Debate: What makes for good design in school buildings?

I have worked in schools ranging from 60 a class Viet Namese state schools to 3 a class Private ex-pat emporiums of affluence and superiority and to be honest a good teacher can teach in a barn and a bad teacher couldnt teach in a school carved from solid gold.

In the term of new labour we got somewhat caught up in the corporatisation of our public sector and now schools, built after 97, tend to look more like head offices of private firms. They have a brand, a sign that incorporates the logo and perhaps even a cheesy slogan.

Schools work if they have 2 things in place. good teaching and good pastoral care facilites. The rest is just garnish and is a waste of money. In my short tenure in education I have witnessed some pretty awful teaching both here and abroad and the money used to design cascading fountains of swans tears in the foyer of a Surrey Grammar would be better spent ousting the deadwood and training up some of young talented people.

Schools need:

Curves - I spent high school in a mix of generic 1960s boxes and a former Victorian hydro. The fact I managed to make a decent model of much of it in a computer game does rather show that it lacked curved lines rather badly. Curves are calming, soothing things, and they are inherently natural. Straight lines, especially grids, such as the familar facade of 1960s school buildings, do rather make the place feel like an institution for control and conformity, not a place for discovering how great it is to understand stuff.

Variety - Throughout my education, every room was the same, more or less, in each building. This is, frankly, horrific. Everything seems to be blurring together, because aesthetically it is. Unique features would make everything distinct. I don't just mean colours, either - different doors, unusual window layouts, broken floor layouts, sloping planes, the aforementioned curves; go hog wild. Anything but a series of identical boxes. Odd though it seems, I think lessons can be learned from Japanese love hotels; call them crass, bizarre, disgusting if you like - they are distinctive, evocative and memorable places.

Varying sightlines and space sizes - it's all too easy to go from one class to another through cramped corridors, never varying the view. The incorporation of both close areas and open areas is vital for the creation of an environment that feels diverse and vital. The workplace programme featured a dutch office complex where the architect wanted to emulate a mediterranean city; he understood this idea, and it really worked.

Overall Unity - a design that makes all the buildings or areas seem part of a whole, whether using a circulation system, a central courtyard or whatever isn't just efficient, it makes the place seem like inclusive, like a single common ground. Likewise, segregating areas, for example an area just for the sixth form or postgraduates, undermines this. One school I went to had a door that acted as a shortcut which only teachers were allowed to use. It made me and my friends rather bitter. Another had a large piece of landscaped garden between two buildings, bisecting the campus so much each building was invisible from the other. Sometimes schools bring their pupils together and create a real sense of community; others inculcate an atomised, factional society. Which is better for pupils?

Complexity - particularly in primary schools, exploration as a motivational force could be very powerful. A somewhat warrenlike, intentionally complicated and intricate building that integrated all the above would make a space that kids would love: think movable walls or dividers, corners with built-in seats, overpasses and underpasses. This also opens the building to the idea of modular or variable structures for older students. More than that, if the complexity lends itself to visually interesting forms, people will be moved by them.

Practicality - for all of this, you still need open and covered areas for sport, dedicated food facilities, security for the whole campus, flexible classrooms, expandable IT infrastructure and perhaps space for multiple buses or parking: these are all essential.

Coventry are supposed to have a new city centre built whenever the council do it, or if it is defiantly still going ahead, i don't know how long it will take but you should check it out

My state secondary school was built in multiple phases, principally an 1860s school, a neighbouring 1911 school, a good 1930s complex, and a fine 1960s block, all of outstanding quality. There were also a few odd buildings scattered around, including a wooden shed used as one of the biology labs, which was rather quirky but great fun. Although a state school it was a rural area so there was also a boarding element contained in parts of the older buildings and several other houses adjacent to the main site and through the town; sports fields were at some distance, the furthest being about a mile away at the other side of town. This variety meant that the school environment itself was very stimulating.
Most classrooms were also used as tutor group rooms and were available for use in breaks and at lunch; some of my best memories were when my tutor group was in a maths room - we used to build massive structures out of the cuisenaire blocks (small wooden blocks a bit like smooth lego in multiple colours) then demolish them and clear up before classes started again! Oddly, the tutor groups -of about 30 students - were organised vertically so that each had some first years, second years, third years and so on up to upper sixth; this established a strong continuity of school tradition, and meant that first years were integrated into the ethos of the school pretty quickly.
There was also a huge range of extracurricular activities available, and at the end of the summer term we had an 'Activity Week' when the entire school would disperse for all sorts of things, from pony trekking to rock climbing or skiing in Europe according to what could be organised.

Something that I often think is overlooked are the facilities avaliable to students during breaks. When I was in school, I often found myself and other students where left bored, with the only places avaliable to sit being an overcrowded, noisy, and extremely messy canteen, the coridoors, or a sparse outdoor space with uncomfortable benches.
Like a lot of people, I had trouble doing my homework at home during the end of the day, when I was tired and prone to distraction. Even at the time I often wished there was an unallocated classroom where myself, my friends, and other people could go to complete their homework in the middle of the day, or just after school, while our minds where still active.
It would be nice for another space to be made avaliable for working on messy projects, which are again a difficulty in the home.
The library should be designed as a social hub for breaks, rather than a small room where silence is golden. A communal area with comfortable chairs should be the first thing visible when you enter the library, with books in sight from all seating positions, but not within arms reach (to prevent the temptation to vandalise them while sat talking to friends) A separate room for clean study, as mentioned above, should be included to one side as a part of the library. Small, but still comfortable single chairs should be nestled between shelves out of direct view of the main area, providing private places for reading. Acoustics should be controled with a high ceiling and sound absorbing materials. The purpose of this setup would allow contact with books and a stimulating social situation at the same time. Just like how people go to google during online conversations if they need information, it would be more tempting for students to look things up in the books during conversation, encouraging reading ability.
I loved to read when I had a separate break to my friends (who where in different classes), but my own experience is of having to find an empty corridor and sit on the floor to read, as a pass was needed to enter the library. Unfortunately, other pupils would alleviate their own boredom by deliberately trying to distract and annoy me. An open and inviting library could provide some stimulus during breaktimes and help to prevent these situations.

An important feature in classrooms would be changable lighting and well planned seating positions.
At school the best classes for performance during working always had large tables surrounded by chairs that encouraged the pupils to work together, while facing each other, and plenty of natural light.
Students always listened to the teacher better when the room was dark and the only light source fell on the teacher (in the case of my school, from a projector) The darkness prevented any distractions and students would always turn their chairs towards the light, much like a stage setup. Without these features, the classroom as I knew it would often descend into chaos. Changeble lighting conditions would help in directing students attention properly and helping to reduce disruption in the classroom.

I'm a retired teacher and believe that good school design can enhance learning while bad school design can undermine learning and even encourage bad behaviour (too many places for pupils to hide, for example). Here is my list of desirable features:

1 Natural light, but blinds or special glass to keep out heat.
2 Classrooms large enough to move round comfortably (I once had an L-shaped classroom designed for 15 pupils in which I had to teach a class of 33 15/16 year olds). A good rule of thumb would be to allow enough space between desks/tables/chairs when occupied for a child in a wheelchair to navigate easily round the room.
3 Attention to accoustics - the L-shaped classroom had a window well in the ceiling. My voice disappeared into this void. During my last year of teaching I had several weeks off for losing my voice.
4 Space in classrooms for pupils to store their coats. Pupils are reluctant to leave coats in corridors because their coats might be damaged or stolen. Or consider full-length lockers to store coats, sports equipment, musical instruments etc as well as books. Small lockers piled on top of each other are unworkable when all the pupils try to access them at once.
5 Corridors wide enough for large numbers of pupils to move along. Walls to be decorated in such a way as to avoid damage by scuffing etc (no bland emulsion, please, it looks a mess within a week). Good quality dado rails keep pupils from bashing walls and any displays.
6 Dedicated dining area.
7 Large, comfortable space for pupils to be in during wet breaks (easily-supervised, please).
8 Consider wide "breeze-through" walkways instead of enclosed corridors.

I strongly believe a learning environment encourages productivity by itself being unique; offering a different experience from other such environments. Thus a formulaic response to school design would be counter-productive.

Through conscious design by architects, such as in the office/workplace productivity program, schooling can be made particularly more enjoyable for the younger generation. This, in my opinion, has been quite clear with some designs for the academy styled schools which have sprung up in recent years across the world.

Areas for individual subjects should be focused environments to promote productivity in different methods of study: be it practical work, focussed research, or written work.

Multi-purpose classrooms, although useful at times, should be minimised to prevent students getting bored or tired of teaching environments.

Division or travel between disciplines or subjects should be emphasised so students associate the change in surrounding to a change of mindset appropriate to the subject. This is easily achieved in most campus styled schools by the addition of green space and the designation of 'blocks' for disciplines such as the arts or sciences.

Why should productive office spaces be any different from a productive schooling environment? The encouragement to learn mostly comes from tutors, peers and parents; all that is needed is to be able to learn efficiently. This can be achieved through an environment designed to sustain learning productivity.

Some examples of Schools and higher education facilities which encourage productivity and aim not to hinder the learning within the environments include: the Glasgow School of Art (Charles Rennie Mackintosh), Bath and Sheffield universities (Various) and Westminster Academy (AHMM architects).

Comfort is key to successful learning. This includes a well lit, adequately heated environment built and furnished with materials that wont make one feel dread, but inspire. Raised spirits mean enthusiasm and the resultant effort means educated kids!

I don't think dual purpose rooms work well at all. For optimal learning the equipment needs to be tailored specifically towards the subject in question. I also dislike the use of halls for school meals as cleaning is never adequate to remove all crumbs and smells linger. A canteen with tables should be set aside for eating.

It can be nice (thinking back on it, though I didn't like it at the time!) to have to leave the school building when changing lessons as it gives a breath of fresh air and restores the senses, however cover is always welcome with Britain's climate and classrooms where you have to queue outside are a definite no-no.

Wide corridors prevent dangerous 'bundling' and aid quick passage.

Cleanliness is definitely appreciated!

I have to be honest, my school is poor. Since built it hasn't been updated and as such the corridors are tiny. Over the years more and more people have wanted to study here so it needed to expand. In the nearer past new out buildings have been added to the main one. A scruffy science/ Dt block, a six for block and a sports building with gym, hall and 5 changing rooms. The Council said 10 out of 14 of the schools will be rebuilt. Ours, being one of the oldest you would expect to be 1 of the 10 but now looks not to be. We don't have lockers the parking is poor and it is very dark inside. The roughest school is currently being rebuilt as it joined another. It is very modern and me and my schoolmates can't help but thinks that it will be recked within the first year. Shouldn't the goovernment put money into already good school rather than wasting money on younger buildings that don't need as much Change

I think a learning environment should be made clear that it is purpose built. In my experiences schools and colleges are at their best when an area is specifically built for a subject. It seems however that with limited budgets and the interaction of schools as 'community colleges' the basic classroom is being neglected.

I do not agree with Tom Dyckhoff that a dark space will make you grumpy I think it has more to do with material and space etc (i for one would love to live in that shiny, sexy, dark house he showed us at the beginning!). However it is true the amount of lux in a classroom can really have an impact on my work; we all work better/ feel more energised when there is plenty of light. The drawback to big windows is a hot summer classroom in which a teacher has no hope at all of teaching us anything at all! I dont think the answer is to have 'golden ratio' windows as most clearly are not and the rooms function just fine. Perhaps all we need is good ventilation and not a view that will distract us (i know my maths grades slipped because I could look out onto the playing fields!).

What I hate the most has to be background noise either from nearby classes or surrounding environments; it always distracts a class and makes it difficult/ more stressfull to work in. A big mistake is to have sports pitches near classrooms; we all wish we are out there and become restless. The same principle applies to nearby classroom noise- if we cant hear what our own teacher is saying how do you expect us to learn? My favourite architectural feature in classrooms has to be a big solid door which makes it clear when you enter a room that you are there to learn (it also blocks out noise).

A lot of schools have large grounds which need to be protected instead they are sold so that money can be put towards building projects creating smaller, cramped spaces. In my experience outside environments are overlapping too much which could certainly impact education.

As a year six child. I think that what makes a good school is spare rooms for special things because that makes its less boring. A big problem in school is boredom.
The school needs to have space for things that other schools don't have such as a technology room or a music room that another school in the arrea does not have. The sschool needs to express it's personality.
It also needs to have outdoor spaces for playtime,PE and sometimes experiments. Differentiated areas such as grassy or bumpy or shady etc. It is important that this does not burst the school budget because the content of the school is as important as the school. By the school I mean the actual building. I want a big room with good quality stuff in becaause school is to learn in this is the point of school.
Yours sincerley
Paddy Deegan
dictating to Dad

One of the Best schools I ever had was, without a doubt my Primary School. The simplicity of it's design mimic the likes of a roman villa. It had a courtyard in the centre, massive windows with flooding of light and very simple in its organisation. The building to look at was a mash of brick, mortar, metal and glass, so nothing fancy and certainly could have been improved upon. In fact, that is exactly what they did. They rebuilt the school using the same principles but enhanced with better materials and functionality, for example the teachers staff room has a massive window over looking the courtyard allowing them to enjoy their break and keep an eye on the kids. The rooms are all modern and not only have floods of light, but their assembly room has the ability to have a divide to segregate it off for teaching when required. In fact this school was more modern than my university and it was open and free full nature too, the courtyard has plants and trees and unlike the poor plant life we had in the old one, the new plant life is vibrant and alive.

Did it help me to focus on the English and Mathematics, in honesty no. But it did enhance my creative ability, my rational and intuitive aspects of my mine. More importantly it wasn't a chore to be in the school it was a pleasure and that feeling of Well-Being even in memory was perfect. Simpler life with architecture that needs to be employed in school and all buildings we use as humans. Obviously it needs to serve a purpose for with purpose there is no reason, but tailoring a room/building/environment to enhance the purpose seems both logical and obvious - they don't call it a study for nothing!

Lets switch our [UK] Mind set, let us 'let go' of the Grade 2 listed building BS and restrictions and return some freedom, we need to allow our imagination to run wild and allow positive expression through function use guide our buildings.

As a primary teacher working in a recently in a school that has recently undergone much needed extension work on an old school build, it is amazing the difference the extra space has made to the quality of learning for pupils and working conditions for teachers and pupils alike. The clasrooms have much more natural light now and the space means that several activities can take place simultaneously in one class. Previously it was common to see groups of children working in squashed corridors, the staff room or any other availble space - which meant frequent disruption not to mention health and safety issues. With the introduction of the Foundation Phase with its emphasis on learning through play and free choice for pupils, never has adequate space been more necessary.

The school is also lucky enough to have large grounds and these have been developed to encourage outdoor learning. Facilities such as log circles, dipping ponds, a sheltered outdoor classroom, storytelling area, a meadow area to encourage native wildlife, a wooded area for forest school activities as well as outdoor play equipment and space for sport activities such as a rugby pitch/athletic track all add the educational experiences that we are able to offer the pupils and has enabled us to enrich the curriculum. With budget restrictions on schools in the current economic climate, going offsite to provide these opportunities is increasingly difficult for schools so much better when they are on your doorstop.

For staff, adequate space means less headaches and timetabling issues. In an ideal world, I would love to extend the size of the school hall for assemblies/concerts when the whole school comes together often with staff and parents as well. Even better two school halls would be brilliant especially for extra-curricular clubs when the weather is bad outside.

As a parent and School Business Manager, the design and layout of a school tends to be an important part of life.

Older schools tend to have the space and light required - big halls and rooms with plenty of big windows - but they can also be confining in how this space is used. Big halls are needed and can be multifunctional, but not when they are used for PE, assemblies, lunchtime, teaching sessions, community use, coffee afternoons and also as a means of access to different parts of the school - this mix produces problems of cleanliness, security, and disruption to educational activities. Corridors should remain as corridors, not extensions of other rooms. For example, for younger children, who can find toilets a daunting prospect, it seems to work well to have wash basins in a separate area next to toilets. However when this is provided in a corridor which provides access/egress to this part of the building, it tends not to work.

The design of a school should also work with the age range and needs of the children; at primary level, the needs of a 4 year old and Foundation Stage curriculum are different to those aged 11 at Key Stage 2. Access to the outside, particularly in Early Years, is also an important part of the curriculum but difficult to deliver practically. A design should consider how to build in adequate ability to supervise children both inside and outside whilst allowing heat to be retained inside the building especially during winter. At the same time, any design needs to be spacious, light and airy with flexibility of use which can be adapted/expanded to accommodate the demands of an ever changing world. Serious consideration should also be given to how the space is zoned/divided - some people can work, learn and live in open plan areas, some people require the security of walls and doors giving clear definition of areas.

Ultimately, budget will play the decisive role. Whilst an initial spend of good design may be tolerated, the longer term costs and ease of maintenance, energy efficiency and sustainability are crucial, and any design should represent value for money both in the short and long terms.

The environment is so important for getting pupils in the right frame of mind to learn. In my school you would know which of the classrooms weren't very nice as the pupils would always complain about them. Issues such as there being enough room, it not being too hot and stuffy and the general condition of the chairs and tables can have a big impact on pupils and their attitude towards a lesson.

I would definitely advocate not doubling up rooms if it's mixing a teaching room with a social room during break or lunch. In my school there are no central areas for the pupils to go for break or lunch so ended up having to stay in their form rooms, under strict instructions that they were not allowed in other form rooms during those periods. Obviously it was very hard to keep for the classroom teacher to keep their room tidy as litter is a constant battle and the rooms always stink of food afterwards, but a lot of the pupils also want central areas that they could meet friends from other forms without going outside. Obviously teachers would also prefer to be able to work in their own classrooms on those occassions also, and it was very difficult to administer detentions as you not only punishing the poorly behaved pupil, but the entire form class who were waiting in the corridor to come in.

I would definitely say that having a teaching room as a social room generates less respect for it as a learning space so you have to work harder to define classroom and learning boundaries once the lesson takes place.

It's a long time since I was at school, but I still remember the smell of the changing rooms, the science labs and the food hall more than I remember logarithms ...The log tables were the least hostile! Fresh air would have to be in my top ten list of priorities for consideration in a school design.

A few other problems I encountered might also be worthy of consideration when designing a school building:-

• I didn't always know in which classroom my next lesson would be held. The corridors and the classrooms were drab and repetitive in every aspect and there were not even identifying labels on classroom doors.

• During breaks we had to stay outside unless it was bucketing down. There was plenty of field and playground space in both schools I attended, but it was geared more toward boys than girls - with marked out football pitches. Girls just wandered round in cliquey groups. This problem carries on beyond school if you're a sporty girl ...there's never anyone else who wants to team up to do sport. I would suggest that sport for girls is promoted as a means of keeping fit and healthy and therefore more attractive ...so less hockey and more aerobics and the space planned accordingly.

• Safety and security were sadly lacking at both my schools. Bullying took place mostly outside the school gates when walking to and from school. These days I notice parking and traffic jams are the issue. School design could perhaps begin with an easily accessible location. Maybe there could be a bicycle loan scheme and cycle routes. Bike racks could feature around the perimeter fencing or beneath an elevated school building. (An elevated building could also allow for extra daylight in the classrooms without increasing outside distractions during lessons.) Bikes could be school uniform colours and security-tagged. Clothing and books were stolen inside the school as we didn't have lockers. Extra storage could be built into lofts.

• It was a ridiculous idea to have a sweets van trading in the school playground. Perhaps kids could be encouraged to grow their own fruit and veg with hands-on experience in the school grounds.

Hope this helps!

I work in construction and have been involved in the design of several schools over the last few years. Without fail, two common themes in the more successful schools are those of good daylighting and good ventilation. By creating classrooms which have the right balance of glazing, shading and window openings where possible, you end up with a stimulating space which makes people feel alert and upbeat. It can make a huge difference to the attitude of the students, wherever the school. Whilst it sounds very simple, there is an art to getting it right and too often, buildings are designed exactly to code and don't give the users flexibility to decide, for example, if they'd rather throw the windows open in summer and cope with a bit more noise coming in from outside.

The design codes for all the different areas within a school are quite prescriptive when it comes to how much space and storage the building has and whilst the area is almost invariably less than the staff would like, it's normally the cost which brings the axe down on any extras. That said, by providing flexibility where appropriate and ensuring the curriculum is 'designed in' to the building, it is more than possible to design a great school on a limited budget. I think the key to this is picking certain spaces and focusing on having these as designated flexible zones. Atria and outdoor spaces can be made much more flexible for different teaching styles than a lot of other rooms, particularly in a day when computer equipment quite often rules the layout of all but the standard teaching classroom.

The pupils consulted were adamant that hall facilities should not be shared with dining space. They wanted a separate hall for PE, Games, Dance and Gym.
A dining hall is probably more suited to a shared space with music and art if it has to be shared.
They also felt that the outdoor play areas should be both grassed and hard surfaced, with sitting areas in shade.
Cloakrooms were also discussed by the pupils as they felt a row of pegs in a corridor was not practical.

I am a Child myself and I believe that I would work and think better in a modern, airy, bright school that has lots of windows that let in light, also, I think the playground or field needs to have calm and relaxing sitting areas, and also areas where you can add a bit of danger into your play, like a tangled log sort of area to climb on.

I believe that what the school/workplace looks like makes a huge difference, if you have a nice looking area to work in, you will feel more refreshed and spaced out, creating a brilliant place that you would like to come back to, this gets the creative juices flowing and makes people generally feel better.

As a History teacher, what I'd like to see is;
open space for pupils to play etc
seating and shelter outside for kids
functionality- being able to easily adjust light coming into a room.
areas for outside work
quadrangles- good spaces which preserve tradition and give pleasant areas
pitched roofs- too many schools leak!
big display areas.
forward thinkin design that can accomodate new technology we don't have yet.
AP

Having taught at a school in India for 6 months I find this question hard to answer. The school was basic, three seperate two storey buildings surrounding an open play area. I use play in a loose sense, as it was really a dusty square about a quarter of the size of a football pitch. Every classroom was the same, with no specialist facilities, the kids would be in the same class all day every day.
The classrooms had one small window, so very little natural light enetered and the buidling itself was nothing other than bare plaster. There were no lockers, no changing areas, if the kids did sport they did it in their uniform, even the toliets were few and far between.
Was it conducive to educational advancement - probably not. Did they have another option - probably not

To create a good school building teachers should be allowed to have some input into the planning as often the layout does not consider the pupils and the teachers needs.

For example primary teachers need plenty of storage space for their class and then more storage is needed to house each subject area: each subject requires a considerable amount of storage for the whole school to access.

Children need light into classroomsbut not necessary a view to look out onto. The classroom needs adequate space for 30 desks or 16 tables which have the childs personal storage included
Cloakrooms also need to be organised so coats PE kits and Lunch boxes can also be accommodated