Our Analysis

 

Introduction

‘Imagine’ is a database that captures good school design best practice from around the world, aimed at providing inspiration for creating innovative teaching and learning environments. Schools case studies are largely taken from the last 10 years, with an additional range of historic schools that act as a touch stone for school design development.

Imagine presents a broad range of schools; from single classroom additions to new learning campuses, kindergartens to higher education examples, cob-wall buildings in Bangladesh to Hi-Tech schools in the U.S.  Our aim is to find and represent examples of learning environments from early years learning through to higher education facilities, providing a cross-section of schools around the world. We are seeking to find schools from as many different countries as possible, providing that they are innovative designs in the socio-economic context of that particular country and offer lessons that can be applied in the development of new schools in other parts of the world.

 

Searching the site

The Imagine website has been designed for ease of use and quick access to information. In addition it is hoped that the site is flexible enough to allow users to navigate and view information in different ways as well as make links between case studies

Searching – mechanisms within the site allow for searches by predefined criteria as well as key word searches. In addition key words can be combined with predefined subjects making for detailed search enquiries to be made.

Browsing – Leaving the search criteria blank allows viewers to browse the whole selection of case studies.

Further Research - Each school case study includes links and references for further research. This substantially widens the scope of the case studies and provides access to further information if required. The references and links help to make the case studies useful to a wide range of people.

 

Why is Imagine different?

• Imagine is a searchable database rather than a collection of case studies. By refining searches and changing criteria for searching, users can explore a range of education design issues illustrated in multiple examples.

• One of the unique aspects of the Imagine resource is the thematic organisation of the case studies. This facilitates comparative analysis, and in combination with the ‘seachable’ nature of the site, allows the Imagine resource to be both a useful ‘way in’ for newcomers to school design, and a valuable thought-provoking tool for experts.

• The international nature of the case studies in the ‘Imagine’ resource gives a rich overview of contemporary school design rather than an approach restricted to just one country.

• Where possible, case studies  include scaled drawings to allow a closer analysis of layout and architectural design

• Case studies are selected, researched and written  by a core team of architects and researchers who work collaboratively to edit the case studies, ensuring continuity of analysis and quality of information

• The Imagine project is independently researched. Projects are selected on merit and interest value by the research team and then approved by the project steering group.

• Imagine is an academic resource and research base that is applicable in the practice of design, planning and construction of schools

 

How the site was developed

Research for the Imagine website was informed initially by a desktop study to identify innovation and good practice school design around the world within the last 10 years. Through wider research and consultation with architectural practitioners, academics and educators, the selection of the case studies has been refined, focusing on schools that fulfilled several of the pre-defined criteria. Where possible we have undertaken study visits to schools in order to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the context and experiential qualities of the exemplar learning environments.

The selection process is informed by a desire to present a wide range of architectural styles and approaches from different countries, allowing the resource to be both broad and inspiring in its architectural outlook. We are mindful that the Imagine resource will be used by designers and other professionals including teachers and have tried to use technical language that is accessible, avoiding jargon where possible.

 

Case Studies

Case studies are categorized by country, educational level, design type and education model. School examples can be searched by these categories.

Educational level - covering nursery/kindergarten up to higher education facilities. In addition ‘Through’ schools are those that have nursery to secondary school as one building or campus. Special Education Needs (SEN) schools are also a key part of the website.

Design type – relates to the main organisational layout of the building. This is separated into the following sub-categories. In some instances schools may have a combination of the following design types.   

• Spine/Street – the school is organised around a central open linear space, onto which  activities and spaces can spill out. A street may have an entrance at either end of the route and the form is often expressed on the outside of the building. The street has become a very popular design device, as it helps to organise and focus a school around one large space, making way finding simple and helping to reduce ancillary circulation, often doing away with the need for corridors. A truly successful street design is full of life and a place that students enjoy using, rather than just a thoroughfare or super-corridor.

• City/Town –  By making a school building in the form of a city or town a series of spaces are created that are perhaps more organic and flexible in their organisation and use, characterised by social spaces that are often the square or plaza, or more informal streets and parks. There is usually a town hall or centre-piece for congregating formally as a group and the library is also prominent in the layout. Classroom spaces are often loosely organised around the set-piece elements and children are afforded more flexibility in the way that they organise their time and learning. This design type is often used in primary schools as a way of creating a small-scale interpretation of a place giving them a physical structure that they recognise and introducing them to a sense of community and society.

• Atrium/Office – An atrium is a large open volume that acts as a central hub for activities in a school. The space usually spans ground floor up to the sky, bringing in daylight through the roof into a deep plan layout. The atrium is also well utilised as for circulation around the school. The office layout means open-plan organisation of spaces, often with classrooms that have glazed partitions between them rather than solid walls. The atrium and office usually go hand in hand, as large open plan spaces in a multi-storey building often require an atrium to bring in light and importantly ventilation.

• Strawberry/Learning cluster – are a relatively new design type that has been pioneered in many recent school designs. The organisation supports a small scale faculty system, offering a range of teaching spaces, support facilities, ICT and breakout spaces in one unit. There is usually a level of flexibility built into each cluster to allow for future change management.

• Courtyard – although self-explanatory, courtyards come in a range of forms in school buildings; whether they offer a sensory or water garden, hard surfacing for class activities or sand for play. Courtyards provide a visual focus within a school as well as a sheltered and secure space to play and learn. They also provide a mediated outside space in extreme climates, whether hot or cold and help natural ventilation systems.

Education model – There are five main education models identified within Imagine:

• Classroom - classroom-based learning is characterised by a number of students (usually around 30 ) sat in a self contained classroom space, working to a fixed timetable and standardised curriculum.

• Studio – studio learning is a more vocational approach, focused on learning through doing. This educational model is most common for age groups of 14-19, promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship amongst students. Vocational studio spaces often include specialist equipment, supporting ‘hands on’ learning and mimicking different types of workplace.

• Office – the office model is based on the ‘grown-up’ office world, the predominant 21st century work environment that millions of people are part of. In schools this is often characterised by pupils having their own individual desk or corral in an open-plan environment and the pedagogy is focused on individualised personal learning. Students help define their own learning agendas and pursue topic-based projects, undertaken as an individual, small cluster or in a larger cohort.

• School within a school – offers more of a collegiate system seen in higher education. This model creates a series of semi-autonomous ‘sub-schools’ within an institution, with each sub-school having the facilities to teach across the curriculum. This system is based on a concept of  ‘stage, not age’ or ‘vertical’ system, whereby students can have variable amount of time in a specific key stage or move between stages at different rates according to ability and attainment. Different ages work together offering peer support and mentoring.

• Faculty – The faculty model is based around identifiable subject group clusters. This enables subject departments within schools to develop their own specific spatial layouts, pedagogical approach and visual identity, maintaining a level of specialism and autonomy but within a holistic school approach.

 

Case Study Themes

Case studies are written in relation to the following themes or categories. Each case study has fulfilled at least one of the categories; many schools exhibit a combination of the themes.

• Integrated environmental design
  This category focuses on environmentally sensitive design, energy conservation and production, as well as environmentally sensitive approaches to the position and location of school buildings. The integration of these approaches to the environment can be in many ways; linking teaching and learning to environmental design, integrating building services into the building fabric, including environmental design into the everyday running of the school and its facilities management.
  
  
• Integrated flexibility for space and learning
  True flexibility is difficult to define, however it may include multiple uses of space, adaptable space, moveable partitions, variations of accommodation to suit particular needs. Flexibility could be to accommodate daily changes in use or a longer-term strategy to support change management.
  
  
• Integrated social and physical context
  Many schools act as a beacon or a hub for their community and are knitted into the social fabric of their surroundings, but this can be achieved in many different ways. This thematic category includes schools that through their design and organisation tap into lifelong learning for local communities or act as the hub for social activities. Schools that are integrated to their physical context might have integrated interior and exterior spaces,  creating learning landscapes. Often school buildings may physically create barriers to the outside, but this can often be because of an additional need to create a safe haven for young people and adults.
  
  
• Innovative solutions to specific areas or smaller spaces
  In many ways this themed category is created to capture other inspired design in specific areas of the school. A number of schools have hidden gems that are not always apparent to start with, but on closer inspection reveal something that is special and should be singled out. Toilets are a good example of a space that may not get mentioned in a case study otherwise, but are often a good indicator of the design quality and innovation of a school building and should be highlighted.
  
  
• Examples of heroic failure
  Within successful schools there are often examples of areas that could be improved or perhaps are the result of unseen constraints. This section is not designed to pull apart a design or expose failure, but to highlight situations where lessons have been learnt and where issues have arisen that may not be considered successful by all the building stakeholders.
  
  
• Responses to developing integrated ICT
  This particular theme is often difficult to represent as to truly integrate ICT in schools may be to make it invisible. However, there are many instances where schools have been designed to adapt to changing ICT needs, or to create spaces that support ICT in a particularly innovative or successful way.
  
  
• New pedagogies and blended learning styles
  The need to design and create new schools hand-in-hand with pedagogy is crucial to improving learning for everybody. This category serves to highlight where the design of a school [or spaces within a school] is designed to accommodate and foster alternative types of pedagogy. This may be already established pedagogies such as Montessori, Steiner or Reggio Children systems, or equally, new learning paradigms.
  
  
• Examples of stakeholder and user participation in the design process
  This subject highlights particularly creative or successful participatory methods in the design and construction of school buildings. Although participation is a well-used word, there are few exemplary participatory design process and even fewer examples where stakeholders are involved in the building process. In the UK, people are beginning to realise the importance of a truly participatory design processes and Imagine has a range of examples from a community build project in Bangladesh to an architect-led collaborative design in Germany.

 

 

Making use of Imagine

As a new resource, possible uses and applications of Imagine are really just beginning to be explored. The website was initially aimed at the groups detailed below, however, initial feedback already indicates that there are a wider range of users and uses than originally envisaged. Where possible all school studies have images and scaled drawings, to give an in-depth account of the design.

 

Architects/Designers

Imagine offers a good starting point for designers who are beginning to ‘find their feet’ on school design projects by analysing and reviewing a cross-section of school designs. Whether looking for inspiration or more detailed design approaches to specific areas, the site offers a resource that can be skimmed or offer avenues for further research and development. Even for experience practitioners the up-to-date information and range of case studies offers the opportunity to see projects that may be talked about but not seen before.

The potential for using Imagine as a tool in initial consultation and brief building with client groups is evident. Feedback from architects has shown that they are able to use the resource to determine client’s thoughts on a new school, explore issues of innovation and use it as a basis for quickly understanding what design issues are important and crucially what they don’t think is appropriate.

Architects have been asked to contribute information on their projects for inclusion in Imagine and much of the material is provided directly by designers.

Educators

Although Imagine is focused on the design of learning environments, we believe that design and pedagogy go hand in hand. The most successful school designs are those that have been developed in close collaboration with client team to progress teaching and learning. A number of case studies have a section on ‘new pedagogies and blended learning styles’ which is aimed at addressing this issue where appropriate.

Local Authorities

Many local authorities have used the Imagine site to help them at varying stages of their Building Schools for the Future programmes. We have received positive feedback indicating that the website is a gateway to information for undertaking background research in to school design. And on a basic level, the Imagine resource provides a broad context to a range of schools in the UK and abroad.

Schools

Many schools want to broaden their understanding of what school buildings can be and are searching for a design that will be unique to them, their school ethos and school locality. In response to this, Imagine provides different visions of what innovative school design looks like, but also identifies key characteristics. On a simple level, the school case studies on the Imagine website should provide inspiration to pupils and teachers and prove that good design is crucial to a good school.  Importantly, the Imagine proves that a tight budget should not mean compromising on innovation and design quality.