Evolution of the school classroom design: the cases of Uruguay and Costa Rica

Abstract

The aim of this work is to characterise the evolution of the classroom design in Uruguay and Costa Rica, to distinguish constants and differences that have influenced architectural development and start outlining its future in Latin America. This work is part of a larger research related to a critical analysis of school classroom implemented in Latin America. The methodology is based on a chronological descriptive analysis and comparison of selected cases of types of school architecture in Uruguay and Costa Rica as examples of the different phenomena that affect educational development in Latin America.

The conclusion reflects on the need to rethink the classroom space in line with the educational processes and the current needs of pupils and teachers. The similarities between the achieved proposals and differences given by political, social and historical conditions for each country allows for the study of the strengths and weaknesses that make the current classroom what it is, and the possibilities to learn from them in search for new improved proposals.

This paper intends to establish a relation between the classroom architectural response and the teaching trends influenced by educational movements over time. The research aim is to engage in a discussion between the theory of architectural design and the influence of local and pedagogical phenomena in school architectural solutions. It seeks to be the germ of an investigation to shed light on the classroom phenomenon in Latin America.