1 March 2010

The Future Study Environment at the University

The project has developed a report that gives a general view of what is crucial for a good study environment at the university, and what the physical frames have to support. The development is made with background in didactic and pedagogic research and Danish and international experiences in building. The visions are made more specific with suggestions to possible rebuilding of the HCØ-building, Universitetsparken 5.

Foto: Christensen & Co Arkitekter. Fra venstre mod højre: Université de Jussieu, Universiteit van Utrecht, Universiteit van Utrecht, Queen Mary Research Centre London, Malmø universitet

Claimant

The report is developed for Academic Board on Education Strategy (KUUR)/Campus Plan & Byg, DSE (UoC), The Danish School of Education (DPU), Århus University and Christensen & Co Arkitekter.

Two reports:

The report "Fremtidens undervisningsmiljø på universitetet" [pdf, 1,5 Mb, Danish] from February 26 2010 gives a general view of the recommendations and ideas for rebuilding HCØ.

There is also made a background report, Baggrundsrapport [pdf, 5,6 Mb, Danish], which gives a deeper insight into the facts that play a role for the physical study environment. The report gives argumentation for the recommendations and it contains a large number of examples on inspirational buildings regarding study environment. The text offers a conceptual instrument for future building and rebuilding of the study environment at University of Copenhagen. 

Comments to the reports are welcome! Send to Sebastian Horst

Backgrund for the project

During the next few years University of Copenhagen faces a vast amount of building and rebuilding which will affect all of the university's eight faculties. All together the buildings, which has been decided upon, the financed buildings, and the building activities which have not yet finished, reach a total amount of 4900 millions Danish kroner. Teaching, along with research and dissemination, is one of UoC's three main competences. But how is it guaranteed that the study environment in these buildings also reflects the newest knowledge on how one learns the best?

This publication gives a general view of what is crucial for a good study environment at the university, and what the physical frames have to support. With background in didactic and pedagogic research and Danish and international experiences in building educational institutions, the publication gives a qualified starting point for the debate at UoC about what we can demand of the physical study environment in the future.

The purpose of the publication is to qualify UoC's future investments in connection with planning new buildings and with transformation of outdated study environments. The publication is used as a tool box to help the management, user groups, planners, architects, and others engaged in the study environment describe UoC's future study environment better, and so that it in the best possible way supports teaching.

As a part of the project a couple of students and employees at the Faculty of Science were asked to participate in a workshop, where they had to transform the general recommendations into concrete suggestions to rebuilding the study environment af HCØ, Universitetsparken 5.

Chosen ideas from the workshop is subsequently rewritten into three examples which are a part of the material. All three examples from HCØ are, however, of general value, and they can therefore also be used as input to rethinking the study environment other places at UoC. The other illustrations are examples of inspiring environments at other educational institutions. Both the recommendations as well as the examples of this publication are described thoroughly in the background report of the project.

Project participants:

The project is carried out in a cooperation between Department of Science Education and The Danish School of Education (DPU), Århus University. Project participants are Sebastian Horst, Lise Degn and Kjeld Bagger Laursen, all DSE, and Morten Misfeldt, DPU, Århus University.

Duration

The project's duration is from October 2009 until March 2010.