This workshop works as the active learning element of a flipped classroom. Before doing the workshop, students are assigned pre-class (passive learning) material to study individually. For the purpose of this workshop the ideal material is related to daylight and natural light provision and key rules of thumb for good daylight design. You can find suitable pre-recorded lectures on the topic from the www.arch4change.com website (in the PASSIVE RESILIENCE theme).

The aim is for students to understand the role of daylight and natural light, the connection with users’ health and wellbeing (and in housing the connection with furnishability and adaptability of spaces) and analyse this in the context of their own design projects. The objective is for students to learn tools and approaches for designing well-daylit spaces through analysing and iterating daylight-related aspects of their design projects.

This workshop has five parts. It can be undertaken by individual students / student groups, but ideally it is facilitated in a classroom setting by the teacher. The workshop can be done online, but ideally it is done face-to-face to ease communication and e.g., sketching.

Students will need a means to access their design project (laptop, print-outs) and tools to sketch and draw with so tables are needed; pens, paper/overlay roll to be brought by students or provided by teachers. It can also be done in a digital or a rough physical model of (part of) a space.

Suggested timetable for the full workshop:

• Pre-task: students understanding rules of thumb on daylight which can be found in the PASSIVE RESILIENCE theme in www.arch4change.com – there is a short lecture they watch in advance prior to the workshop (i.e. as flipped classroom).

• reading or setting the workshop task (5-10 min)- i.e. the detailed info below.

• Part 1: the role of windows (45 min)

• Part 2: indoor qualities and well-being (30–45 min)

• Part 3: reflections on observations (30 min)

• suggested longer break, e.g. lunch (30–60min)

• Part 4: re-imagining your design for good daylight (60 min)

• Part 5: reflections on new ideas (30 min)

PART 1 (45 min – individually / in design groups if applicable)

Consider the role of the window “from the inside to the outside”: what roles do windows play in your design? What spatial qualities and functional elements does the current window positioning enable or disable?

1. Think about the role of windows in your design; what kind of environments, atmospheres or impacts on the user’s wellbeing do they create? What kind of impact would you like them to have? Write down your key observations.

2. Use rules of thumb to assess daylight in your design (see www.arch4change.com for daylight in the PASSIVE RESILIENCE theme) – are you following the rules of thumb? If not, what should you do differently? Write down / sketch your key observations.

3. Analyse alternative furnishing layouts of your design / target space. Critically evaluate whether the window location(s) suit the intended use(s). If not, readjust your window design in new sketches.

PART 2 (30 min – individually / in design groups if applicable)

Consider the connection of the indoor environment with users’ health and wellbeing.

1. Think about the needs of users. How might they feel using the space, and how is it connected to the placement of windows or other visual and physical connections to the outside? Consider questions such as: How many & what kind of visual connections to the outside are there? How about physical connections? Is there a view and light from more than 1 window in the room? Might they change their behaviour, or use of the space, according to the window design and location? Write down your ideas, sketch and discuss.

2. Think about how you personally would feel in the space and why. Discuss.

PART 3 (30 min – together with others / other groups)

Take time to reflect on the key findings, insights and ideas from observing your initial designs. Was there something that surprised you? Did you learn anything new? Discuss.

PART 4 (60 min – individually / in design groups if applicable)

Re-imagine your design for good daylight and user well-being and reiterate your current design approach. The aim is to create delightful places with the user’s experience in mind.

• Based on your analyses from parts 1-3 make a new sketch / sketches / (digital or physical) model of your design approach with improved daylighting and access to views. Use the rules of thumb and guidelines provided in the pre-recording material.

PART 5 (30 min – together with others / other groups)

• Discuss the key alterations, ideas and observations with your peers. What ideas did you come up with? What would you still like to consider?

• If desired, the facilitator of the workshop (educator) can ask each group to highlight their key observations or insights and in the end draw key points together.

The output of the workshop is an improved sketch / idea / (digital or physical) model of one’s own design with an in-depth consideration of daylight and window design and their connection to users’ health and wellbeing.

The learning activity itself is not evaluated (i.e. formative assessment), but peer discussion and teacher feedback provide ideas and reflections on the outputs. This task could be considered to support “assessment as learning” (https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/Pages/assessment.aspx), where (shared) reflection and (self) monitoring of students’ design process informs their future goals and aspirations and steers their learning process forward.

Adaptations or refinements:

• It can be adapted to include sunlight principles too and passive heating and cooling (see PASSIVE RESILIENCE theme on www.arch4change.com)

• It can be solely based o making a physical model of (par of a space) – e.g. at 1: 50 or 1:20 that students change and adapt in the different parts.

• If a model of 1: 50 or 1: 20 is used, students can also take it outside and measure daylight lux levels and create a DF (daylight factor) map of the different window situations, similar to measuring daylight in an actual space – see Daylight Workshop 2.

Limitations or assumptions:

• The facilitator of the workshop needs to have an adequate understanding of daylight and factors affecting it in order to help students complete the workshop tasks.

The key learning outcomes for students are:

• to become familiar with good daylight design principles and connection to spatial qualities and well-being implications.

• to learn to analyse the application of these principles in one’s own work and

• to apply knowledge about good daylight design principles in improving their own work

For educators, the reflective discussions with students likely help deepen / broaden their own understanding of good daylight design principles, their interconnections and applications in design approaches.

It would be recommended that the facilitator of this workshop is familiar with good daylight design principles, as this helps the facilitation of the workshop and supporting in-depth application of knowledge. It is recommended that the facilitator (/educator) familiarises themselves with the pre-class materials students are being given.