The research is contracted by the Ministry of Education, and is a separate part of the InnoArch project. The data will be used in the first phase by the MoE for upgrading the spatial statistics for the projects applying for governmental support. In the second phase, the data will be used in further research and it will be focused on a selected focal point. The target of the study are 18 schools, which are built in the 21st century and have a few years experience of use.

Theoretical background

Preliminary. The target group can be studied on the basis of the contents based on the Birgit Cold metaphors: in the schools, the places for handcraft, mindcraft, presentation, social encounters and seclusion should be identified. An other frame for the study are the so called criteria for a high quality school (Nuikkinen), from which can be derived the meanings and possibilities of e.g. the school and the surrounding society, diverse use of the school premises, the formal and informal learning environment and openness.

Possible aspects are e.g.
Birgit Cold – the importance of aesthetics in learning environment,
Nuikkinen – the quality criteria of a school building,
Jyri Manninen - environments that support learning and
Suvi Nenonen's mid-space analysis etc.

Research methods and data

In the collection and analysis of written data for the factual part will be collected the project planning data of MoE's state support applications of the schools, blueprints from the planners and communal planning departments, other construction drawings and information from the schools of their daily activity.

The qualitative part aims at collecting and analyzing the experiences and opinions of the users of the schools. The method used is the so called "user promenade" (Gåtur) – a method in which different user groups - rector, teacher, pupil, upkeep and governance - are gathered for an excursion led by the researcher to 12-15 in advance targeted places in the school's interior. The group will stay a few minutes in each of the places and jots down their impressions of the place. Primary foci of evaluation are atmospheric factors such as comfortability and aesthetics, secondarily the functional factors such as tightness/spaciousness, acoustics, furniture etc, which will be evaluated. After the tour a complementary discussion will be held concerning the spaces, in which also other places and matters of the school can be brought into consideration. The discussion will be recorded.

Results and Conclusion

The data collection is still in progress, so there are no specific results yet. Certain themes have, however, stood up while working on the preliminary data analysis.

Places of learning external to the specified teaching spaces: "active spots", including rendezvous points, pastime areas, entertainment places, spaces for independent studies, information searching places, group work and other locations. These spots can be created or be independently created, they can be used
independently or under supervision, randomly of on purpose. Active spots range from including all of these qualities to very specified ones. The existence of such a spot is dictated by the activity culture of the school. A building can be very facilitating for the forming of such activity spots, but these possibilities are
lost unless the culture of the school supports them. During the research, several contributors have been identified to a culture which does not support activity spots, e.g. fear of vandalism, lack of funds and thoughtlessness.

One type of an active spot is a library, the existence of which is also strongly an activity cultural issue. The appreciation of a library varies from school to school. The interviews show that the pupils of those schools which have made an effort in the library and it's use, are comfortable with using the library, like it and believe in the future of a book.

Of the Relation between the School and the Community. Nuikkinen's criteria of a "high quality school, which is a diverse cultural center for its perimeter" is valid in addition to the usage outside school hours, as expected, if the school houses an auditorium or dining hall for public occasions or a communal secondary library is integrated in the school.