Mount Florida Primary School : Visual Report

Mount Florida Primary School

Visual Report

a Pidgin Perfect publication for Mount Florida Primary School and Architecture + Design Scotland

Contents:

a Pidgin Perfect publication for Mount Florida Primary School and Architecture + Design Scotland Layout and illustration: Becca Thomas Š Pidgin Perfect. 2014 www.pidginperfect.com studio@pidginperfect.com All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

Introduction Understand Mount Florida Primary

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Strategic Brief

Focus of Change

Project Scope

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Focus of Change: Appendix

Old Fashioned Streets

Village Green

Hidden Gardens

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Introduction Mount Florida Primary School. Exploring Innovative ways to Enhance the Outdoor Learning Environment for the School and Wider Community Context During the Commonwealth Games 2014, the pedestrian route to Hampden Park will pass Mount Florida Primary School (MFPS).

Parents and teachers want to use this opportunity to make the school a welcoming focal point in the community, but also to kick-start the development of the outdoor learning spaces for the school.

Briefing Workshop In winter 2013, Mount Florida hosted a briefing workshop to explore opportunities to improve the outdoor learning and civic opportunities of the school and environs.

This report sets out: - The story of change derived from the briefing workshop - This is the why, the strategic brief, what we hope to achieve and how we might measure success

- The focus of change - This is the where, a map which sets out a graphic summary of the key action areas - the What and Where Projects - This is the How, an initial series of summary briefs for actions derived from the workshop for consideration by the school, pupils and parents, and local stakeholders.

Hannah Douglas and Diarmaid Lawlor Architecture + Design Scotland Schools Programme November 2013

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Understanding Mount Florida Primary School The Letherby Triangle My desire for the pupils of Mount Florida Primary is that they experience outdoor learning in a wide variety of contexts and that this includes opportunities for a series of planned quality outdoor learning experiences.

I see the outdoor environment having massive potential for learning. Obviously outdoor learning can take place in our school grounds as we can develop maths and literacy as well as other curricular areas.

However our playground is concrete, bland and quite uninspiring. Our parent partnership group are working relentlessly to improve our playground and have applied for various grants to help fund improvements.

Our children consistently ask for “grass”, if you fall in our playground you feel it!

Gaining the “Letherby Triangle” would give us a little bit of countryside on our doorstep and a section of grass “at last” almost like a village green.

To reach our instant little piece of land would be so easy and would become a regular, daily occurrence for children in the nursery class, school and after school care. Our after school care facility is used by a number

of schools in the area, thus this area would also benefit these children.

We would hope to maintain the grounds in the triangle and make it a lovely place to be and thus become an integral part of the community. We would be encouraging members of the community to visit the triangle, admire our work and we would aspire to create a sanctuary for visitors.

In the light of the Commonwealth Games and thousands of visitors flocking to Hampden Park it would seem fitting that we could achieve this in 2014.

Carole Neil

Head Teacher Mount Florida Primary School

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Strategic Brief What does learning mean in Mount Florida?

The School is a gateway into Mount Florida, and Mount Florida is a gateway to the City The school is an oasis at the heart of the community, and community is important to Mount Florida! It is settled and stable, with an old fashioned high street and a lot of history. It is a fairly dense, built-up area with a mix of tenement and suburban housing – but it is a nice scale for young people, and has good transport links.

Parents and grandparents participate & volunteer The school is a contained place, where lots of activity happens. There are many clubs – both at lunchtime and afterschool– including Brownies, Boys Brigade, dance, choir, computer club, baking, penny whistle, ecogroup, rugby, and badminton. Care weekend activities and holiday groups also take place at the school. Other schools also join in with some of the school activities, and there are events at the two local churches as well.

We need to ask the pupils where they play!

It’s quite a hard, urban environment – with not much green space - so where do the pupils experience sensory outdoor play and where are the nooks and crannies? It’s important that they can develop their imagination, and creative play with a variety of senses including colour. At

the moment pupils go to Toryglen, Woodland Club, and Castlemilk, Jeely Piece Club, for outdoor play experiences, but the funding for some of this is running out.

Learning outside the school gates Lots of activities take place outwith the school building.

Pupils go to Langside College and library to learn literacy, and it is great that they can walk there!

There are links with Battlefield Primary School, Kings Park School, the community police, and local Councillors hold surgeries in the school. The school is currently setting up a tuck shop, so ASDA has been working with pupils to learn about buying healthy foods. Pupils also go to ASDA to sing at special occasions.

There are a number of sports opportunities outside of school, tennis, bowls, football, and there is a close relationship with Hampden. Hampden invite pupils across for photoshoots! But how can we maximise opportunities with the upcoming Commonwealth Games?

Our Hopes School as a hub for the community We want the school to be a focal point for the community, a more animated space. It should be a place where

people can come together, somewhere which is caring and trusting - we want to build on the already strong relationships in the community. We would like to be able to use the school for more community functions, like we can already at Christ the King Church Hall - but the building closes at 6pm.

A Hub to invigorate the high street There are many great shops on the high street – including our famous butcher – and we like to shop local, but we’d like it to be more diverse. We want Mount Florida to be a creative, distinctive place to be – beyond 9am6pm. It could be a place where other things can happen!

Perhaps we could light the school building, or light the village square to make it more welcoming.

We don’t want to be restricted by walls and fences!

We want our children and community to have the freedom to be creative and imaginative. A place which is inspiring and safe, and a space which can change and adapt. We want people to be able to wander, to have stimulation and light. Perhaps we could extend the boundary of the school, to use the urban fabric and the high street as a place of learning.

Bring back the Village Green There isn’t enough green space for outdoor learning – there is a huge playground, but there’s too much tarmac.

We’d like to have more texture and variety for play.

Currently we spend a lot of money to take pupils to parks for outdoor learning, but can any of the outdoor learning happen at the school, or next to the school?

What about our own hidden gardens, a place to plant and grow things – and can we get help from others to use and maintain garden space? Could the Letherby Triangle become the village green, the village square for Mount Florida? We would need to make it safe for our pupils to get there.

Our Fears What if nothing happens!

We have the Commonwealth Games coming through Mount Florida, it’s such an opportunity to make something happen! But we need the community to buy into a vision, and to agree on a collective focus.

But what are we allowed to do?

And what are we able, or allowed to do. What are our opportunities for informal chatting, with Historic Scotland

and others? Who manages the process, and the multiple stakeholders? We need to create a framework - a story, a map and priorities - and phase any projects to build up confidence. We will need a number of activities to keep the momentum going!

We don’t want to see the triangle built upon, or for it to become parking. We want it to be an invigorated space, which relates to the school area.

Focus of Change Mount Florida Primary School

Exploring innovative ways to enhance the outdoor learning environment for Mount Florida Primary School and the wider community A. Hidden Gardens Re-imagine existing outdoor spaces as integrated learning, play and creative spaces with children at the heart

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B. Village Green Re-create Letherby Triangle as a civic, cultural and creative space integrating citizens, businesses, learners and local creatives

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C. Old Fashioned Streets Re-inforce the local street scene with an area action plan and design guidance with local economic development at the heart

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Project Scoping A.

Hidden Gardens

Re-imagine existing outdoor spaces as integrated learning, play and creative spaces with children at the heart

B.

Village Green

Re-create Letherby Triangle as a civic, cultural and creative space integrating citizens, businesses, learners and local creatives

C.

Old Fashioned Streets

Re-inforce the local street scene with an area action plan and design guidance with local economic development at the heart

Action 1. Participation mapping of potential for learning, creativity and play with the young people 2. Creative / artist residency, potentially using vacant flat at lower playground level, to facilitate briefing for physical changes in the school grounds 3. Development of prototype interventions: “What If� quick projects to test what might be possible in more permanent solutions, reviewing learning from what works and why 4. Testing emerging spatial brief with key stakeholders, including Glasgow City Council and Historic Scotland, to agree parameters for change 5. Development of funding and implementation packages

Action 1. Participation driven mapping of potential of the Village Green to host creative uses, installation and 2. civic activities with local citizens and the creative community Design charette to test the art of the possible 3. Development of a spatial brief and business case for investment with stakeholders

Action 1. Baseline assessment of existing performance of the street and environs from a town scape and economic development perspective 2. Development of a local area action plan fir economic development with local business, civic prosperity and creativity as key drivers 3. Integration of recommendations as design guidance and supplementary guidance into Glasgow City Council plans

Benefit 1. Liberate the full potential of existing spaces in he school grounds for learning 2. Drive more crossover between school and community uses

Benefit 1. Integrate the Village Green as a key element of the civic, learning and creative life of the community

Benefit 1. Improve and enhance the economic performance of the area 2. Support the ongoing development of the creative industries

Promoter Mount Florida School and parents

Promoter Citizens and local creative community

Promoter Local business community, citizens and Glasgow City Council

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Appendix:

Focus of Change

This Focus of Change Appendix provides graphic summaries of thoughts for the Focus Areas: Hidden Gardens Village Green Old Fashioned Streets

“Hidden Gardens”

Mount Florida Primary School

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Letherby Triangle, “Village Green”

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Hampden Practice Pitches, Sport

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Steeply sloped green corridors

4 Playground Hidden Gardens

Opportunities for organised play and sports with connections to local sports ground SPORT 2

Letherby Triangle becomes a new civic space connecting creative industries, community and school functions

Must be safe and easy to access the Hidden Gardens near to the school

LEARN

Integrated Connection Routes

1 Consider creative uses of topography.

Creating civic upper and lower spaces

Using local green spaces, “Hidden Gardens” for play, planting and outdoor learning

GROW 4

Wall and roof gardens with the schools own external space

WILD

Different spaces for different types of play

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PLAY

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Using leftover green spaces to create, explore and play

Mount Florida Primary School will create connections between the indoor and Creative Current playground is Outdoor Learning large but there is too much tarmac, pupils need access to nearby green spaces for play and outdoor learning

Breaking down barriers: Visual and physical connections through school boundary

Creative and artistic opportunities

Providing education and diverse social opportunities for all

Space for new ideas

Outdoor Learning and Activities

Leftover space on campus could be a chance to learn how to use and maintain plants and gardens

Mount Florida Primary School wants to provide opportunities for outdoor activities: gardening, socialising and physical activity

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SPORT

“Village Green”

Mount Florida Primary School

Maximise opportunities for learning outside school gates. Connections to nearby Hampden Park.

Shared Streets around the Village Green to promote local foot traffic and exploration Connections between Local High Street and Village Green

Consider physical and cultural connections between Village Green and local creative industries

Storytelling, mapping and consultation with the local community

HIGH STREET The Village Green will be an invigorated space which relates to the school and creative industries

Routes from City Centre and Govanhill to Mount Florida

Traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speed and concentration

Pedestrian connections between ‘Mount Florida Urban Village’ and Commonwealth Sports Venue: Hampden Park

A place which is inspiring and safe VILLAGE GREEN Use the urban fabric, public realm, Village Green and High Street as places of learning

Use light and public realm to make Mount Florida more welcoming

Routes from Cathcart and Croftfoot to Mount Florida

A space which can change and adapt in the future LEARNING

Freedom to wander, be creative and imaginative

Potential to programme all spaces for events and installations

Promote use of facades for creative expression Routes from Cathcart and Shawlands to Mount Florida

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HAMPDEN PARK

“Old Fashioned Streets”

Mount Florida Primary School

Hampden Park Practice Pitches

Exploring innovative ways to enhance the outdoor learning environment for Mount Florida Primary School and the wider community

Pedestrian connections between ‘Mount Florida Urban Village’ and Commonwealth Sports Venue: Hampden Park

SPORT

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Mount Florida Primary School

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“Village Green”

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Church of Scotland

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High Street as diverse, ‘hub’ for local shopping. A creative, distinctive place to be, beyond 9am-6pm

4 Mount Florida Parish Church 5

Local Shops

HIGH STREET

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6 Hampden Park Important local “Old Fashioned” High Street economy

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Support design guidance for building enhancement

Bus Stops

Routes from City Centre and Govanhill to Mount Florida

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LEARNING 2

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Mount Florida Primary School: External Space 3

Where are the opportunities for creative, sensory outdoor play?

Mount Florida Rail Station

Visible and busy cross roads

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Links to existing literary and educational services: Langside Glasgow Clyde College and Library College & Langside Library

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Routes from Cathcart and Croftfoot to Mount Florida Mount Florida Bowling Club Primary School acts as a gateway to Mount Florida

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VILLAGE GREEN

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Parents, grandparents and pupils engage, participate and volunteer within Mount Florida

Routes from Cathcart and Shawlands to Mount Florida

Good Transport Links

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a Pidgin Perfect publication for Mount Florida Primary School and Architecture + Design Scotland Š Pidgin Perfect 2014 | www.pidginperfect.com | studio@pidginperfect.com All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.