the future of school

2015-16 | SCENO

SUMMARY

I led a transformative project for Brazil's prestigious Marista school network, creating the "Guidelines for the Implementation and Management of Marista Environments" (DIGAM). This comprehensive framework was designed to revolutionize educational spaces, ensuring Marista schools remain at the forefront of educational excellence while adapting to future challenges.

I transformed DIGAM into a key asset for the Marista school network by developing a strategic framework, establishing efficient processes, and conducting user research with stakeholders ranging from young children to the board of directors. This ensured the guidelines were both innovative and aligned with the needs of all users.

A Small Creative Team

As part of a small, skilled team with a Director of Architecture and an architect, I handled diverse responsibilities, from research and aesthetic design to workshops and guidelines copy writing. While the Director provided oversight and my colleague defined architectural guidelines, I developed tools and processes to enhance team and stakeholders communication and collaboration. By prioritizing creativity and professional growth, I played a key role in driving the project's success.

User research and Workshops: Capturing diverse perspectives

I orchestrated a comprehensive series of workshops and user research sessions, tailored to engage the full spectrum of stakeholders in the Marista network. My approach was designed to unlock unique insights from each group:

⦿ Board Directors: We organized brainstorming sessions and scenario-planning exercises. It was interesting to see how they approached future possibilities for the schools.
⦿ Kindergartners: we used more hands-on methods. Drawing and imaginative play helped us understand their perspective on their school environment.
⦿ High School Students: participated in roundtable discussions. It was surprising how much insight they could provide when given the opportunity to share their thoughts.
⦿ Teachers and Staff: We held mixed workshops where they imagined future headlines about their school. This exercise helped bring out some creative ideas about where they saw their institutions heading.

Throughout the process, we used various techniques like user journey mapping and empathy exercises. It wasn't always easy to balance the different needs and communication styles, but it was necessary to get a complete picture. This multi-faceted approach ensured that every stakeholder's voice was heard and valued, from the youngest students to top-level decision makers. By blending creative methodologies with targeted engagement strategies, I not only deepened our understanding of diverse user needs but also fostered a collaborative environment that fueled innovation.

The insights gathered through these sessions were instrumental in shaping DIGAM, ensuring that the guidelines were not just theoretically sound, but practically aligned with the real-world needs and aspirations of the entire Marista community.

The Outcome

The project resulted in a set of comprehensive guidelines that have become an important resource for the Marista school network. These guidelines weren't just pulled out of thin air - they were built on all that research and collaborative work we did.

What we ended up with was a booklet for managing educational spaces across the Marista schools. It covers everything from classroom layouts to how to set up areas for different types of learning activities.

The idea was to give Marista schools a way to keep up with changes in education without losing their core values. It's about making sure they can handle whatever comes their way, try out new ideas, and still provide top-notch education in all their schools.

It's not the most exciting read, I'll admit, but it's become a go-to resource for people making decisions about school environments in the Marista network. It helps keep everyone on the same page, whether they're building a kindergarten or a high school, renovating an existing school or building one from scratch.

Guidelines Applied

Since we wrapped up the project, DIGAM has been put to use across the Marista school network. I've had a hand in some of these projects directly, while other architecture firms have taken on others.

The main thing is, DIGAM has helped simplify how schools set up and manage their learning spaces. It's not just a theoretical document gathering dust on a shelf - it's actually being used.

These guidelines give schools a clear playbook to follow. This means there's more consistency between different Marista schools, but they still have room to adapt to their specific needs. It's about finding that balance between having a unified approach and allowing for innovation.

The goal was to help schools keep up with how education is changing, and from what we've seen so far, it seems to be working. Schools can update their spaces more efficiently, and they're better equipped to handle new teaching methods or technologies that come along.

It's not perfect - no system ever is - but it's making a difference in how Marista schools approach their learning environments. And that's really what we were aiming for all along. I actually know, from friends that still work with them, that even if 10 years has passed, it is still in use.

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