CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY

The biggest problem of today's schools is that the education system is based on rote learning. Rote education system kills children's sense of discovery and curiosity, so children lose their ability to think critically. In contrast, Scienart Children University offers children an education system based on active learning. With the education of this children's university, it is aimed to bring children together with science and art, to increase children's critical thinking skills, sense of curiosity and creativity, to enable children to recognize professions starting from early ages, and to bring children together with university students to learn from their experiences.

Scienart Children University, which will host 6-9-year-old students, is a project that aims to integrate science and art by creating active leaning environment. Students will choose one of the sciences of physics, chemistry and biology according to their interests, and these disciplines will be integrated with art activities such as painting, drama, sculpture, model making, music and rhythm. The learning process will be realized as understanding the subject, reinforcing the subject by experimenting, applying the learned information with interactive walls, doing art activities related to the subject and presenting the art products to other groups.  In addition, it is aimed for the children university to cooperate with AGU and to carry out activities such as workshops, seminars and university trips with AGU students and instructors.

In the design of the children university, it was aimed that the students learn by experimenting, exploring and playing, and the areas were created according to this purpose. Playing has been taken to the center, and it was aimed to create an environment where children can learn by playing and spend time without getting bored. Firstly, the trees in the site were examined, and it was aimed to cause as little damage to the trees as possible while placing building masses. Entry points to the site were given from the most suitable points for pedestrians and vehicles. The main entrance was provided from the back, where pedestrian flow and vehicle traffic is low and close to the student village, and the other entrance was provided from a region close to the AGU entrance for AGU students and instructors. Building volumes were created according to site context and their functions. Classes, workshops, library and dining hall were located in the main building where children will spend more time and the foyer and conference hall, which are more public spaces and will be used for seminars, were placed in the other building. The form of the main building was shaped to form a children's playground in front of it and the playground was protected from the excessive sun with the shade element. Workshops were moved upstairs and entertaining areas were created for children to climb and move between floors. Also, in the site, open air walking areas were created within the green environment. Furthermore, in the facade organization, the wall openings were adjusted according to the desired amount of natural light and different wood cladding types were implemented in different parts of facades.