School classrooms are typically enclosed spaces with doors and\nwindows. However, SMA Kolese De Britto features classrooms that are\ndifferent from the rest, as they have no doors or windows and are often\nreferred to as \u2018kandang kuda\u2019 (horse stables).<\/p>\n
Based on observations, most of the classrooms at De Britto lack doors\nand windows. The exterior walls are only about 1.5 metres high. The\nclassroom ceilings are not made of gypsum but of woven bamboo painted\nwhite. Each classroom is equipped with a computer on the teacher\u2019s desk,\na fan, a projector, a whiteboard integrated with the projector screen,\nand a digital clock in the corner of the board.<\/p>\n
Christophorus Danang Wahyu Prasetio, Vice Principal for Public\nRelations and Networking at SMA Kolese De Britto, stated that the school\nhas maintained its original buildings, which is why the student\nclassrooms have no doors or windows.<\/p>\n
\u2018When we talk about the classrooms, they are actually called horse\nstables. Why? Because there are no doors, no windows, and the walls do\nnot go all the way up. That is how the building has been from the start\nand it has not been changed,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Danang explained there is a philosophy behind the \u2018horse stable\u2019\ndesign. \u2018The philosophy is, when we talk about the environment, a\nclassroom that is open like this allows air to flow naturally. So, the\nair or nature can blend with the children,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Another philosophy relates to sensitivity and mutual respect during\nteaching and learning activities. \u2018When we talk about sensitivity, it is\nabout being able to share and respect one another between classes,\u2019 he\nsaid. \u2018For example, if the class next door is noisy while the other is\nhaving a test, wouldn\u2019t that be disturbing? That is the training, the\ncharacter building seen from the building\u2019s design.\u2019<\/p>\n
There are 18 classrooms with this \u2018horse stable\u2019 concept, each\nhousing 33 to 35 students. Grades 10, 11, and 12 each originally had six\nclasses, but due to increasing student numbers, the school added three\nclasses per grade.<\/p>\n
\u2018Previously, all of them were horse stable classrooms. But because\nthe classrooms were limited, we only had six classes. Now we have nine\nclasses. So, the enclosed classrooms were originally laboratories that\nwe converted, and another was a meeting room that we turned into a\nclassroom because we lacked space,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Danang also recounted that the school once planned to demolish these\nclassrooms and build new ones, but the plan was rejected by the alumni.\n\u2018Because it is part of their memory of schooling at De Britto,\u2019 he said.\nFurthermore, a survey of current students showed that none of them\nagreed with changing the design.<\/p>\n
\u2018From the alumni, it was not allowed, and when we tried to survey the\ncurrent students, they also did not agree with it being changed,\u2019 he\nsaid. Therefore, De Britto has maintained the classroom design to this\nday. However, Danang revealed that the school will instead construct a\nnew building. \u2018That is why we want to build a new building that does not\nalter this one, but on the east side. Because what we need is not\nair-conditioned classrooms, but how we can share, share with nature and\nshare with others,\u2019 he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-look-inside-sma-de-brittos-horse-stable-classrooms-and-the-story-behind-them-1781837492", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }