Architecture Goes to School - Focus Group Site Planning

On Tuesday, this is the plan for the Architecture Goes to School Project...


Large Focus Group Discussion - The class will be divided into 3 groups of 10-11, to discuss the site development and design with mentor architects (and of course the teacher!).  Groups will discuss the approach, site issues, meeting community needs and wants, neighbourhood around the site. Explore and reinforce planning and design principles and how they will be applied to project.


Questions to guide us...
* What do you want to see on the site? Remember our mantra is LIVE, WORK and PLAY!! How will you bring that to life? How will you make it a neighbourhood or a community with a distinct style, a place people will want to be all of the time?? 
* How will you make sure there are the following components to the neighbourhood community?
a)  Residential and Living; b) Office Buildings; c) Parks and Green Space; d) Retail, Restaurants and Food; e) Active Living Center /Cultural Center; e) Shared Civic Spaces... (Please note... the Mentor Architects and the you, the students, will decide the best areas of focus for each Work group).
* What makes a space comfortable? Exciting? A place people of all ages want to be? What will be the shared values of the people who go there? What kind of lifestyle do you want to see? What kind of sustainable elements do you want to see demonstrated? 


The Method for Organizing the Chaos of the Focus Group Discussion...
1. The small groups will be condensed into 3 Focus Discussion Groups... just for discussion purposes...


2. Each group will have post-it notes to write ideas and share... try your best to get your ideas on paper... (ask a peer in the group to help you  write ideas, if you have difficulty putting them on paper).


3. Jot note what types of facilities, buildings, structures you want to see (think about the components listed above: Residential and Living; Office Buildings...)


4. As a group, prioritize your ideas... see which ideas are "doubled" or written more than once. If they are, then it must be important to include. Get a chart paper and write 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.... and decide the order your ideas will go.


5. Rewrite the ideas on paper for Ms. S-M, who will enter these ideas for further Large Group Discussion on the SMARTBoard. Ask a person to RECORD these ideas thoroughly.


6. Continue Focus Group Discussion with Large Scale Site Map. Decide where you want to place your buildings, facilities or structures on the site map. Your ideas are on post-it notes... so move them around!! For each location, you must have a persuasive reason to justify why you need it in the community and why it must be in that location. Be prepared for the Large Group Discussion.


7. As a large group, all ideas will be further discussed and prioritized. Each group must justify the existence of their top prioritized buildings... Be prepared to justify your ideas!! Be prepared to comprimise!