Abstract

This paper is part of a three-year international study on architecture as pedagogy conducted across publicly funded, purpose-built, and Waldorf schools in Canada, Germany, and Iceland. The article focuses on students’ perceptions of the ways in which their schools are designed and furnished. Individual interviews, focus-group interviews, and photographs of each school building and its surrounding grounds were used to explore the complex interrelationships between students’ experiences and school spaces. Three features emerged as positive contributors to student life across all ages, geographic locations, and cultural settings. These included (a) gathering spaces with sofas, (b) windows and natural light, and (c) community use. Students experienced two other features (outdoor spaces and bathroom facilities) both positively and negatively. Students demonstrated an ability to clearly articulate and communicate their perceptions. Actively soliciting student input can constructively contribute to the modification of existing school environments and to the design of new learning environments.