Body in Motion: How Children Discover the World Through Movement
The relationship between architecture and the human body has a long history. As a form of shelter, architecture provides thermoregulation for the human body, protecting it from outside climatic conditions. Thinking of the building as a piece of clothing that wraps us or provides a second skin, as an extension of our bodies has played a significant role in architectural discourse. Indra Kagis McEwen, in her book on architectural beginnings, argues through etymological, literary, and visual references that there are multiple parallels between weaving and designing buildings and town planning. They share the same desire to create order.
The other strand in the relationship of architecture and the human body is in the study of proportions. The fascination of anthropometric proportions of the human body historically has been discussed in metaphysical terms. In the first century BCE, the proportions of the human body were described by Vitruvius as the reference for designing “perfect buildings.” After outlining the proportions of the body parts, he presents a geometric depiction of the so-called “Vitruvian man”:
For if a man, be placed flat on his back, with his hands and feet extended, and a pair of compasses centered at his navel, the fingers, and toes of his two hands and feet will touch the circumference of a circle described therefrom. And just as the human body yields a circular outline, so too a square figure may be found from it. For if we measure the distance from the soles of the feet to the top of the head, and then apply that measure to the outstretched arms, the breadth will be found to be the same as the height, as in the case of plane surfaces which are perfectly square.
4.2 Leonardo da Vinci, Vitruvian Man, ca. 1492.
The rediscovery of Vitruvius’s writings in the fifteenth century played a key role in the art and architectural discourse of the Renaissance. In their conviction to create harmony in buildings through a system of mathematical ratios, Renaissance architects mirrored the proportions of the human body in their designs—a direct influence of Vitruvian thinking. The human body was seen as “the image of God” and “the proportions of his body are produced by divine will, so the proportions in architecture have to embrace and express the cosmic order.”
It is important to highlight that the emphasis on the ideal human figure is referenced as the adult Western male body. There is extensive critical writing about the emphasis on canonizing this body as the ideal human being. When considered from the perspective of human development, however, building a discourse on the adult body overlooks an array of relationships that develop throughout different stages of development. We relate to the physical environment with our bodies, our perception of space is through our bodies, and at no time in human development is the relationship of the body and the physical environment more visceral than during early childhood.
4.3 Toddlers learn with their bodies, and insertion is a spatial exploration strategy.
Toddlers learn with their bodies. Putting objects into their mouths, banging on objects, tucking themselves into nooks and crannies are all part of their exploratory strategies, and an integral part of their developmental process. Insertion, especially, is a common spatial exploration strategy for this age group. For instance, “when infants and toddlers learn to isolate one finger without extending the others, they begin to explore by insertion. They explore objects by putting fingers in objects or running fingers along their outside edges. As children explore, they also insert other body parts (hands, feet, legs, head, etc.) and their entire bodies into objects.” The spaces that allow for insertions of their bodies create a fun learning environment for toddlers.
4.5 Avenues New York Small World movement room.
For a movement room we designed for the Avenues New York Campus Early Learning Center, we created a series of niches in different scales for the toddlers to explore. For instance, the egg-shaped niche in Figure 4.3 allows children to learn to stretch and balance their body using the curvature of the niche. The form of the niche suggests curling into a fetal position, and children are observed playing inside the niche, profiling their bodies in different forms against the curvature of the space.
The niches are scaled for the size of toddlers, allowing them to easily reach the walls of the eggs with their arms and legs. This stretching inside the niche is also observed in the playroom.10 Toddlers stand up inside the niches and stretch their legs and arms, as they learn to balance and coordinate their movements. These spaces wrap their bodies and give them a sense of security and belonging. Not surprisingly, as observed by the teachers, the children refer to these eggs as “bedrooms.”
The project has a larger niche to allow the children other exploratory activities. They use the netting to climb or balance their bodies while using foam rollers to coordinate their movements. The children also use this as a more social space to gather in groups. According to the teachers, the children like the sensory push and pull of the net.11 They also like to observe through the net. The large egg niche is often referred by the children as the “elevator,” which they call each other out to go inside as they run around the room. Given that the project is in New York City, where elevators are a ubiquitous part of urban life, this name choice is perhaps not surprising.12 Elevators are confined spaces that are often occupied by multiple people. Their confined scale relative to other spaces is similar to the scale of the niches.
4.6 Playscape study models.
In a next version of this play structure, designed for another location, we added interconnections between different niches to create more intricate insertion areas for spatial exploration. In this version of the design, the connectivity between the egg niches creates a nested structure that allows the children to move from one niche to another through circular openings and slides. (Figure 4.6) The profiling of the structures, where the children can move more actively, also plays an important role in their spatial explorations.
As seen in the insertion strategy, the relationship between the physical environment and the children’s bodies is critical. For instance, concave and convex undulations in the playscapes offer multiple fun experiences. (Figure 4.7) These forms help to exercise the movement of climbing up and down, and coordinate steps for the children. Upon many observations, children are seen rolling, sliding, and running over these forms, sometimes by themselves, sometimes playing with other friends. “Repetitive play is one of the ways in which children master major motor skills,” and these undulating playscapes offer repetitions with variations.
More Related:
