Waterfront Connections: A Dynamic Learning Environment for Downtown Seattle

Abstract

Schools are being re-imagined as dynamic experiences where the larger built environment in which they are located are just as influential on what is learned as are the structured lessons. Students are active learners who have a natural inquisitiveness, and they learn in various ways that require different types of spaces and experiences. Both collaborative learning through a community among the students and teachers and contextual learning opportunities within the larger built and natural environments can contribute to an expanded view of education. When these internal and external relationships are valued and recognized as significant contributors to the educational experience, they guide the pedagogy, program, curriculum, and ultimately the design principles of the school. This thesis proposes a K-12 option school, which explores the potential learning opportunities that exist in the proposed Aquarium Plaza on Alaskan Way and Pier 62/63 on Seattle's waterfront. The connections and relationships to, from, and within this place impact how students learn and how teachers teach, as well as influence the activities and courses that are offered, and the design of the spaces that support them. This school also gives back to the greater context by recognizing the rich social and natural resources at this site and by providing facilities for community events and activities. Additionally, the opportunity to directly connect to the water provides a home base for an ecological-based facility as well as a dock for a mobile learning environment that explores the waters of Puget Sound and beyond.