News, Environments
What will school architecture be like after the pandemic?
Check out what changes and possible solutions architecture and design can bring to ensure a safe return to school
By Ana Carolina Harada
Updated at Sep 15, 2020, 6:08 PM - Submitted at Sep 15, 2020, 6:08 PM
05 min de leitura
(Reprodução Curl la Tourelle Head e Dezeen/)
After almost a semester of social isolation, big questions are urgently being asked about the construction of what has become the jargon “new normal”. There are countless trivialities that have become practically unimaginable absurdities, such as going out without alcohol gel or sitting at a table with crowded bar. However, there are activities that cannot simply be eliminated from the routine, among them is education; the in-person school model as we know it is unfeasible for the post-coronavirus world. Much more than installing totems with alcohol gel, architects and designers from all over the world are already beginning to develop hypotheses about what new schools should be like and the adaptations that can be applied to old ones. Check out some of them below! Classrooms 
The classroom is the heart of the entire school, and it is also the place where students spend most of their time. Traditionally, it is an indoor space, with desks arranged side by side, very close to each other. , and the teacher in front. 
Thinking about existing schools, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) understands that the number of students in each classroom should decrease, which will increase the distance between desks. Just like in supermarket queues, markings on the floor can delimit the appropriate area for each wallet. 
The English firm Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture proposes another type of structure, which innovates the very concept of a classroom. Its tents were inspired by the Danish method of outdoor teaching and are a kind of pop-up school, which can be assembled and disassembled. It has already been used at Manorfield Primary School in London and houses fewer students in a non-enclosed space with air circulation. Cafes and snack bars 
Recess is a favorite time for many children. However, in cafeterias, the risk of contagion increases, since students do not wear masks when eating. It is essential that children are not deprived of social interaction, but that they can do so with safety. In China, cafeteria tables in schools that have resumed classes have used isolation barriers between chairs. The AIA recommends that cafeterias offer boxed meals instead of individual items, such as cheese bread or dumplings, which are often sold and consumed with the hands. The future of cafeteria design, however, points to hybrid environments, with both indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing students to spread out more and eat safely. This model was chosen for Edible Academy, a state-of-the-art food education campus. generation at the New York Botanical Garden. Courtyards 
The playgrounds are usually places for leisure. Now, however, they will play a leading role in the new schools. Because they are open and allow for greater social distancing, they can act as temperature measurement points and sanitation areas. According to the AIA, it is also important for schools to organize the flow of entry, exit and circulation, since students tend to gather at the doors. This will all happen in the courtyards.