Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, Greece

The school entrance is one of the most important places in the everyday lives of children. As an intersection between school and public realm of the city, it is characterized by gradations of porous and rigid boundaries. Depending on its function, it can serve as a threshold or as a boundary. Additi...

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Main Author: Natalia Bazaiou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2024-11-01
Series:Urban Planning
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Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8600
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author Natalia Bazaiou
author_facet Natalia Bazaiou
author_sort Natalia Bazaiou
collection DOAJ
description The school entrance is one of the most important places in the everyday lives of children. As an intersection between school and public realm of the city, it is characterized by gradations of porous and rigid boundaries. Depending on its function, it can serve as a threshold or as a boundary. Additionally, it is a spatial condition that facilitates a dialogue between the school and the city and draws content from both. School thresholds are important in supporting the role of the school as an important node in the city and a bridge between children’s various everyday life dynamics by demonstrating meaning as a place that is open to the community as well as to possibilities and physical interaction. In this research, we examine the role of the “realm of the in-between” between school and city through the architecture workshops for children at an Elementary School in the heart of Athens, in which we explore children’s perceptions, wishes, and ideas related to their familiar everyday places of transition from school to city and vice versa. The aim of the research is to find out: (a) What is the role of school entry today? (b) What is the children’s perception of the entrance of the school? (c) What are children’s wishes in relation to the spatial transition from city to school to better meet their needs and desires? (d) What are the specific qualities of a school entry that render it an ideal space for the interaction between children and with the space around them? and (e) How does the synergy of cinematic-architectural tools feed, enrich, and open up new possibilities in understanding and representing spatial and social phenomena?
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spelling doaj-art-d06e3942601d4ae2a995c0fb7d0552242024-11-28T10:34:55ZengCogitatioUrban Planning2183-76352024-11-019010.17645/up.86003864Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, GreeceNatalia Bazaiou0School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, GreeceThe school entrance is one of the most important places in the everyday lives of children. As an intersection between school and public realm of the city, it is characterized by gradations of porous and rigid boundaries. Depending on its function, it can serve as a threshold or as a boundary. Additionally, it is a spatial condition that facilitates a dialogue between the school and the city and draws content from both. School thresholds are important in supporting the role of the school as an important node in the city and a bridge between children’s various everyday life dynamics by demonstrating meaning as a place that is open to the community as well as to possibilities and physical interaction. In this research, we examine the role of the “realm of the in-between” between school and city through the architecture workshops for children at an Elementary School in the heart of Athens, in which we explore children’s perceptions, wishes, and ideas related to their familiar everyday places of transition from school to city and vice versa. The aim of the research is to find out: (a) What is the role of school entry today? (b) What is the children’s perception of the entrance of the school? (c) What are children’s wishes in relation to the spatial transition from city to school to better meet their needs and desires? (d) What are the specific qualities of a school entry that render it an ideal space for the interaction between children and with the space around them? and (e) How does the synergy of cinematic-architectural tools feed, enrich, and open up new possibilities in understanding and representing spatial and social phenomena?https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8600narrativesplayschool boundaryschool experiencespatial threshold
spellingShingle Natalia Bazaiou
Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, Greece
Urban Planning
narratives
play
school boundary
school experience
spatial threshold
title Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, Greece
title_full Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, Greece
title_fullStr Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, Greece
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, Greece
title_short Exploring Elementary School Children’s Interaction at the School Threshold: Evidence From Athens, Greece
title_sort exploring elementary school children s interaction at the school threshold evidence from athens greece
topic narratives
play
school boundary
school experience
spatial threshold
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8600
work_keys_str_mv AT nataliabazaiou exploringelementaryschoolchildrensinteractionattheschoolthresholdevidencefromathensgreece