Project team
Project Coordinator: Eric Sidoroff
Management Team: Eric Sidoroff, Michael Zinner, Petra Moog
Executive Board: Eric Sidoroff, Michael Zinner, Petra Moog, Josef Watschinger
Type of funding: Erasmus+, KA2 - Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices, KA203 - Strategic Partnerships for higher education
Project management
Project management: Eric Sidoroff, University of Innsbruck
Project management Austria: Michael Zinner, University of Art and Design Linz
Project management Germany: Petra Moog, Sophia::Akademie
Project management Italy: Josef Watschinger, Schulsprengel Welsberg
Project duration: September 2017 to August 2020
Supervising organization: OeAD
Project partners
Eric Sidoroff & Ursula Spannberger & Franz Ryznar - University of Innsbruck
Michael Zinner & Rosa Strasser - University of Art and Design Linz
Beate Weyland - Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Nikolaus Kaisenberg & Andreas Hammon - Alanus Hochschule gGmbH
Petra Moog & Lisa Oregioni - Sophia::Academy
Ingrid Handle - Provincial School Board for Tyrol
Katharina Froner - Autonomous Province of Bolzano (German Education Department)
Florian Dirszus - City of Düsseldorf (School Administration Office)
Josef Watschinger - Schulsprengel Welsberg
+ two associated partner institutions from Switzerland:
Urs Maurer - Netzwerk Bildung & Architektur
Cornelia Dinsleder & Ulrich Kirchgässner - FH Nordwestschweiz
Education is one of Europe's most important raw materials: in education, not only has the "space as the third educator" been underutilized to date, but also the influence of infrastructure in the form of investment, maintenance and repair services on schools. Billions are being invested in all types of schools in waves. The processes are generally planned top-down: the builders decide without the future users. Bottom-up processes that ask teachers and learners what requirements should be placed on teaching and learning spaces are the exception. If they are asked, school development processes always occur: new, sustainable forms of teaching are established; the professional development of the teaching staff is induced and pupils, parents and the environment experience participation and active citizenship.
There is currently no EU-wide training and further education with a focus on school space development. The PULS+ project and the pilot university course "PULS - Developing Space and Learning" are examining and developing transdisciplinary options in this regard. A holistic, interdisciplinary program based on pedagogical and architectural practice is being developed, tested and evaluated via blended learning. On the one hand, students learn together from and with architects, head teachers and local authority representatives. On the other hand, successful participation is certified as further training for the above-mentioned professional groups. The learning format is designed in such a way that ALL learners and teachers (participants and contributors) will be involved. Learning and working across disciplines, entrepreneurial skills and creative attitudes are equally required of ALL, as well as intensive interaction between the different professions.
PULS+ aims to establish continuous, stable cooperation between universities and local authorities and regional businesses in order to provide them with intelligent and competent advice on the construction of sustainable educational spaces. This will maximize impact, better integrate resources and promote municipal/regional development plans. Investing in sustainable educational buildings on a participatory basis leads to an increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending. At the same time, the participating universities open themselves up to collaboration in transdisciplinary partnerships, promote regional economic development and place their students in an innovative environment. The connection with public authorities creates a knowledge network in the four education regions that serves society because resources are expanded and cleverly bundled. In the long term, a recognized center of excellence for school space development has been created in the heart of Europe.
Contact person: Prof. Architect DI Michael Zinner, PhD Michael.Zinner@kunstuni-linz.at
www.pulsnetz.org (the PULS network, the group of initiators)
www.schulRAUMkultur.at (the research platform at the University of the Arts)