Northam C.Y. O’Connor Institute Placemaking
The spaces, the 'places', we encounter in our daily lives, influence our health, happiness and productivity. When it comes to educational places in particular, how we design and use these spaces determines how well they can support our learning processes and well-being. Good or bad spaces make us feel welcome or unwelcome, energised or tired, protected from the elements or exposed to them. And once a place has been built, its users continuously shape and change it.
Placemaking is the process by which people transform these places into places they want to inhabit. It is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to planning and developing places that involves understanding a place's culture and qualities and the wisdom of its community.
This project aimed to engage with the Northam campus community and help identify their aspirations, needs and priorities for the C.Y.O' Connor Institute Northam Campus public spaces. It provided the opportunity to understand the diverse perspectives of its users better and imagine the possibilities of the Institute's shared spaces.
A Placemaking vision was developed, proposing recommended actions to inform and support the development of a framework for the campus' future expansion and strengthening the value of its spaces.
