The future lies in the hands of the young and there is increasing acknowledgement that for children to learn effectively, a safe, secure and comfortable learning environment is essential.
A 2007 survey conducted by the British Council for Schools found that 87% of teachers in the United Kingdom believe the school environment has a significant influence on pupil behaviour.
It is therefore crucial that schools reflect the urgent need in the wider community to embrace sustainability; that school buildings adopt sustainable development principles; and that smart design is integrated into new schools and into the upgrade of existing schools.
Sustainable schools harness the power of sustainable design to positively impact on the community, acting as a catalyst to motivate pupils by engaging them in learning, and by boosting their achievement and wellbeing.
A sustainable school is one designed to maximise effectiveness and value, where the spaces and facilities are functional, useful and provide enduring value to all stakeholders, both now and into the future.
The design needs to focus on the whole project life, recognising that the past is often a poor predictor of the future. It is therefore important to design places to be adaptable that can take account of changing technologies, economic conditions or stakeholder needs that might otherwise diminish the usefulness of a project.
It is difficult to imagine a sustainable community without a sustainable school at its heart.
Research consistently shows that school students can be a major driver for positively influencing the behaviours of their parents, and that their schooling experience can have a profound effect on how they develop. Schools have an important role to play helping children to contribute positively to their local areas, to learn about them in more depth and help to realise sustainable communities.
A sustainable school can prepare young people for a lifetime of sustainable living, through both education and day-to-day practices.
A well-planned school building incorporating sustainable design principles also sends a very clear message to the wider community that “we care”, while a poorly designed building can send the opposite message.
In a 2007 review of schools across the UK by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, it was found that 52% of the schools audited were assessed as ‘poor’ or ‘mediocre’, where the design quality fell significantly short of what is required to transform education.
While no-one would suggest that good design alone can improve learning, poor design is regarded an obstacle to raising education standards above a certain level.
It is clear that there are not enough schools being designed that are inspiring, innovative or flexibly designed to allow for diversity of approaches to education in the future.
Generally schools performed best on issues of functionality, i.e. size, accessibility and safety - items that are subject to regulation or have clear guidelines.
Those schools that performed poorly in the audit were shown to be deficient in the ability to create a sense of place and have an uplifting effect on the local community and environment.
The schools that were rated as poor overall performed particularly badly on providing inspiring educational environments. And most schools performed poorly on transformational design, i.e. design that can bring about changes in learning techniques.
While these aspects are often perceived to be the sole domain of the architect, design teams need to work as a group, sharing a common goal. It is the role of all building professionals to provide solutions that benefit the whole project.
The design team should always consult with the people that matter to engage wider knowledge, insight and experience from those stakeholders who can help deliver useful outcomes in common interest.
Sustainable design will therefore result from a design team that is prepared to listen, collaborate and learn continuously, while challenging contemporary mindsets, assumptions and values.
Designers must act, collaborate and innovate, accepting that their ‘solutions’ may be imperfect and that there is a constant need to improve.
All consultants can therefore have a positive impact on the non-technical aspects of a project, including the wider sustainability issues.
Ultimately the success of all projects will be judged on their legacy and ongoing suitability.
By creating high quality school buildings and grounds, building designers have the opportunity to make a real difference to young people, their families and communities.
Secure, comfortable, inspiring, adaptable and innovative school buildings will enhance learning experiences and serve generations to come.
© Sinclair Knight Merz
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Who does this affect?
Those with an interest in building design, school environments and sustainability.
What do I need to do?
Gain an understanding of the need to address the environmental and economic aspects of sustainable school buildings.
Author: Don McCarthy
Don McCarthy is a senior design engineer based in SKM’s Manchester officer.
© Sinclair Knight Merz
Requests to re-publish achieve articles should be made here