The Lab4Act project aims to investigate, develop and assess solutions for optimizing and modernizing the transitional spaces of academic school buildings in order to promote or enhance active and informal learning. This project follows the "E-Learning Cafés" project of the University of Porto that allowed the establishment of two dynamic learning spaces on the University campus, focus on promoting the integration of social and study activities, encouraging students to exchange ideas and knowledge, fostering interdisciplinary and innovation.

1. Andrea Vieira, CEAU FAUP U.PORTO, andreaperavieira@gmail.com
Clara P. Vale, CEAU FAUP U.PORTO, clara_vale@arq.up.pt
Lígia Ribeiro, FEUP U.PORTO, lmr@fe.up.pt
LAB4ACT: LABORATORIES FOR ACTIVE
LEARNING SPACES

2. The University of Porto and the e-learning café project

3. 29.921 students enrolled
2.291 teachers and researchers
1.563 administrative staff

4. 14 Faculties
9 Major Interface Institutes
of which U.Porto is the main partner
1 Associated Business School

5. E-Learning Café in University of Porto: ICT influence
in the design of social learning spaces, in EUNIS
2007, Grenoble
@elearningcafeasprela

6. Learning Spaces and Students’ Entrepreneurship:
The Strategy for the Successful Implementation of
an E-Learning Café in campus U.Porto, in EUNIS
2013, Riga
@elcbotanico

7. The Lab4Act project

8. The Lab4Act project aims to investigate, develop and assess solutions for
optimising and modernising the transitional spaces of academic school
buildings in order to promote or enhance active and informal learning

9. Transitional spaces within
university buildings should
not be interpreted as mere
links between classrooms
Lab4Act seeks solutions to
promote new forms of use
and appropriation of these
spaces in learning related
activities

10. The programmatic distribution of space is no longer the ideal indicator to
describe the usage and occupation of university spaces
social transformations
+
technological innovation
new ways of working and socializing
almost without functional space
layout constraints rethink patterns of space usage in
educational environments
diversity of social behaviours plays a
central role in learning practices

11. Learning is a decentralized process that occurs almost any
time and anywhere (Hillier and Penn, 1991)
Learning promoted by social interactions in communities of
practice (Wegner, 1998)
Learning developments supported by ‘reflection-in-action’
(Schön, 1987)
what about the role of space in learning
processes in schools of architecture in Portugal?
The role of space in learning processes

12. Preliminary results

13. PRODUCTIVE
SPACES
PROGRAMMED ACTIVITIES
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in classrooms, auditoriums, teacher’s
offices, research spaces)
NON PROGRAMMED
ACTIVITIES
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in library)
SUPPORTIVE
SPACES
PROGRAMMED ACTIVITIES
SECONDARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in administration, informatics
supportive services, operator, security,
bookstore and stationary design spaces)
NON PROGRAMMED
ACTIVITIES
SECONDARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in stairs, lifts and ramps, toilets,
storage spaces, dressing rooms)
Interpretation of Architectonic Programming Applied to Complex Buildings (Krüger, 1992) for HE schools
Architectonic Programming

14. Interpretation of Architectonic Programming Applied to Complex Buildings (Krüger, 1992) in 3 case studies
DAUCoimbra FAUPorto SAUMinho

15. Classification of activities for the three case studies

16. Data collecting map example on informal activities (FAUPorto)

17. Collected data on informal activities for the three case studies

18. Adaptation of Architectonic Programming Applied to Complex Buildings (Krüger, 1992) in schools of architecture
PRODUCTIVE
SPACES
PROGRAMMED ACTIVITIES
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in classrooms, auditoriums, teacher’s
offices, research spaces)
NON PROGRAMMED
ACTIVITIES
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in library)
SECONDARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in group gathering and meeting
spaces, atriums, corridors, cafeteria)
SUPPORTIVE
SPACES
PROGRAMMED ACTIVITIES
SECONDARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in administration, informatics
supportive services, operator, security,
bookstore and stationary design spaces)
NON PROGRAMMED
ACTIVITIES
SECONDARY ACTIVITIES
(take place in stairs, lifts and ramps, toilets,
storage spaces, dressing rooms)

19. Adaptation of Architectonic Programming Applied to Complex Buildings (Krüger, 1992) in 3 case studies
DAUCoimbra FAUPorto SAUMinho

20. Adaptation of Architectonic Programming Applied to Complex Buildings (Krüger, 1992) in 3 case studies
3.6% 7.4% 34.8% 49.8% 4.4%
3.6% 42.2% 49.8% 4.4%
6.4% 7.8% 14.9% 68.5% 2.5%
6.4% 22.6% 68.5% 2.5%
6.3% 11.6% 29% 51.0% 2.1%
6.3% 40.6% 51.0% 2.1%
Productive Spaces 89%
Productive Spaces 85,9%
Productive Spaces 82,1%

21. Scaling-up

22. Bluetooth beacon technology

23. Lab4Act will enable making meaning through
relations between users, objects and spaces

24. References
• Hillier, B. and Penn, A. (1991). Visible colleges: structure and randomness in the place of discovery. Science in context, 4(1), 23-50.
• Kürger, M. (1992; April). Caracterização e Programação de Edifícios Complexos. Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Instituto
Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, (Publicação N° 78).
• Pedro Neto, Andrea Vieira, Clara do Vale, Lígia Ribeiro (2007). E-Learning Café in University of Porto: ICT influence in the design of
social learning spaces. EUNIS 2007 – Innovation for a European Era, Conference, Grenoble, France, 26-29 June 2007.
• Ribeiro, L., Pinto, M., Neto, P., & Vieira, A. (2013). Learning Spaces and Students’ Entrepreneurship: The Strategy for the Successful
Implementation of an E-Learning Café in campus U.Porto. EUNIS 2013 ICT Role for Next Generation Universities, ISBN 978-9934-
10-432-9, pp. 176-183, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia, 11-14 June 2013.
• Schön, D. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Vieira, A., Neto, P., Ribeiro, L. & Sousa, M. (2009). Requalifying Old Place For New Uses – The E-Learning Café U.Porto.
International Symposium IAPS-CSBE Culture&Space in the Built Environment Network and IAPS - Housing Network Revitalising Built
Environments, Istanbul.
• Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.