“When we were commissioning the design for the Centre for Enquiry, other companies gave us what we thought we wanted. Spaceoasis gave us what we actually needed.”
Eileen Ray, Lead Librarian
Redefining the role of the library
The construction of a new building presented an opportunity redefine the role of the library within Aiglon College. The teaching staff wanted to bring it firmly into the heart of the school, creating a space that was open, inviting, supporting and included a makerspace. From its original modest quarters across the road from the main campus, the library now occupies a whole floor of a Swiss chalet-style teaching block right in the centre of the school.
The Centre for Enquiry, as the new space is known, marks the evolution of the library from somewhere you might go to borrow a book to an expansive hub of learning; an engaging, interactive, social space where you create, as well as acquire, knowledge. With social zones, a café area, a fully equipped makerspace and tiered seating where groups can gather, it’s a paradigm shift from the traditional library concept.
Gathering Views
When we visited the school and met some of the students, we were struck by how much they enjoyed their location, high in the Swiss Alps, and the stunning views from the balcony. They said they’d like to be able to curl up on the balcony with a hot chocolate and a good book, enjoying fresh air and the beautiful mountain outlook. All three of the zones in the Centre for Enquiry have access to outside space and not just because the students like it: physical movement and being in a natural environment are both proven to boost cognitive performance. The school had considered extending the library into the space occupied by the balcony but its benefits to learning and the students’ reaction convinced them otherwise.
The Centre For Enquiry has three key zones
Located in the heart of the school, sandwiched between two floors of learning spaces, the Centre for Enquiry has three main zones designed to support different types of learning:
Quiet Study Space
A defined area with tiered seating and individual tables where you might find a sixth former working on an extended project for their IB, a group gathering for a plenary session or, for example, a presentation from a visiting author or guest. The mobile tiered seating can be moved in order to subdivide the space, or to create a tightly focused arena for presentations or readings. This space also has mobile LearningSurfaceâ Bite tables with flip tops so they can be nested to the side to create clear space. This is an area where students can move around, choosing how and where they want to work.
Main Library
At the heart of the Centre for Enquiry, you find a zone replete with books and nooks for reading where you can enjoy some alone time.
Rather than a librarian looming, sentry-like, at the entrance, the Centre for Enquiry runs on a trust system and students check out their own books. Support is at hand but in a more relaxed, ambient supervisory fashion. Rather than owning fixed territory, staff use trolleys as mobile, personal storage units and move them to wherever they wish to work. A central tucked away storage area provides space for storing and processing books.
One side of this zone has study booths and tub chairs, it’s a sophisticated, grown-up study space reserved for the sixth-form and feels like a first class aircraft cabin. Opposite, is the café area where you’ll find books on travel, cookery and graphic novels; with comfortable sofas and coffee tables this is a relaxed and social space.
Makerspace
At the opposite end of the library to the quiet study zone is the makerspace, which is where the hands-on exploration and self-directed, practical learning happens. On one side you’ll find 3D printers, workbenches, green screen and ceiling mounted power with pull-down cables complemented by soft seating and tiered seating (for instruction and demonstrations) with book storage in the back. The opposite side is dedicated to paper: printers, cutting mats, tools for laminating, collating and binding plus recycling bins.
The central area of the makerspace zone is a clear space for demonstrating your creations, with a chalkboard paint floor so you can measure how far your elastic band car / paper plane / robot gets. In this space the balcony could act as a drop zone for experiments involving gravity.
“Having the cafe space in the library… has been transformational in terms of relationships”
Books still play a key role in the Centre for Enquiry, but the collection has been streamlined (students can request books from the archive if they are not on the shelves) to free up space for knowledge creation and exploration. The result is a place where students feel welcome, where they have the freedom to explore, experiment and learn in a way that suits them. And if they just need some thinking time, there are quiet spaces, comfortable chairs and places to sit and reflect.
“Having the café space in the library, where students and staff bump into each other and chat, has been transformational in terms of relationships.” Nicola Sparrow, Deputy Head, Aiglon College
“When we were commissioning the design for the Centre for Enquiry, other companies gave us what we thought we wanted. Spaceoasis gave us what we actually needed.” Eileen Ray, Lead Librarian
