January 29, 2026

Architecture

António Manuel Rochette Cordeiro e Gonçalo Canto Moniz

'What do pupils tell us?' was the question that guided this doctoral thesis in architecture, based on the conviction that, in order to gain more meaningful knowledge about space, it is necessary to understand it through the lived experience of those who inhabit it. For this reason, 'Stories about school architecture in Portugal' were developed, promoting an architectural and urban analysis of a group of buildings constructed for secondary education throughout the twentieth century, based on pupils' narratives about the spaces they inhabit. The aim was to construct alternative narratives about the school building and the urban space as a 'technological object' that supports and influences teaching and learning activities. The intention, therefore, is to bring together the design, political and pedagogical intentions underlying the conception of the school building with the lived, day-to-day experiences of pupils, exploring a dynamic form of description focused on the building's relational capacity and on that which brings it into existence: the people and the meanings inscribed within it.

The approach adopted articulates the conceptual framework of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) - in which the analysis focuses on the interactions produced within a network of human and non-human, material and immaterial actors - with the concept of Spatialities developed by Fábio Duarte (2017), which highlights the role of experience and use in the production of spatial meaning. The school space is thus understood as the result of continuous interactions between people, spaces and objects, enabling the narrative mapping of relational networks that reveal the educational, architectural and urban complexity of school facilities.

The empirical work draws on visits to 12 lower and upper secondary schools carried out between 2015 and 2019, within the scope of the programme CES goes to School, involving 334 pupils from 15 classes, aged between 11 and 18. The sample includes eight schools renovated under the School Modernisation Programme for Secondary Education (2007-2012) and four schools that retain their original typology, representing distinct architectural models, dating from 1931 to 1988 and located in different urban contexts. During the sessions, pupils narrated their experiences and mapped their preferences on the school floor plan, as well as the places they frequent beyond the school, on the city map.

The analysis of these narratives and mappings was organised along two axes, resulting in six 'Stories about school spaces' and two 'Stories about School & City'. The findings show that the programmatic articulation of spaces, the permeability of boundaries, and the sensory and environmental qualities directly influence how pupils appropriate the school. They also show that the architectural decisions concerning the entrance and the limits of the school grounds can either foster or restrict the relationship between the school, the pupils and the city, and that the surrounding context - urban or natural - has a direct impact on pupils' well-being and social dynamics. It was also shown that the educational dimension of space does not end within the school, but extends throughout the city.

It is concluded that listening to 'What do pupils tell us?' is fundamental in supporting architectural practice in the design of spaces with educational potential, revealing dimensions that are not captured through exclusively technical or normative approaches. The 'Stories about school architecture in Portugal' offer essential guidance for the future transformation of school buildings and reinforce the social and educational responsibility of architecture in designing spaces that welcome, support and expand learning.

Keywords: Educational Spatialities; School Architecture; Actor-Network Theory (ANT); Analysis of Stories; Spatial and Narrative Mapping