108 eighth-grade students design their school's library in Berkeley

2014-02-28T20:25:00-05:00

What good is a school without a library? A team of 108 eighth-grade students at REALM Charter School in Berkeley, CA let their curiosity take the lead in designing their school's own reading space, which they call X-SPACE.

X-Space started out as a school project in Studio H, an in-school curriculum led by director Emily Pilloton and 8th-grade teacher Hallie Chen that lets students in grades 8-11 design and build in socially-engaged projects.

The idea and name of X-Space came from the students' desire for a place to study, to relax, to learn and discover "X" — the unknown. In short, they wanted a welcoming library space for fellow students at the growing charter school.

Another product of the project is the X-shaped "STAX" shelving system the students helped construct. The stackable shelves were designed from low-tech 13-ply finished plywood and made using high-tech CNC technology with the help of Autodesk CEO Carl Bass.

Studio H launched a Kickstarter on Feb. 25 and has already raised o...

Humanitarian Design Project Aims to Build a Sense of Community

2011-10-23T18:45:50-04:00

Countless academic studies have argued that studying design at school can be hugely beneficial, even for students who have no intention of becoming professional designers, because it builds their confidence by teaching them communication, planning and visualization skills, which will be useful in any field. Yet relatively few students in America’s cash-strapped public school system are given the chance to study design, or art, especially in deprived areas like Bertie County

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108 eighth-grade students design their school's library in Berkeley

Humanitarian Design Project Aims to Build a Sense of Community