New Rebirth: Redefining Architecture Education through Experiential Learning

Project by Marija Matijevic

Shortlisted entry of Bauhaus Neue

In a time when architecture is rapidly evolving to embrace new social, ecological, and technological realities, the project "New Rebirth" offers a bold and radical rethink of how architecture is taught. Designed by Marija Matijevic, this visionary educational system reframes the traditional architecture school into a spatial and pedagogical journey rooted in experiential learning.

Rather than relying solely on lectures or passive modes of instruction, New Rebirth centers around active engagement, multisensory exploration, and physical movement. At its core is the concept of the pathway as architecture—a continuous tubular form that winds through space, elevating, descending, and expanding to become the literal and metaphorical spine of the school.

A Spatial Curriculum: The Architecture of Learning

The school isn’t just a building; it is a learning system. From a tube-shaped circulation space that transforms into workshops, lounges, classrooms, or reflective zones, every inch is designed for flexibility, creativity, and collaboration. These modular environments support the development of key architectural thinking through three major educational pillars:

• Crafts & Making: Reviving the Bauhaus tradition of learning by doing, students engage with materials like ceramics, carpentry, and masonry to understand the tactile, structural, and spatial dimensions of design.
• Spiritual Insight & Critical Thinking: Reflective spaces and curriculum modules help students explore concepts of mental health, emotional intelligence, and philosophical inquiry.
• Science & Technology: With a future-facing outlook, the school integrates digital fabrication, software tools, and systems thinking, preparing students for real-world architectural innovation.

Theoretical Foundations: Montessori, Peripatetics, and Bauhaus

Marija draws from Montessori principles, encouraging movement-based learning and freedom of choice. This blends with the peripatetic style of ancient Greek philosophers who taught through walking, suggesting that cognition is best stimulated through physical space and interaction.

The project also revives Bauhaus ideals by eliminating boundaries between disciplines, promoting the unity of hand, mind, and spirit. Students are not just taught how to design, but how to think critically, make responsibly, and collaborate openly.

Site and Context: Nature as Pedagogy

Set in Belgrade, Serbia, the proposal utilizes the lush greenery of Topcider Park, deliberately placing the campus in a forested, quiet zone. This site encourages solitude, focus, and deep work, enhancing the embodied experience of learning.

Connected via walking trails to the Faculty of Fine Arts, the design builds interdisciplinary bridges with sculpture and painting departments, cultivating an environment where artists and architects co-create.

Atmosphere and Experience: Learning in Motion

The design distinguishes between three types of tube spaces:

• Type 1 (Closed Pipe): Dedicated work zones with concentration and solitude.
• Type 2 (Semi-closed Pipe): Intermediate social and collaborative spaces.
• Type 3 (Opened Pipe): Lively, communal pathways for movement, play, and chance encounters.

Each section supports different modes of cognition—deep focus, interaction, or reflection. Architecture becomes the teacher.

The Future is Experiential

New Rebirth is not just a school of architecture. It is an architecture of school. Marija Matijevic reclaims education as an immersive, embodied, and collaborative act. By aligning learning with walking, making, and thinking, she builds a powerful case for experiential learning in architecture.

As one juror aptly noted:

"Sometimes you don't have to build a building to do architecture... probably most of the times." — Martin Schmidt Radic, Director, Schmidt Arquitectos Asociados, Chile

In New Rebirth, architecture isn’t taught. It is lived.