Building an Advanced Blended Learning Environment

This presentation brings advanced understanding of architectural space blended with intentional collaboration elements. The owner of the Saco Island Mill consented to giving $1.4M to build out the 10,000 sq. ft. building to our design. He wanted to bring the community into the mill complex, keeping the required elements of the Historical Registration, while using the most modern learning technology. We are connecting students with a community of practice, a city community with the intellectual leverage of the University System, and problems with solutions. The goal of the project is to break down the barriers between learning to achieve a status and learning to achieve a result. Although the University of Maine will run the Saco Center, more than half the users will not be students. It is a learning atmosphere that invites inquiry, not a classroom that delivers content. We began in late March 2011 to forge an architectural vision. The design team was spread across Maine and as far as Edmonton, Alberta. We used 3D modeling to create and challenge the assumptions of space divisions. Three basic parameters are guiding the building. First, there must be spaces for gathering ranging from a single person to 100 people. Each level of grouping must range from public to private space. And, finally, the spaces must range from purely adhoc to closely scheduled. The idea is to make planned, intentional use possible for groups of any size while also being welcoming to spur of the moment collaboration. Every part of the building is a technology rich atmosphere with easy access to wireless broadband. Most areas are only a few steps away from wall-mounted flat panel monitors that invite connection to personal laptops for joint work or demonstration. An IT staff member has an counter size office in the center of the second floor. Staff and faculty office areas are scattered throughout the space. The Saco Island Center is meant to support online learning with a social space for human collaboration that blends virtual and physical resources.