Knowledge is not confined within the academic campus anymore. With the advances in technology – especially the Internet - allowed unlimited access to any kinds of information regardless of location. The internet and social media have dramatically changed both teaching and learning. In fact, many students first search Google to get information when they confront a problem rather than going to the library. In addition, 90% of the faculty uses social media in the courses, and 80% have used online video in their classes.
The current trend of knowledge production and exchange occurs in flexible ways. Nothing is no longer independent and everything is closely related which I define as ''Knowledge Ecosystem". In most of schools' website introduces their program as 'Multi-disciplinary', 'Cross-disciplinary' educational environment, emphasizing the importance of knowledge exchange between the city and the campus, academia and industry, and students and faculties. However, in most of the cases, physical form of the campus or building does not fully support this idea of ‘multi-disciplinary’ education environments but rather deteriorates. In other words, physical environment of the building is not catching up the current trend of education. Therefore, this project explores the type of space that can enhance cross-disciplinary knowledge exchange and to increase the interaction between students with several key principles.
First, the most successful learning environments are diverse, adaptable, and multimodal. New learning spaces can be a rough, flexible space that can inspire student engagement and fuel the learning process. The building consists of numerous superimposed layers, open volumes, which blurs the boundary between the programs, levels, spaces in order to bring more interaction within the campus. Classroom is not a rectangular room with rows of desks or tables. Based on the programmatic research, learning can happen outside the classroom – in corridors, on the lawns, in the cafeteria. This proposal is literally breaking down walls of the campus to promote transparency and encourage interaction.
Second, campus is an ecosystem. Design of the campus must consider the interrelatedness of things. Innovative campus should be a bridge between the worlds of academia and the workplace, as well as the city. This scheme is aiming to bring people together from different backgrounds with different areas of expertise and even visitors from the surrounding communities. The idea of self-defined spaces will help integrating students, faculties and community in their own definition. Each layers will not define the function of space nor the user of space. Rather, open plan system will allow possibilities to transform according to their needs. However, as a minimum gesture, the campus will suggest a new program - the academic incubator, spread within the campus as a defined space where students share and test their ideas.
Along with these ideas, located on the shore of Roosevelt Island, in the City of New York and with views of the Manhattan & Queens skyline directly to the west and east, the campus will be introduced as a new public landmark and transit hub incorporated with the existing urban infrastructure of Roosevelt Island, in order to ignite the revitalization of a neglected sector of Manhattan.
