CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY

AGU Children University is a summer school project that provides a new approach to educational buildings. Beyond being just a school, it has also partial relationships with the neighborhood. While it provides children with indoor and outdoor experiences, it supports the collaborative educational environment. The concept of the project was inspired by AGU Bostan. While we have been facing serious results of global warming, it is crucial to teach the importance of agriculture to the next generations. During the summertime, students can plant and harvest vegetables and sell them in a small bazaar. This relationship between the students and the neighborhood can make a significant contribution for the children in terms of provides them with a real-life experience.
The project area is between AGU and AGU Student Village. The settlement has a grid urban plan and the houses are mostly one or two storeys. To respect the region, the project follows the same grid pattern of the Student Village. Instead of having a single massive structure, it has different units according to their functions. Being a part of the site is one of the main purposes of the project. There are five units on the site; three of them are identical and each of them provides flexible classrooms, a science laboratory, and a small library. Another unit serves as a public multipurpose area and rooms for staff. Lastly, a kitchen that also serves as a greenhouse has an aquaponics system on the first floor.
The units were placed concerning the site. While three educational and common units were placed in the middle of the site, the kitchen was placed at the west to provide a connection between the kitchen, agriculture area, and the bazaar. In the middle of the site, there is a small pool that is surrounded by trees which are defining a square for the site. While the square serves the heart of the project it has also a visual connection with the Student Village’s square.
While separate units create exciting spatial experiences for the users they also protect the trees since they are placed according to the locations of the existing trees. The relationship between trees and small units creates a harmony that the users can feel that they are in the forest. The small pools create fresh weather on the site. The treehouse that is reached via a curvilinear ramp allows children to have a “secret place” and invent various games.