Thinking like a designer: creative spaces for creative work

When ASB was building a new campus we researched space.  We looked into designing "campfire" areas where students would receive direct instruction, "watering holes" where students can collaborate together and "cave" spaces for quiet, individual work.  Reading on in the book inGenius by Tina Seelig, I'm at the part where she writes about Ewan McIntosh's 7 types of spaces that can exist in both the physical and online world.

1. Private space - places where we can be by ourselves.
2. Group spaces - where small teams of people work together.
3. Publishing spaces - designed to showcase what is going on - these occur in both the physical and virtual world, for example publishing on websites.
4. Performing spaces - where you can share/act out ideas.  These spaces are designed to bring ideas to life and so stimulate the imagination.  They don't need to be permanent spaces, but should be available when needed.
5. Participation spaces - places that allow personal engagement with what is going on.  The example Ewan gives is turning a school yard (group space) into a garden where students tend to the plants.
6. Data space - a library or database where information is stored - it needs to be easily accessible either physically or online.
7. Watching spaces - allowing us to be passive observers of what is happening around us, rather than being active participants.

I've been walking through the school and thinking about these spaces.  As well as our private "cave", "watering-hole" and "campfire" spaces I have seen we have others.  We definitely do also have publishing and performing spaces.  Our iCommons area can also be described as a data space. Possibly we need to think a little more about participation and watching spaces.

What sort of spaces do you have at your school?

Original artwork by an ASB student