Let's Go Out and Learn

This chapter will discuss the place of learning, where learning happens, and the supportive role physical setting plays in the learning process. In particular it will examine the outdoor environment as a physical resource in architectural education, using a case study from the undergraduate design studio at the University of Indonesia. This studio makes use of learning in outdoor spaces as a part of the process in developing students' understanding of space. Through the process of doing, observing, and making in outdoor settings, the students come into direct interaction with the environment. They receive opportunities for direct experience of space and place, the sharpening and activation of body senses, and a new sensitivity towards the environment. The outdoor environment also gives opportunities for direct creation of space and place, and provides freedom from physical boundaries and built objects. The richness of environmental features supports the process and expands students' spatial vocabularies. In this program, learning activities in outdoor spaces have become a key element of the overall learning process alongside the learning activities in the traditional design studio.