Meeting Deadlines

Can we all really work without deadlines??

Well each of us may answer to this question differently, but the fact remains that with deadlines we definitely 'push' ourselves harder.. We have deadlines all the time, don't we? Deadlines for homework, submissions, bill payments, phone calls, signatures, production, etc etc etc.... And there is always someone on the other end who reminds us of the approaching deadline!

I actually like deadlines...they make sure that I keep working timely instead of pushing off things for later. I wish I could be more organized like some people around me, who have everything planned out neatly..stating what they are doing in the entire month or sometimes even more ahead! I've always taken things as they come and tried to achieve short-term goals than the long-term.. well, I guess that explains why each individual is so unique! Throughout our growing up years and then college, we kind of understand the system that we work best with.. And by the time we start work we apply it to our daily lives....

Coming back to deadlines...I really am amazed at how people at the daily newspaper work. Theirs is one of the strictest deadlines I've ever known. They have to find, write, edit, proof-read, place stories - all in half a day, to make sure the entire newspaper is brought together with no mistakes, no alignment issues and printed on time for a million people to read the next day! I guess in this case the deadlines are for a team.. and the entire team needs to work together to bring about the newspaper.

Do we work best when under pressure of deadline? I've had like a million deadlines throughout my undergraduate and graduate study. Mainly all for presentations, submissions, research papers, models etc. It makes it all crammed in the end, but we always manage to pull it off. I've heard quite a few friends of mine who complain about the strict deadline and feel they could have done better if only they had extra time, maybe just a day more. Well, I'm always glad when a deadline is coming closer, 'coz I know that after that I will be done! And even though if I had a day extra, I would really not be able to achieve anything magnanimous, so why bother! It's best to be just done with it!

I don't have a deadline to write this blog...but I'm still writing it tonight.. because? Because I don't need deadlines to do something I love doing!

Designing Schools

Every city, every village is flocked with buildings/spaces for their different purposes. Amongst the many, a school is a must. Even the most simple of villages will have a space, even if it is under a tree, for a school. The student-teacher relationship has dated back centuries. It is considered by many a holy place where the future of the children and the world is shaped. The space where knowledge passes from one generation to the other, thus becomes an important one.

The trend in school design these days is "Interactive Design". The space that houses the school should help engage the students, teachers and visitors alike. The architecture and interior design becomes successful when it becomes a part of the teaching syllabus. This is a contrast to the traditional classroom style teaching which is prevalent in all schools around the world. Research shows that children can learn better by 'doing' than by 'listening'.
So, how can designers help engage the occupants with the building in a positive manner? This question can be answered if designers engage in a dialogue with the educators and children. It will really help if the designers understand the syllabus and try to bring about a change in the teaching style. For example if students were to learn about solar energy, they should be able to walk up to the roof which has solar panels. Other concepts like rainwater harvesting, nurseries, glass house, wind/water too can be incorporated in the design of the school itself. It also helps integrate nature into children's daily lives which will help ward away Biophilia which is common amongst children today. It will help them experience the concepts before getting an explanation on it.
The environment of the school should be bright and positive. It should be an atmosphere where children can engage with one another. Social interaction is as important as knowledge, and hence it is necessary that gathering spaces within the school are well designed and are numerous in number with varying sizes.
Children are our future. What we shall give them today, we shall get tomorrow. It is our duty, being in any profession, to give the best to children without expecting immediate gains. We have to think about new solutions for the future, and for that we have to understand human needs, values and desires.