Architecture Program
Date of this Version
5-2013
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Adult learning and sharing environments, specifically high school, college, and workplace facilities, maintain a similar purpose in terms of meeting the needs of the institution and its users. For each of these three project types, the design team develops a plan for users that are capable of social, cognitive maturity while engaging in the creation of new knowledge or ideas. With abundant discussion available on the design variations of these spaces, such as open vs. closed delineations; individual and group work; online or unplugged, it is necessary to dig deeper into the environmental psychology at play amidst the built environment provides. The focus of this study is the element of transparency and the notion that high levels of visibility have a profound effect on the productivity and creativity of users in adult learning and sharing environments. Furthermore, planning with visibility in mind influences many design decisions and acts as a quiet linchpin in the fruition of a space. By evaluating the physical attributes of transparent spaces, particularly spatial and material compositions, and studying their users, the research aim is to discover the resulting behavioral contexts and to gather information for practical application in the design field.
Advisor: Mark Hinchman
Comments
A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Architecture, Under the Supervision of Professor Mark Hinchman. Lincoln, Nebraska: May 2013
Copyright (c) 2013 Erica M. Bartels