ARCHITECTURAL STRATEGIES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

 

Cristina Maria Povian

Associate Professor, PhD Architect, “Politehnica” University Timișoara, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, ROMANIA, cristina.povian@yahoo.com

 

Abstract

Street children and children with addictions represent a special category when we talk about educational programs or learning Environments. The design and the architecture of a building can influence the development of a child, and can be a positive factor in the process of education. Nowadays, the drugs are a real threat for children and young people, the number of teenagers with different types of addictions is increasing in an alarming way. If, until 1995, Romania was only a transition area for drug trafficking, nowadays Romanians are consumers of such substances. Another important fact is that the age of onset is growing younger and younger. Therefore, the main campaigns for drug prevention focuses mainly on elementary school children (grades II-IV) and Gymnasium students (grades V-VIII). Latest statistics indicate the age of 9-1o years as the age of onset of drug use.

This article presents the situation of the educational process for drug prevention with the aim of finding better solutions for the rehabilitation of such teenagers in need. With a focus on the importance of the design in the educational and rehabilitation process a project, for a rehabilitation centre in the west part of Romania near Timisoara, is presented. The aim of this article, which uses all the educational, psychological and architectural information, is to present the importance and the relevance of the environment in the rehabilitation and educational process for these teenagers. Willing to prove this theory, this paper presents the situation in Romania, and also a case study on an educational and rehabilitation centre for teenagers in Dumbrăvița, Timișoara, Romania. This type of design, which seeks to accommodate the spiritual needs of these young people, creates a space with poetic, psychological and educational connotations.