November 2010

If the announcement in July by Michael Gove and the result of the Government ‘s spending review did one thing for the schools programme, apart from the obvious, it stimulated a healthy debate about the future design, delivery and impact of school buildings among all the stakeholders.
 How effective, if at all, was the BSF process?  Does an award winning design contribute anything to raising educational attainment levels? Was there an over-emphasis on the nebulous concept of design quality?  The answers to all of these will auger debate for years to come.

One thing is certain: whatever comes out of the James Review of building schools, there will be difficult choices to make for there will be a lot less money around to deliver what schools thought they were promised. I feel a sense of déjà vu - we’ve been here before. Can we draw any parallels from what we all witnessed with the LSC debacle last year?

Then, colleges were encouraged to move away from their original requirements to develop grandiose designs on the understanding  that the money was available. What happened had a severe impact on all concerned and a number of the colleges have since reverted back to their original more modest plans with funding from other sources.

So can we deliver more for less which ultimately is the challenge we will all be asked to respond to? The answer of course is yes.

While good architecture cannot guarantee educational success, undoubtedly good design can have a significant impact on the quality of life of pupils and staff, which itself can lead to higher levels of attainment and job satisfaction. The question then is, what constitutes good design and does it necessarily add to the cost of a project?

It is obvious that during the latter phases of the BSF program, costs ran away and a whole supply chain of advisors and  consultants emerged which added to the cost without necessarily adding real value to the process. Rather than a consultants’ gravy train, we need to refocus on providing effective learning environments with the money being spent on the building fabric, good quality furniture and learning resources.

There are decisions to be made at the outset between refurbishment, extension and new build and clearly there will be more refurbishment projects as a consequence of the spending review. The most effective designs often develop from the greatest constraints. In Scandinavia for example, there are numerous examples where existing buildings have been transformed into inspiring places for learning through an imaginative and sensitive design approach. A more relaxed approach to “sacred cows” such as acoustic standards need to be considered.  

Whether we refurbish or build new schools there is no doubt room for greater standardisation particularly in the teaching spaces. When I walk round the schools we have built I find little repetition of layout, lighting, heating, ventilation solutions and furniture. We’re not building McDonalds of course but around 70 per cent of school space is allocated to formal learning space, so there must be clear benefits by beginning with a set of standardised components that  meet teaching needs yet retain the ability to be modified to differing individual school requirements.

The same applies to other spaces such as sports halls, changing facilities, and social and catering areas. These often look similar but the construction elements used to design and build them can be surprisingly different. Retailers have learned the secrets of greater standardisation while retaining their individuality and integrity.

There are differing and often conflicting requirements from guidance and legislative requirements. Do we over-specify our schools to meet the higher requirements and is it not time that we designed them to be specifically “fit for purpose”?

Once again, we have a lot to learn from the Scandinavian model where exposed services and a no-frills approach to finishes and fixtures provide excellent contemporary design at a much reduced cost to the perceived norm in the UK.

The key is to educate the decision makers in schools and local authorities and to manage their expectations through effective intelligent design without wasting money in the wrong areas.   

The next year is going to be a real challenge for school builders; we need to find different solutions to solve the problems we will be facing but we’ve been there before with many of our clients. Working collaboratively with our talented designers, construction staff and supply chain, I am confident we will meet the challenge and continue to deliver creative and stimulating school facilities.