The primary concept for us was to create a harmony between the working and living conditions within the design. Both of these functions occur within the solid base of the school. Holes have been cut into the roof to allow skylights and courtyard spaces around which programme is orientated.
The residential units are divided into four blocks which house 12 students each. All bedrooms face into central courtyards to allow for the kind of collaborative living seen in the original Bauhaus, with a visual connection instead of an audible one. On top of the base, sits a glass box. The objective of this is to give the school a presence in the city whilst providing a transparent exhibition space.
From the exhibition space there are views into some of the open plan studios below, this is to offer the public an insight into the workflow of the students. These studios will be occupied by flexible modules to allow students to customise their workspace. The “learning pods” and the “funhaus” are furniture modules that can adapt to the 8.4m grid. The “learning pods” are focus-study spaces formed of two group-study rooms that share a continuous table. These are divided by a movable storage unit that allows the space to adapt, according to the students’ needs. The “funhaus” units provide a frame that can be used as spaces for relaxation, individual study spaces or exhibition units.
