The Reconfigured

Education nowadays is trending towards collaborative efforts and it is recognized that collective brain power not only leads to a more productive and successful outcome, but it also is a tool for engaging team members and providing a more satisfying learning experience for them. The challenge comes in creating an environment that promotes interaction, teamwork, and collaboration between students and staff members. While the desire may be there, often times the physical structure may be boundary or obstacle that prevent collaboration to occur. Many educational buildings have not allocated space for students or staffs to pool their talents and work together in a collaborative manner. Staff and students need areas where they innovate ideas and build knowledge. Whether that translates to a meeting room, a smaller huddle room or simply a space for informal conversation, the architectural program needs to aspire innovation. Inspired by Substrate Factory Ayase by Aki Hamada Architects, utilising Shoji as a part of their strategy, where movable and foldable walls provide a flexible solution for creating that space, this proposal extends flexibility via reconfigurable space. Therefore, the layout of space can easily be reconfigured and it further allows the occupants to maximize the use of space. Having foldable walls allows the ground level to be more permeable, making it fully accessible by all sides of The Cluster in addition to making it affordable to alter the spatial configuration in the future.