Imagination

University of Warwick, Atrium

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Anticipation

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Resource Collection
inc. case studies, flickr photo library, virtual campus and further resources

Space To Place

'Quality of place can be summed up as an interrelated set of dynamic, participatory experiences.'

Richard Florida, 'The Rise of the Creative Class'¹

In his work on the creative class, Richard Florida identifies some key characteristics of places that come to have real meaning in people's lives. He describes a quality of place that is a million miles away from the soulless education buildings that we have all experienced that could be in any institution anywhere in the world. The factors that make a venue have 'quality' of place are:

what's there
who's there
what's going on

'People in my interviews and focus groups often define 'authenticity' as the opposite of generic. They equate authentic with being 'real', as in a place that has real buildings, real people, real history. An authentic place offers unique and original experiences'

Richard Florida, 'The Rise of the Creative Class'¹

Florida also identifies the key features of these spaces as being authentic, different, and experiential. Such experiential places of quality have been described by a number of authors as 'Third Places'. For Florida, based on previous ideas from Oldenburg⁵⁸, this means 'social spaces'.

'Third places are neither home nor work - the 'first two' places - but venues like coffee shops, bookstores and cafes in which we find less formal acquaintances. These comprise 'the heart of a community's social vitality' where people go for good company and lively conversation'

Richard Florida, 'The Rise of the Creative Class'¹

This theme is developed by Christian Mikunda in his work on Third Places in the retail industry³⁸ that are used primarily not just as venues but also as tools for marketing the company or its products. In Mikunda's view:

'Third places are 'experience worlds' with common characteristics:

They are landmarks
They are designed for movement/malling or strolling
They have concept lines
They have a core attraction'

After using some of these methods to stimulate your ways of thinking and to develop your ideas, you could move on to produce some Concept Sketches. These are often worked on jointly with your architect and interior designer and are the physical embodiment of your vision. Newham College has used this technique.

Concept Drawings from Newham College - Click on an image to enlarge

These trends in the design and development of engaging, experiential places inevitably have repercussions for post school education where one of our key aims is not just to attract students but to retain them and to ensure that when they seek further educational development our institution is the one that they choose. At the heart of this phenomenon is the need to stop thinking about creating spaces and to create PLACES.