Pre-education and meeting: Pedagogical and architectural drivers of the emergence of Basisschool typology through case study: Basisschool Airborne

Abstract

In 1980, the Primary Education Act was revised. One of the most important decisions was to combine kindergarten and primary school into a new type of pre and primary education institution: basisschool. In the existing literature, there were few clues about the backgrounds, drivers, and consequences. Was the new type of educational institution beneficial for the growth and development of the children? In addition, the structuralism movement in the architectural field happened simultaneously with the development of kindergarten. It initially aimed at solving the housing crisis but also deeply influenced school building typology. Were the new demands for space brought by school reformation satisfied in structuralism school buildings? The thesis would focus on these two fundamental questions. Through the project Basisschool Airborne designed by structuralist Jan Verhoeven, the thesis would study the logic in structuralism design and the intersections between pedagogical and structuralism theories. During the post-war period, there were resemblances in multiple academic fields. In the research of basisschool, apart from a more comprehensive understanding of developments in both architecture and pedagogy, people can also discover the possibilities for further interdisciplinary research.