ARCHITECTURE AS A PEDAGOGICAL SPACE. AN EMPATHETIC APPROACH TOWARDS EDUCATION: THE CASE OF THE HEARING IMPAIRED

Abstract

Throughout history, the fundamental basis of architectural design has been built upon the idea of the perfectly symmetrical Vitruvian man where it assumes the holistic physique of the perfect human body. The imperfection of the human body was never widely discussed nor recognised, in the fundamentals of architectural design, until the early 19th century when people began to pay attention to the needs of those with disabilities. Eventually, the recognition and appreciation of varying human abilities led to the formulation of the universal design concept where integrative design is explored in hope to maximise the potential usability and accessibility of the building and its facilities. Despite its wide spectrum of considerations, the universal design strategy may have overlooked the psychological implications of architecture as well as the varying cognition ability of the users due to the nature of its origin. Architecture has the ability to evoke, trigger and influence our emotions, thought and feelings through the different forms, spaces, material, textures, light and colour. The complex multi-dimensional relationship between architecture and human encompasses the surrounding and the circumstances relating to the surrounding where architecture plays a major role in shaping our lives. In line with the concept of the ‘reciprocal nature of man’s relation to his physical environment’ (Merleau Ponty, 1960, Yi-Fu Tuan, 1977), the discourse of the architectural implications on the psychological domains of cognition and spatial experience will be explored through the viewpoints of Tuan and Ponty’s humanistic perception on spatial embodiment as well as Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter’s concept of aural architecture and auditory spatial awareness. The premise of this discourse is to explore and investigate the possible shifts in design thoughts and formulation through the study of the varying cognition processes and unique spatial experience of the cognitively impaired, where sensorial experience is largely emphasized. In this study, the possible educational needs and limitations of the cognitively impaired children will be examined in the attempt to assess and formulate a new set of architectural design strategies that are specific to their cognitive needs. The exploration will be built upon the current deafspace design strategy that aims to look into the possible loopholes that may have been overlooked before, by looking into the more specific programmatic or functional needs of the deaf community.

With rising emphasis on education and child development in the world today, there ought to be a need to reconsider the impact of the built environment, with particular emphasis on schools, on the development of the young. Extensive researches have been conducted in the recent years to understand the architectural implications on childhood cognitive development, but there has been little mention of the cognitively impaired, particularly the deaf. Thus, in this proposal, we will use the Singapore School for the Deaf as a case study to assess and evaluate the needs of these special children. Ultimately, the aim of this study is to understand how educational institutions can engage in an inclusive and integrative design method so as to accommodate the special students’ educational needs in hope to compensate for their cognitive impairment in the integrative education system.