The words “school” and “school everyday life” are linked in one’s mind with many notions and pictures, such as the school building and the classrooms, the hallways and the school yard, and then to school related activities, to relationships between students and teachers and ultimately to the process of schooling itself.

This research study investigates the attempt of architecture to transform the non-learning related parts of school buildings, such as the hallways, into spaces that offer children the opportunity to enhance their education and build further their knowledge.

In the first chapter, the study approaches theoretically the concept of learning space. Initially, the study focuses on students’ transitions between the outside of the school entrance and inside, as well as transitions within the school building. The study focuses on the spatial limits of spaces that serve as transition zones, on how these various “in-between” spaces are linked together and how students move and stand while in them. To achieve this, the study provides extensive examples of school buildings designed according to the ideas of architects Aldo van Eyck and Herman Hertzberger.

The second chapter of the study focuses on the Greek approach to school architecture. The evolution of the Greek school architecture is studied over time and in parallel with the various educational reforms taking place at the same period. By examining Greek school building floor plans we observe that the overall design of schools in Greece retains a steady form since 1894. At the last part of the chapter, I present and thoroughly describe school buildings designed by Greek architects that follow a different design approach.