The Rooms That Make Your Place

Abstract

The spatial design of rural public secondary schools plays a critical role in shaping adolescent identity. As the first and, in rural contexts of Canada, often only, public architecture young people encounter, these buildings profoundly influence their agency, sense of identity, and belonging. Yet school spaces are rarely designed with adolescents in mind. This research draws a parallel between two thresholds: an adolescents personal space of sleep — whether a bedroom, a shared corner, or a cushion on the floor—and the institutional corridors of rural public schools. Through this lens, the school emerges not as a neutral backdrop but as a formative environment, shaping how students see themselves in the world. Ultimately, this thesis proposes a framework for designing inclusive school environments from an adolescent perspective. It is written for the forgotten, the overcrowded, and the overlooked, for every adolescent who never had a room.