Open air schools
Yesterday’s launch event of our new resource ‘The New 3Rs’ threw up some really interesting observations from the presenters about the new landscape we are working within – and some radical options for the future of schools and school design.
Interestingly many of these had their roots in the history of schooling and identify a need to learn the lessons of the past to be able to make sense of the present more challenging climate and to succeed in the future. Presentations from the event are available here and I’ve summarised the key discussions below.
Ty Goddard, BCSE, started by describing the policy context of free schools, the drive for new academies and the next months as being turning points for the system and industry. We must deliver more for less but ensure we don’t drive out the quality of the thinking that’s taken place over the past 5 years. Remodelling he suggested had been the Cinderella element of capital investment, whereas refresh and reuse had been given less profile than new build. Yet in the new era of public spending restrictions – the new 3Rs have the potential to be even more dynamic and create better value for money.
Michael Oliff from Scott Brownrigg described the genesis of education buildings from Victorian times to the present and identified trends that could show us the way forward, in a time where budgets are restricted. Board schools showed an economy of design matched with high value placed on natural light and a mixture of home, instruction and project spaces, which mirror current day designs. In the 1920s, there was a movement towards ‘Open air’ schools which emphasised the outdoor environment as a key element to teaching and learning, at little cost, and in post war Britain modular and off site solutions were found to build and upgrade schools en masse to deliver system wide education change and cater for an age of austerity. Sound familiar?
Paul Zucharelli from Davis Langdon continued the excellent debate with a bold statement– “we know as much as we can about costs but what about the ‘value’ of education? – how can you measure the value of carbon reduction and improving educational achievement and wellbeing and of community?’. He continued by describing the various cost models available and put the 3Rs on a continuum of change – remodelling could be likely to re-inforce the status quo in terms of teaching and learning, whereas refresh could change a school’s approach, albeit on a much smaller scale. Reuse he suggested was the most exciting option as it challenged the conventional wisdom about schooling and many participants at the seminar endorsed this with example of state schools, independent schools and higher education institutions using non conventional spaces.
Finally we heard from Bob Athroll from Willmott Dixon talking about the need to measure outcomes in any building project. In a changing climate, he said, we must focus on the specific needs and requirements of teachers and pupils – whether that be improved behaviour, better spaces for teaching and learning or a more secure site. He neatly summed up the advice he provides to schools by saying that the key for a successful school design is a 3 part question: We should all ask ‘how do you want teachers to teach, how will learners learn – and how will the building support that. In a time of great change, sometimes the most simple questions are the most powerful.
Related posts:
