Students investigating spaces, Student drawings and Model Making

Architect Francis Shier is working with Transition Year students from St. Angela’s

Week 1
After brief introductions with the Transition Year students of St Angela’s College Secondary School, we decided to leave the school, which is temporarily situated at the old Marymount hospice, and explore the immediate area surrounding it. Armed with paper, crayons, pencils and cameras,  we took a route from the school grounds and walked along Summer hill road, MacCurtain Street, and up St. Patrick’s hill to the original school building, which is soon to be reconstructed.

The students investigated the spaces in the city they walk by and use every day. By looking and observing the spaces, sounds, textures, materials and changes in level views etc. The students  gained an understanding of the city but also introduced them to a new way of looking at the spaces we inhabit. On returning to the school the students wrote down words and made quick sketches describing  their observations. At the end of the session each student presented their work to their classmates. It was a very productive session with the girls coming up with excellent and incisive observations.

Week 2

For this session the students were divided into groups and discussed the various spaces in the school where the students gather – more often than not these were not designed social spaces but rather niches in corridors, windows, landings and outside lifts. In groups of three, the students created scaled plans and sections of these spaces using only their bodies to measure – using their arms, feet and height to gain an understanding of the size and proportion of space relative to themselves.  The students mapped everything in the spaces from dustbins to school bags and hockey sticks!

Week 3

Having turned the St Angela’s College meeting room into a mini architectural studio,  week three began by introducing the students to  the proposed new school, designed by O’Donnell + Tuomey architects. The students were shown a scaled model and some drawings of the new school.  The students began making two large scale card models, of two of the proposed external spaces in the school and they will come up with their own exciting ideas and designs for these spaces in the coming weeks.