Education That Focuses On Looking Not Learning

Knowledge

The intersection between design, the leisure economy, and “recronomics” are what Cathelijne Montens hopes to achieve in a new course that, if accepted, will start this autumn in the Rietveld Academy.

By Gabrielle Kennedy /asdf 03-09-2009

The Rietveld Academy is currently in negotiation with Center Parcs about an autumn course for students that will focus on redesigning the family parks to make them more relevant for future holiday makers.

“Our hope is to travel from north to south,” says Cathelijne Montens who together with Krijn Christiaansen and head of the Design Lab department, Bas van Beek is designing the course. “That route encompasses parks in Holland, Belgium and France, which is good exposure.”

If it goes through, the course will be about urban planning and rethinking the way accommodation is displayed. To help update the environments, students will first define the habitat and then come up with ways to manipulate the holiday feeling through that habitat. They will also investigate how the park houses have been designed since the 70s and then offer proposals about changes that will help the holiday parks stay fresh.

“We will be collaborating with green architects like Jean Henkens who can help the students better understand how people use holiday houses and how they like to spend their time.”

Montens has been working at the Rietveld Academy for three years and says she likes to devise courses that are more about the real world. She uses a lot of field trips and tries to move beyond typical design subjects. “I really believe that looking at a lot of things outside traditional design themes and confronting real life helps students to design better,” she says. “You could say that the type of education I believe in is not about learning how to design good stuff, but learning how to look at things.”

After coming up with the idea for students to help reinvent the dated Center Parc experience, Montens started calling the company. “I phoned many times and eventually got a hold of somebody who was also interested in the park layout and development.

“I think the company is in the process of trying to change its image,” Montens continues. “I get the feeling that they are interested in not only redesign, but in collaborating with people outside the park world so hopefully this idea will work out.”

Of course Center Parc has no obligation to act on the students’ proposals. It would be just that, a proposal.

Images: top Montens with Krijn Christiaansen, small - select pictures of the Center Parc designed environment