objectives. Further to t h i s point, Marnie suggested that I should make more obvious connections between the lessons and the educational scaffolding and the f i v e themes of architecture. Again, I had e a r l i e r thought that making these l i n k s too e x p l i c i t would be unnecessary and perhaps a b i t i n s u l t i n g , but on t h i s point, she was adamant. (Graeme made the same point about two days/later.) The result i s that I went through the Primer lesson by lesson and used a s i m p l i f i e d , almost coding type of system, to e x p l i c i t l y l i n k the t h e o r e t i c a l bases to the projects. In retrospect, t h i s has strengthened the whole document, and woven the material into a much more coherent whole. Perhaps beginning teachers would appreciate t h i s l i n k i n g more than veterans, but the reminders at the head of each lesson serve to keep my mind a l e r t to the deeper p o s s i b i l i t i e s of each project as well. Marnie i s very supportive of the idea of doing research of various sorts to enrich project r e s u l t s . She observes that architecture i s an applied art/science, and i n doing research t h i s connection with the real world becomes clearer. She especially l i k e s the product design lessons and noted that she was moved to 'go do i t ' with a class when she read this and other parts of the Primer. She l i k e s that art can be applied to everyday but meaningful objects in our world. She also l i k e s that within the narrative style of the Primer she was able to get an idea of how ideas for the classroom can be generated, c i t i n g the 'travel to make art' sequence featuring Emily Carr as an example of t h i s . Further to t h i s project, the window and landscape alternative appeals to Mamie's r e g i o n a l i s t stance as an architect. She was delighted to note that catalogues of l o c a l products and materials are made available to students in the artroom, and emphasised that through such vocabulary, regional c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s can be created. In the course of her arch i t e c t u r a l education, Marnie spent several months i n Venice, on the 'studies abroad' program. She observed that i n Venice, the ex i s t i n g b u i l t environment i s used as the basic text for a r c h i t e c t u r a l education. Conversely, she notes that at UBC, the natural regional environment provides the basic stimulus for study and design 'practice. She notes that I do not include a close analysis of many public buildings with respect to regional style, nor do I focus much upon aspects of heritage architecture i n the Primer. (This i s another deliberate decision on my part, inasmuch as there are many ideas available, s p e c i f i c a l l y t a i l o r e d to thi s p a r t i c u l a r region, for teachers who wis'h to pursue s t y l i s t i c aspects of the b u i l t environment.) She sees, however, that the lessons included i n the Primer are designed to address some of the serious issues of our times in general, and that through the Primer, students are given the opportunity to apply art to l i f e i n a way that i s meaningful and germane. Mary Ann Green i s , according to my d e f i n i t i o n , an architect, though i f she introduced herself that way, the Arc h i t e c t u r a l I n s t i t u t e of the j u r i s d i c t i o n would be obliged to intervene. Institutes of Architecture have s t r i c t regulations about who can be described as an 'architect'. Although I was formerly allowed to c a l l myself an architect as a registered member of the AIBC, now, as an 'associate member', I am no longer e n t i t l e d to use the term. (This i s i n sharp contrast to the term 'teacher'.) Mary Ann has been designing buildings and building them and dwelling i n them too, for much of her adult l i f e . And I would hasten to add, she has become, over the many years she has involved herself i n place making, a splendid architect (or designer or place maker, depending upon who i s describing her.) I have for many years been inspired by her.example. After building herself a wonderfully crafted and funky houseboat on a barge, and a beautiful house high on the ridge overlooking Skidegate Inlet, Haida Gwaii, Mary Ann and her husband decided to b u i l d an upscale home and o f f i c e complex on Gabriola Island. One of the most f r u i t f u l projects of my a r c h i t e c t u r a l practice was working with them to program and design the innovative concept they were v i s u a l i s i n g . The nature of my practice was always to encourage as much c l i e n t p a r t i c i p a t i o n as possible. The l e v e l of p a r t i c i p a t i o n varied with the type of project and the natural i n c l i n a t i o n s of the c l i e n t , I found. With Mary Ann and Bob, the interaction was stimulating and f r u i t f u l . They both had burgeoning ideas; they wanted my expertise to become part of the mix. Over the course of several months we worked together to a r t i c u l a t e , c l a r i f y and r e a l i s e t h e i r dreams. The result of our c o l l e c t i v e e f f o r t was a lovely configuration of b u i l t forms arranged around a central outdoor l i v i n g space, well crafted to meet t h e i r domestic, s o c i a l and professional needs. In the fullness of time, Mary Ann and her husband decided to relocate to a warmer climate. I have l a t e l y returned from Anguilla, a tiny island i n the B r i t i s h West Indies, where Mary Ann and her husband now l i v e . I spent two weeks enjoying the 'commodity, firmness and delight' of one of the l o v e l i e s t t r o p i c a l style domestic-professional compounds I could Imagine. When Mary Ann f i r s t arrived i n the West Indies, she spoke with several architects about what she wanted to do. I am sure she spoke with some confidence about her v i s i o n . She decided that 'some architects are too defensive' after her discussions. It seems that the architects she contacted had ideas of t h e i r own about how Mary Ann and her husband wanted to l i v e , and they did not seem to respond well to the idea that they were welcome to p a r t i c i p a t e i n , but not to take over the process. She decided, with some trepidation t h i s time because of the magnitude of the project, to take charge of i t herself. She opened communications with l o c a l builders and researched t r o p i c a l building design, materials and practices with some inte n s i t y . She studied the land - exquisite waterfront property, but dry and barren - with care, and planned for buildings and landscape. She discovered some of the pr i n c i p l e s I learned from Joel Shack at Architecture school on her own: she found that i n order to get certain of the de t a i l s 'right', she needed to make f u l l scale models. She i s on intimate terms with each splendidly detailed area of her home/office compound, which consists of four major buildings and numerous outbuildings - a l l a r c h i t e c t u r a l gems. Even the pump house and the laundry house are b e a u t i f u l l y designed and crafted. When Mary Ann read t h i s document, as one of my research friends, she wasn't too keen on the d i s s e r t a t i o n s t y l e and the theory, (she did her univer s i t y education 30 years ago) but she d e f i n i t e l y got the point. She already knows that architects'R'us. Bob knows i t too, after l i v i n g with Mary Ann these f i f t e e n years. She i s one of the reasons I could write a l l t h i s with a steady hand. Without any formal t r a i n i n g i n architecture, but with keen powers of observation and a growing a b i l i t y to v i s u a l i s e and seek and f i n d solutions, she has accomplished a resounding a r c h i t e c t u r a l success on her property i n Anguilla. And the experts who shied away from collaborating with her missed a wonderful opportunity to take a fresh view of the process. M a r i a n S c h e l l e n b e r g i s a n a r t i s t a n d d e s i g n e r , and proprietor of her own graphic design firm for many years, as well as a teacher of graphic ar t s . Unlike many of my 'research friends' who have not undertaken s p e c i f i c t r a i n i n g i n architecture, Marian would never say 'I.don't know anything about architecture.' She explains that t h i s i s because she has been trained to SEE i n the course of her art education and t r a i n i n g at Emily Carr Ins t i t u t e of Art and Design, and other design t r a i n i n g over the years, and has sharpened her powers of observation and r e f l e c t i o n through years of practice. She recognises that she knows very l i t t l e about engineering and mechanical and e l e c t r i c a l systems, but states that her 'design confidence' and a b i l i t y to see c l e a r l y make her 'unafraid of architecture' . Marian believes that her a b i l i t y to recognise place making as a natural a c t i v i t y , and her willingness to p a r t i c i p a t e as the opportunity arises, springs from what she c a l l s 'design confidence'. This, she believes, i s a good reason to have general design a part of the art curriculum. Her design background and orientation have served her well to enable a f e e l i n g of entitlement to p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h i s process of place making. I agree that i t i s d e f i n i t e l y not necessary to teach the e x p l i c i t 'how to's' of architecture i n the classroom i n order to enable students to recognise that they have something to contribute to place making.. These insights of Marian's reinforce my o r i g i n a l position that t h i s curriculum i s not about learning.to be an architect = s p e c i a l i s t . It rather i s about helping the 'uninitiated' recognise that t h e i r t a c i t understanding, propelled by-certain somewhat generalisable s k i l l s - of observation, rec e p t i v i t y , considered response, and powered by a sense of r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , e n t i t l e and enable interested dwellers i n the environment to pa r t i c i p a t e i n i t s arrangement. As a teacher, Marian found the sections on action research and the educational scaffolding for the Primer to be useful i n considering her own practice. Although her background as a student at Emily Carr (where c r i t i c i s m was couched i n generous terms i n order not to discourage development) gave her a good understanding of the need for diplomacy i n the creative process, t h i s program did not otherwise e x p l i c i t l y prepare her for teaching practice. She, l i k e many teachers in the f i e l d of art and design, teaches from her experience as an a r t i s t and designer, but without much grounding i n educational theory. After reading the f i r s t two chapters of this document, Marian declared that access to thi s knowledge could make teaching design even more in t e r e s t i n g , and could help her to understand how to better reach some of her students and operate more meaningfully with them. She said that the sections dealing p a r t i c u l a r l y with ways of learning are p o t e n t i a l l y useful i n dealing with the diverse array of students attracted to graphic design. Moreover, Marian noted that she sees now how 'action research', a new concept for her, can become a l i f e philosophy - an outlook and an orientation as we progress through not only professional l i f e , but as well, a way of moving r e f l e c t i v e l y and observantly (think phenomenology) through a l l aspects of l i f e . Marian thinks t h i s work should be shaped into a course directed to teachers and others who would l i k e to engage i n environmental design. She described the i n i t i a l lessons i n the Primer as 'win win':/students get to know themselves and what they can do, and teachers get to know t h e i r students so they can move along together knowingly. She thinks i t i s good to reaffirm even small interventions in the environment as place making, i n order that we don't diminish the value of embellishment. She thinks that we need to be clear that whatever we do, for good or i l l , to our surroundings, has an impact on our places, and by extension, on ourselves. Marian has been very encouraging about t h i s work, and her support has been a r e a l factor i n the development of these ideas, and subsequent plans which are forming for future i t e r a t i o n s and developments. 6 . 2 S e l f e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e p r o c e s s a n d t h e p r o d u c t o f t h i s w o r k Although there were some times along the way when I fervently wished I had not committed myself to the writing of a thesis, now that the document i s nearing completion, I am very s a t i s f i e d that I have made t h i s e f f o r t . I have discussed e a r l i e r how the Action Research cycles and processes of close observation and r e f l e c t i o n upon d a i l y l i f e i n the classroom, journal keeping, and the questioning, evaluative stance I adopted as a Teacher on C a l l has served me well i n the process of becoming a r e f l e c t i v e p r a c t i t i o n e r . Without these processes, the wealth of insights I was able to glean from my short career as a substitute teacher would have been l o s t to me i n the blur of that very intense area of teaching. Instead, I have an abundance of 'primary documents' which I return to from time to time, to r e f l e c t upon teaching practice i n general. The events leading to the writing of t h i s document have represented a si m i l a r process: planning, experimenting, observing, recording, r e f l e c t i n g , r e - i t e r a t i n g , sharing. A l l these elements form part of the journey, and the i t e r a t i v e nature of my practice continues, even though t h i s stage of the journey i s concluding. It i s true, as some sage or another in my l i f e once said: 'You've got to draw the- l i n e somewhere'. I can't keep writing about t h i s forever. It i s a b i t l i k e design which, as architecture students we joked, can be endless - the only thing that ever stops us i s a deadline. Perhaps that i s the beauty of such an i n i t i a t i v e as well. I am stopping t h i s discussion, but I make absolutely no claims that the discourse i s complete. And b u i l t into the process i s the idea that i t e r a t i o n s continue and new ideas are born. For me t h i s process i s natural and f r u i t f u l . The deliberate, active and r e f l e c t i v e operations of action research have become deeply integrated into my l i f e , both professionally and personally. The research question, formed early on i n t h i s project, reads : What i s the nature and scope of an architectural primer designed to assist educators to encourage a citizenry that i s aware, responsive, willing to become involved and capable of responsible participation in the shaping of our collective and private places? How successful i s the 'nature' and 'scope' of what I have produced? This Primer represents a s l i c e of what might be done, by a teacher who might be unsure where to begin, but who i s operating at least upon a conviction that b u i l t environment education i s worthwhile. The sequence has been c a r e f u l l y arranged to move from simple, easy to teach lesson ideas, quite naturally into a more complex and sophisticated realm. Of a l l the people who read t h i s document, Joel was the one person who made an observation about the sequence of lesson experiences. He noted: There seems to be a good progression of these projects from simple to complex, from not too loaded to very loaded with socio-psych-ethical issues, from s e l f -serving to community oriented. I t r i e d many ways of sequencing t h i s material, and was pleased that my organising p r i n c i p l e of increasing the complexity, and progressing forward into more complex, issue based material, was c l e a r l y understood and l o g i c a l in someone else's mind as well as i n my own. Joel asks: "Which st a r t i n g ideas and questions turned out to be e s p e c i a l l y central and productive i n the thesis investigation?" I started with a l i s t of lessons that was much longer i n i t i a l l y than what was f i n a l l y included i n the Primer. Any ideas that seemed intimidating to the teacher, or that required specialised knowledge not rea d i l y available to someone.without rather s p e c i f i c a r c h i t e c t u r a l t r a i n i n g , were pruned out early on in the process. For example, I have worked i n the past with students using ideas associated with scale: measuring actual rooms and recording them to scale, using metric and imperial a r c h i t e c t u r a l tools at scales W =1'0" or 1:50 or 1:25. .1 recognise that some teachers might be dismayed to f i n d they need to understand the i n t r i c a c i e s of scale to teach these lessons. Instead, I off e r the suggestion that making a 'right-sized' cardboard or modelling clay person before building a model s e t t l e s a l l the problems of scale i n a simple and d i r e c t way that does not divert attention from the main problem of designing a place. Some students love to explore the mathematical aspects of architecture, and i t i s good to encourage t h i s , but I don't think.a beginning primer i s the place to tackle a question of t h i s i n t r i c a c y , e s p e c i a l l y from the point of view of the dubious or reticent teacher. The lesson ideas that are included i n the Primer are the ones I judge to be the most r i c h l y i n s t r u c t i v e and which require the least s p e c i a l i s e d s k i l l s . I think the Primer lessons, as they are presented, demonstrate that much can be done i n the f i e l d of b u i l t environment education without sp e c i a l i s e d s k i l l , but rel y i n g on the latent knowledge that we a l l carry within us as a consequence of l i v i n g our l i v e s mostly i n the designed environment. We can a l l recognise that i t i s in us to r e a l l y look - not just glance, see/appreciate our surroundings - not just use them, record what we see - not just assume we know what i s , v i s u a l i s e - learn to dare to dream, use the systematic approaches of the design process -not just leap to form with the most obvious solution, p a r t i c i p a t e i n the shaping of our places - not just take a passive stance, and approach our world and the e t h i c a l issues we encounter with care and a sense of our own e f f i c a c y -not just shrug and demur. These are the goals, r e i t e r a t e d over and over throughout this document, which are embedded i n the Primer. These are goals that I think teachers can e a s i l y understand and, most importantly, through the lessons of the Primer, can pass on to students. Put another way, I would ask why i t i s that so l i t t l e b u i l t environment education takes place in the schools? Why are so many young students,, t h e i r teachers, and so many adults reticent about impacting t h e i r environment in any way beyond the safe and most tentative acts? To me these lesson ideas propose a way out of the passive dependency upon the experts, or the bland, unimaginative and conformist design responses we often see i n the b u i l t environment. B u i l t environment education i s important, and i f i t i s to be part of l i f e l o n g learning, these lessons are a good place to begin. And where does i t a l l end? How can we l i m i t or even foresee the scope of responsible p r a t i c i p a t i o n for the aware and active c i t i z e n ? I don't presume to know where one might go,with the empowerment that i s r e a l i s e d through learning to p a r t i c i p a t e as a caring, responsible i n d i v i d u a l i n the world. But I have seen the tentative acts of people who do not f e e l a personal sense of permission to p a r t i c i p a t e in the shaping of the environment, and I have also seen students begin to f i n d t h e i r power, i n small ways, that I think can lead to more major acts. This brings me to the b e l i e f that this approach can help to convert that t a c i t understanding and passive stance to something much more proactive and l i f e - a f f i r m i n g . This i s the central point of the investigation, from which the Primer has been produced. I have put together a program that could be used with good results by educators who are reticent, perhaps, but interested i n engaging students i n studies of the b u i l t environment. One metaphor I have used i s that the lessons could serve as bedding plants, somewhat more developed than seeds, but not'simply 'instant landscaping', to get teachers started i n the practice of environmental education. The lessons are not p r e s c r i p t i v e , but presented i n a narrative or even conversational s t y l e , i n a way that i s meant to encourage active p a r t i c i p a t i o n of the teacher i n choosing, planning and developing the ideas. The other unifying metaphor has been to bui l d the Primer, which the dictionary defines as 'a beginner's book', to enable confident f i r s t steps i n such a study. The three R's, an e x p l i c i t organiser, are meant to support the Primer metaphor, and also to c l a r i f y , in an easy to apprehend way, what I consider to be the fundamental elements of the program: receive the messages of our environment with awareness, respond with some confidence to the visions of what might be, and act with r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . In the end, my goal has been to encourage, s t a r t i n g with t h i s beginning set of ideas, a c i t i z e n r y that i s aware, welcomes the opportunity to p a r t i c i p a t e i n the process of making po s i t i v e change in our environment, and capable, with the acq u i s i t i o n of some relevant s k i l l s , of contributing responsibly to that ongoing action of making places. I am cheered that my research friends have p o s i t i v e l y received t h i s work, and I f e e l i n my own heart and mind that t h i s work serves the goal that I have a r t i c u l a t e d . Whenever I see students deeply engaged i n thi s l i f e -affirming process, moving forward with confidence and s k i l l to make a po s i t i v e imprint on the environment, however large or small, p r a c t i c a l or whimsical, I fe e l that we are on a right and responsible path. I f e e l blessed to have the opportunity to combine an expertise in both architecture and education to make a contribution of thi s nature. There i s no question here of having a n u l l agenda, wherein certa i n topics concerned with the b u i l t environment, but which are not considered i n t h i s work, are valued less than those aspects I have focused upon i n t h i s document.• Those issues or aspects of b u i l t environmental education not addressed here are d e f i n i t e l y not i n s i g n i f i c a n t . I have simply made decisions related to the material I have explored in classrooms that seemed most f r u i t f u l and that worked together to form a varied and coherent program for a beginning i n i t i a t i v e . I have not included questions, for example, of style and structure, both important considerations r i c h in interest, but dealt with extensively and capably elsewhere, by other b u i l t environment educators. Further, the study of regional aesthetics, and l o c a l typologies, and the heritage aspects of architecture, are more p a r t i c u l a r to s p e c i f i c regions than the content I have selected to develop at thi s beginning stage. Joel observed that i n the product design lesson there were perhaps 'too many alternative topics stuffed i n ' at that section. For me, thi s thickness of p o s s i b i l i t y i s stimulating, and I have chosen to retain i t , and other possibly 'overstuffed' sections, as l a i d out. I think product design i s an idea which teachers often introduce i n the artroom and c e r t a i n l y i n applied s k i l l s classes, i n some form. The connection to the a r t i c u l a t e d design process, the encouragement to generate alternatives, and the sharpening of c r i t i c a l decision making and evaluative s k i l l s , might be a new set of working concepts for the teacher. I have shown how, t h i s operating methodology could be applied in a range of topics. And I have shown a range of p o s s i b i l i t i e s i n many of the lessons and the thematic discussions as well, to enable teachers to f i n d t h e i r own ideas to claim and develop i n t h e i r own ways, best suited to the unique requirements of t h e i r own classes. 6 . 3 C o n c l u s i o n s ; p o s s i b i l i t i e s . I believe that b u i l t environment education has an important place i n our culture. I have observed that some.teachers are reluctant to teach about the designed environment, and that they might say "I don't know anything about architecture". I believe, now, that t h i s Primer - a beginning series of lessons - can help the r e t i c e n t teacher to move forward with b u i l t environment education. We a l l have a contribution to make. I once made a l i s t t i t l e d '100 essentials for the a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y l i t e r a t e Vancouverite', which includes a r c h i t e c t u r a l styles, movements and h i s t o r i c a l considerations,, building typologies and technical vocabulary, geometric .and introductory s t r u c t u r a l considerations, architects and model buildings of the area, s k i l l s and tools, s o c i a l / a r c h i t e c t u r a l issues, and the green lens through which we must learn to look. Important and relevant lessons can be shaped i n each of these areas. There i s enough richness"in this pursuit to l a s t many li f e t i m e s . In the course of t h i s study some promising ideas have been i d e n t i f i e d and developed, and new ones continually emerge. Further to the question of scope, Joel wonders what other projects we could do i n a secondary artroom to extend the range of activism that i s beginning to emerge in the Primer lessons. To me i t seems that any p o s i t i v e intervention that students can contribute acts as a seed (or perhaps a bedding plant) i n the same manner as Joel's own 'seed projects' are a way of getting at the whole of a complex si t u a t i o n . The confidence and s k i l l s marshalled i n the smallest intervention can lead to the next step. I begin to think of how we could, i n time, begin to embellish the mostly grey walls of our new school, how the landscaping could be taken on by students as an.ongoing project - perhaps a sanctuary could be developed; could we find more ways to contribute to the larger community? Certainly I am stimulated to move forward with planting and p r o l i f e r a t i n g , l i t e r a l l y as well as f i g u r a t i v e l y . These lessons are a good place to s t a r t . I want to experiment with an idea that I discussed with Freda c a l l e d 'adopt, an area', which I intend to pursue next time around. I might ask students to choose a l o c a l s i t e for study and, as a sketch book assignment, to v i s i t that area at least once a week throughout the year, to record what i s there, and to follow the changes which occur. In time, I w i l l ask students to design something appropriate to that place, and to grapple with the decisions regarding what on the s i t e i s to be kept in t a c t , and what might be disturbed or altered. I w i l l help each student or group to t a i l o r t h e i r design to suit the context, and to juggle the various considerations: aesthetic, economic, ecological, s o c i a l / e t h i c a l , physical, c u l t u r a l , according to t h e i r interests and a b i l i t i e s . Those students, p a r t i c u l a r l y the ones who have some experience with the Primer exercises, might surprise us a l l . I look forward to the opportunity to see what they can do. In any area of b u i l t environment education, ideas can be generated and developed to r e a l i s e goals set by the educator for student growth. I might stop short of saying the p o s s i b i l i t i e s are l i m i t l e s s , but I would venture to say that the l i m i t s are mostly i n our reticence and lack of imagination. What happens i n the artroom has the power to become a rea l force i n the community i f we dare to take the challenge. I was very g r a t i f i e d to note that a room f u l l of students of very mixed economic and c u l t u r a l background could connect with such depth to the issue of extreme poverty i n our culture. Although student responses to the problem of homelessness as recorded i n the P r i m e r - the shelter beds and the outdoor conveniences - might enrage sophisticated housing advocates who believe that nothing less than a decent home i s acceptable, these students learned an empathy with the homeless that was new for many of them. The next l o g i c a l step, which some are pursuing,, i s to investigate the p o s s i b i l i t i e s of modest s o c i a l housing, and to design a range of choices - including supportive housing options - for the disadvantaged. One student has already begun to investigate a l l i e d services, such as the food bank and medical service models. From simple acts, students can see how the processes and products of their•imagination can become a posi t i v e force, i n the community. Once they see that connection, and begin to act upon i t , perhaps i t i s not exaggerating to say the p o s s i b i l i t i e s are indeed l i m i t l e s s . Perhaps we can a l l begin to think, again without exaggeration, that i n some important ways: Architects 'R' Us! REFERENCE LIST Books and journals: Adams, Eileen. 2001. "Drawing Power." engage. 10 (autumn): 34-39. . 2002. breaking boundaries. 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Websites and addresses: Agenda 21 http://iisd.ca/worldsd/canada/project/c36.htm Centre for Equality Rights i n Accommodation (CERA) at www.equalityrights.org/cera/docs/tcupdate.rtf Durie, Ronnie. http:www.newhorizons.org/tun duriemi.html