Architektur für Erwachsenenbildung

The article provides an education-theoretical reflection of spaces for teaching and learning in education centres. Adult education is defined as a »learning process concerning everyday life«, which requires particular architectural adjustments. In this context, Joachim Ludwig stresses that architecture is by far more than a simple arrangement of building material. Room structures rather contain a »significance« which has a great influence on the »standard of living« for learners as well as teachers. In this perspective, the learning supportive character of classrooms and educational spaces is guaranteed by designing them as experimental areas for self-understanding as well as world understanding.

The article focuses on innovative school architecture used as a source of inspiration for adult educational building projects. Frauke Burgdorff uses the examples of the Orestad College, Geschwister-Scholl Comprehensive School in Lünen, the group of private schools »SBW-Lernhäuser« as well as the Danish Munkegaard Skole to show different responses of architecture to the individual educational concept.

The author presents examples of good practice and defines central tasks and processes of modern libraries, which are regarded as central learning spaces for adults. Using the criteria »shortage – surplus«, »consumption – co-creation« and »product – process«, the relevant social challenges for libraries and adult education are described. It becomes evident that libraries and adult education are in a period of transition, which requires suitable architectural solutions.

Cultural patterns characterize the architecture in which we live and learn. The article by Urs Maurer helps to discover these unconsciously perceived patterns as an architectural language and adopt it for educational building. It is based on the concept of architectural language being marked by polarities, particularly the antagonism between »death crystal« and »tree of life« coined by Ernst Bloch.

The article presents a number of photographs of the Franz Pöggeler estate, which is preserved in the archive of the German Institute of Adult Education. The historic pictures vary between ecclesiastic-monumental architectural photography and simple snap shots and illustrate the differences of learning and teaching arrangements in the history of adult education centres. Even though the author regards the photographs as evidence of a mentality-historically obsolete period, they still indicate the individual interior designs of adult education centres which are still an inspiration for the present continuing educational field.

Hans Georg Rosenstein describes the objectives and priorities of the renewed European Agenda for Adult Learning, which was adopted by the European Council in 2011. Both, the role of the European Commission are analyzed as well as the tools and budget for the agenda’s implementation. The article concludes with a critical classification of »Erasmus for all«, the new EU-programme for general and vocational education.