Arts Thread

This BFA Thesis project is a multi-sensory and interactive Primary school in Australia, called Analogue Orchard. This school is designed to minimize technology dominance and addiction, in order to foster children’s cognitive development, creativity, and growth. Moreover, using Evidence Based Design to make learning fun again! Technology dependency is being seen in primary education worldwide, especially in Australia, which has one of the highest technology integration rates within primary schools. This means students’ main mode of learning and exploration is through technology. This negatively affects children's cognitive development, as they are not gaining developmental skills such as memory, creativity, empathy, communication, motor abilities, and many more. In a longitudinal study in Australia, they found that: 78% of Teachers said that students' focus has declined, 84%said technology is a distraction in learning environments and 59% expressed that there is a decline in willingness to learn. Children are the future and need to be nurtured to become successful adults. This will be possible through designing better learning environments for primary school children in Australia, through reduced integration of technology. Creating interesting and interactive spaces for children to learn through play, fosters and protects their psychological and physical well-being. No technology in the 21st century is practically impossible, but less technology can make a significant difference by making these young children’s learning experiences enriching. My Thesis Project's Research Abstract was submitted and accepted by EDRA55 Portland (The Environmental Design Research Association). I presented in the conference and is uploaded here as video format. EDRA invites practitioners, researchers, and educators to submit their proposals for EDRA’s 55th annual conference. The event is hosted by the University of Oregon in Portland, Oregon, and centers on promoting human-centric design that considers people’s prosperity, satisfaction, and well-being while celebrating sustainability in the built and natural environment at all scales.