Oct 12 2009
Can buildings be designed to help students learn, and corporations grow and compete?
The architecture firm Svigals + Partners is showing how, by fusing art with architecture. The results are changing how schools, laboratories and other buildings are being used - a movement described in The New York Times in an article about a Svigals + Partners project.
The firm's principal, Barry Svigals, FAIA, says the integration of original artworks into building designs isn't a new idea - it's as old as cave dwellings, Greek temples and Gothic cathedrals. "But this essential human need has been lost in the popular styles of recent decades," says Svigals. "Our projects are unique in how we incorporate sculpture and other applied arts to promote our clients' missions or the functions of their buildings."
As an example, Svigals points to the use of sculptural panels on the award-winning Columbus Family Academy, New Haven, the new pre-K-8 school in the Times article. The whimsical depictions of the four winds and other discovery themes are used directly by the school's teachers for academic lessons.
This novel approach is linked to current thinking on how the human brain works, and how to make students more creative in the sciences and mathematics. Dr. Abie Benitez, Principal of the Columbus Family Academy, has promoted the teaching method.
"From the global to the most intimate detail, we created an environment that supports and enhances the school's academic programming while nourishing and inspiring both students and teachers. This building is a learning beacon to the neighborhood and a valuable part of everyday life," says Dr. Benitez.
Source: http://www.svigals.com/