Throughout my educational career, I have found outdoor study spaces a double-edged sword. Working outside, in the fresh air and unique environment, has often been amazing for my mental health. Particularly, when on the edge of a stress episode, I have found that going outside to work allows me to continue being productive without losing my calm. Unfortunately, this positive benefit is often negated by the poor designs of outdoor spaces. From a lack of outlets to a noisy soundscape to simply no flat desktops, the areas designed for outdoor studying rarely provide me with what I need to work. This forces me to often choose between relaxing outdoors and being able to work effectively. This experience motivated me to do a project on how designers can learn to plan out functional study spaces outside.
When discussing outdoor study spaces, there are a few different names for subspaces of study spaces. An informal study space describes an outdoor area where students are free to sit and study. These spaces, like libraries, allow students to sit and work at their leisure. In contrast, a hybrid learning space creates an environment where students can learn new materials in class and independently. While these spaces have different nuances in goals, the effectiveness of the designs is often based on the same details. The inspiration for this project and the overall mindset of analyzing study spaces in this manner stems from in-class reading. Particularly, “Where to take a study break on the college campus: An attention restoration theory perspective” is a paper by Gary Felsten about how the presence of nature influences a student’s ability to focus. The result of this study is that it provides a framework for thinking about the design of study spaces and how they influence those who use them. Consequently, this project will utilize this mindset to analyze outdoor study areas.
As schools have become more conscious of students’ mental health, there has been an increasing emphasis on providing outdoor areas for students to use. This goal is noble, but certain spaces are more effective areas to use.
Specifically, it is extremely impactful when the designers’ behind an outdoor study space understand student life. A designer who understands what students need/use while studying or communicates with students about those components develops a more detailed, nuanced understanding of what any good study space must have. Thereby, to design an effective outdoor study space, designers must increase their focus on what students demand of the space and soundscape of the areas where they study. As this paper will illustrate through two case studies, lacking this knowledge leads to outdoor study spaces that students cannot effectively use.