Senses of Place: Building Excellence

SENSES OF PLACE: BUILDING EXCELLENCE The Toolkit and Outcomes

Contents

2 Contents

Cabinet Secretary’s foreword

3

Nick Barley’s introduction

4

Introduction

6

Getting started

17

Exploring ideas

23

Creating a design brief

43

Working with architects

47

Briefs and design exemplars

51

Credits

72

Feedback

75

Every time you see one of these blue speech bubbles, it will contain insight from adult and pupil participants or one of the professionals who delivered the project.

Foreword from Fiona Hyslop Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning

Curriculum for Excellence is about achieving transformational change within the Scottish education system, putting in place changes in learning, teaching and leadership that will improve skills for learning, vocational skills and skills for life; attainment and broader achievement; and attendance and staying on rates. However, if we want to improve the learning experience in schools then we also need to consider the design of the learning environment itself, listening to those who know best what makes a good environment – the teachers, children and young people, and others who use schools which is why Senses of Place: Building Excellence is so important.

It is important to consider all the spaces in schools that can make a difference to learning and teaching. There are the obvious spaces such as classrooms and libraries but also the less obvious such as outdoors, corridors, and social spaces that can enable teachers and students to work creatively in a variety of different ways.

I therefore commend the type of approach to participatory consultation which has been taken throughout this project and believe this will assist local authorities and others involved in school design and construction in thinking carefully about the contribution the school environment can make to learning and teaching. I hope that the examples this Senses of Place: Building Excellence project sets and the lessons we learn from it will inspire everyone involved in school design to raise their game yet further to ensure that the learning and teaching environments in schools are the very best they can be – this can make a positive contribution to the education of our young people.

3 Foreword from Fiona Hyslop

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the learning experience for our children and young people by improving the fabric of schools and nurseries and developing and delivering the Curriculum for Excellence. This Senses of Place: Building Excellence project, which was commissioned by the Scottish Government, demonstrates the importance and immense value of involving children and young people in school design from an early stage. The enthusiasm of the young people and others involved in the projects and the richness of the ensuing design briefs should inspire authorities, architects and others involved in school design across Scotland.

Nick Barley’s introduction Director, The Lighthouse

4 Nick Barley’s introduction

In a leafy part of west Glasgow sits a newly completed school which in the eyes of its head teacher and its pupils, couldn’t be more successful as a place for learning and working. From its sensitive use of materials to its intelligent mix of public and private space and a layout totally in tune with its users’ needs, Hazelwood School is the epitome of the ‘exemplary’ school. Yet it is unlikely that the same school would work in any other place or context.

Scotland is now in the midst of a schools renewal process, and some excellent results are emerging. But are we anywhere near answering more general questions about how to give pupils the best learning experience?

There is no easy consensus about how we can improve the fabric of our schools so as to maximise the quality of the learning experience. The answer is not a formula; it depends on many interconnected variables.

So, for example, the qualities which make Hazelwood School successful, are particular to the fact that the children and young people who receive their education there are blind or partially sighted. Equally importantly, Hazelwood is situated on the edge of a park, and next to a busy main road.

A school’s design depends, among other things, on the site in which the building is to be constructed; the demographics of the community from which pupils will be drawn; the skills and passions of the teaching staff; the ambitions of the local authority; the

specialisms of the learning establishment; political priorities such as sustainability, security and technology; and of course it depends on the size of the budget and the nature of the procurement method. Because of this variety of factors, developing a good design must necessarily require the expertise of not only architects, but also of the many other people who will use the school building.

The Senses of Place: Building Excellence project which was commissioned by the Scottish Government begins with the thesis that – if the designers are skilful and the procurement method is conducive – the key to unlocking good design must be effective consultation between all of the key stakeholders.

Senses of Place: Building Excellence, led by Anne Cunningham together with Kate Kenyon, concerns itself with making consultation an active, engaged and beneficial process. It tests the idea that by improving the capability for building users to contribute to its design, a better building will result. However, the project does not set out to undermine the expertise of architects or designers; it does not advocate that pupils or teachers or local authorities should actually be designing the building; but that they contribute to a better design process. Initially this means consulting on the creation of a good brief, but crucially it also means a continuous involvement in the process as the design develops. Armed with the stakeholders’ widely

varying experience, advice and knowledge, the architects are much more likely to create a design which is truly fit for purpose.

This book, and the exhibition that accompanies it, explores some of the processes which can lead to successful consultation. Five projects are presented, each undertaken with a different local authority and a different architecture practice.

The results are fascinating and I am convinced that in time, and with further refinement this important process will provide a framework which allows any stakeholder in a school building project to participate usefully in a consultation process, and ultimately to formulate the right design brief for each unique project. By learning how to imagine the right buildings in partnership with our children, we have a better chance of giving them the learning experience they deserve.

Orkney Islands Exploring shared spaces together

Making models was a fantastic way of encouraging pupils to define their ideas – talking is not always easy

I liked making stuff and using our imagination

Introduction

6 Introduction

The Scottish Government throughout 2007 ran Building Excellence, a programme of events to help local authorities explore the implications of the Curriculum for Excellence (the ongoing review of the Scottish curriculum from 3–18) for the design of new or refurbished schools and for the design and use of space in existing schools. As an integral part of Building Excellence, the Scottish Government commissioned Senses of Place: Building Excellence from The Lighthouse.

The Senses of Place: Building Excellence project aimed to develop aspirations for the design of school buildings and their grounds in the context of Curriculum for Excellence. It sought to demonstrate how well designed learning environments could support the delivery of the new curriculum and changes in teaching methodologies.

The project took place between March and October 2007 leading to an exhibition of design exemplars at the Lighthouse between 21 February – 13 April 2008.

Leading the way Senses of Place: Building Excellence built on The Lighthouse’s knowledge and expertise in the area of user involvement in design development, and more specifically, on previous work concerned with deepening democracy and increasing the participation of young people and children in school design.

The Lighthouse acted as project manager and co–ordinator for Senses of Place: Building Excellence but the project was undertaken as a partnership with five local authorities.

New ways of learning Curriculum for Excellence challenges teachers and those working in education to think differently about the curriculum and to deliver learning and teaching in new ways. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for all children and young people to develop their capacities as: – successful learners; – confident individuals; – responsible citizens; and – effective contributors.

One of the main features of the new curriculum is to define the scope of the curriculum as extending beyond subjects to include:

– designing the project in a way that schools could replicate the process to support Curriculum for Excellence aspirations; – introducing new ways of learning through the exploration of the design process and the creation of an aspirational design brief; – exploring the relationship between learning activities (as outlined in Curriculum for Excellence) and the spaces that they would happen in.

A two way learning process Senses of Place: Building Excellence was designed to be a participatory action research project. This required participants to give feedback throughout the project and required facilitators to integrate this feedback into the next stages of the project. It meant that everyone involved was engaged in a learning process. This format of ‘trial, learn, adjust, trial’ resulted in a project that closely mirrored the needs of those involved.

– interdisciplinary projects and studies; and – opportunities for wider achievement.

Senses of Place: Building Excellence contributed to this approach by:

Even if a new build or major refurbishment is not planned, then this visioning is still vital as it can assist decision making for the design of small refurbishments and ensure maintenance budgets are used with a long term plan in place. This approach will ultimately result in more effective spaces being developed within a school with more coherent links to the learning activities that are delivered within them.

What was involved The project was a four stage process, documented in this publication.

These stages were: – Getting Started – Exploring ideas

– the ethos and life of the school as a community; – curriculum areas and subjects;

made when briefing for and developing new designs. This will help to ensure that spatial requirements will fit with the educational vision for the school and fulfil the needs of Curriculum for Excellence.

When to implement a project like this Senses of Place: Building Excellence was not working within a time scale that involved real build projects. However, if this process was part of a real school development, either a new build or refurbishment, the process outlined should happen at the initial stage when thinking about the school design is happening. It should be seen as a visioning process to inform decisions

– Creating a design brief – Working with the design professionals.

Five local authorities self selected to take part in the project and each one chose a different theme to explore. These themes had also been identified in national discussions.

North Lanarkshire: Enterprise

Orkney Islands: Outward Looking

West Lothian: Science

Stirling: Play and Active Learning

7 Stage 1. Getting started

Argyll & Bute: Big Spaces

Stage 1. Getting started

North Lanarkshire Our favourite learning space

It made me think about the design of all my classrooms and how they could be improved

8

In each local authority facilitators worked with a group of pupils and professionals, both separately and together, utilising a range of workshop activities to explore ideas.

North Lanarkshire: Enterprise

Orkney Islands: Outward Looking

West Lothian: Science

Stirling: Play and Active Learning

9 Stage 2. Exploring Ideas

Argyll & Bute: Big Spaces

Stage 2. Exploring ideas

10

Stage 3. Creating a design brief

These ideas were the basis for the creation of a design brief.

A space that reveals itself in stages

North Lanarkshire: Enterprise

Painting the Sistine Chapel under the desk

Orkney Islands: Outward Looking

…the whole island is the school

West Lothian: Science

…seeing the chicken – from egg to roast

Stirling: Play and Active Learning

I want to be here

11 Stage 3. Creating a design brief

Argyll & Bute: Big Spaces

North Lanarkshire Mapping journeys through our school

12

I have now realised the difficulty of getting ideas and using them to create something

Each design brief was issued to an architect and a briefing workshop was held. Once the architects had created the design exemplars the participants reviewed the designs.

A space that reveals itself in stages

Create spaces within spaces DEGW

North Lanarkshire: Enterprise

Painting the Sistine Chapel under the desk

Orkney Islands: Outward Looking

…the whole island is the school

Put a lid on a village and you have a school JM Architects/LWD Design

Natural sites…enhanced for learning, aiming to arouse curiosity and engender the joy of discovery Gareth Hoskins Architects

West Lothian: Science

…fuse nature and technology

…seeing the chicken – from egg to roast

Stirling: Play and Active Learning

I want to be here

Lisa Mackenzie

Connectivity…and pathways which would form a learning journey 3DReid

13 Stage 4. Working with the design professionals

Argyll & Bute: Big Spaces

Stage 4. Working with the design professionals

With thanks to...

14 With thanks to…

Baker Street children and parents Ms. Lesley Gibb Ms. Heather Douglas Ms. Gail McLean Ms. Aileen Russell Ms. Judy Edwards Ms. Sam Smith Ms. Barbara Dale Ms. Marian Kayes Ms. Mhaire–Colette Rush Ms. Carolann Morrow Ms. Kimberley Cramb Ms. Linda Houston Ms. Lorna Bernard Ms. Terry McCabe Ms. Juliet Hancock Ms. Delia O’Hagan

ARGYLL & BUTE

STIRLING

Mr. Alan Cunningham Ms. Gillian Tierney Ms. Tamsyn Taylor Mr. Alex Ohnstad Erin Elkin Sara Holder Jennifer MacRae Hayleigh Weldon Chyvonne McCann Natalie Wright Zoe Bell Mr. Fraser Shaw Emma Mullen Benjamin Wright Christopher Ferguson

Lisa Jeffrey Andrew Campbell Keagan Renolds Ainsley Hamill Graeme Ross Ms. Carol Stevenson Ms. Ekateryna Slaughter Ruaraidh Fowler Nikkita Lewis Rose Woolnaugh Susan Callaghan Megan Hayler Mr. Alan Arneil Mr. Dave Whitelaw Mr. Elliot Morrison

NORTH LANARKSHIRE

Ms. Margaret Reilly Ms. Janice McDermott Kyle Palmer Kyle McCarrison Jonathan Murphy Amy Dempsey Melissa Johnstone Frankie Byrne Liam McMahon Mr. Phil McMahon Mr. Mark McComb Ms. Shirley Fisher Melissa Allan Janine Moffat Sarah Louise Reilly Paul McDonald

Daniel Kirkland Emma Lynch David Campbell Rachael Bailey Roisin Doyle Katy McBride Megan McMahon Ms. Marie Anthony Ms. Donna Canning David Paton Laurie MacKenzie Daniel Johnson Scott MacPherson Megan Paterson Michael McLean Emma Middleton Mr. Graeme Simpson Ms. Karen Jim

John Brady Marc Hislop Stuart Mill Caitlin McDavid Sarah McNeill Katie Wilson James Easton Ms. Fiona Palin Ms. Jacquie Sullivan Mr. Robbie Taylor Mr. Alan Russell Mr. Steuart Cuthbert Mr. Gregor Steele Ms. Mary Smith Mr. Danny Mallon Mr Andy Robertson Ms. Katy Smillie

Ms. Marian Ashburn Mr.Jan Andersen Cassia Dodman Shane Hourston Helen McElroy Mr. Stuart Rendall Sarah Sutherland Erin Flett Nathan Wylie Aimee Sanders Douglas Paterson Jamie MacDonald Ms. Fiona Norris Mr. Stuart Woodrow

ORKNEY ISLANDS

15 With thanks to‌

WEST LOTHIAN

Ms. Morag Miller Nicholas Taylor Melissa Cumming Chloe MacLeod Keri Harcus Brandon Logan Jessica Rendall James Heddle Hannah Wick Ms. Monica Johnston Ms. Cally Bevan Ms. Anne Harvey Ms. Catherine Parkinson Ms. Ingirid Morrison Mr. James Burgon

16 STAGE 1: GETTING STARTED

Stage 1. Getting started

Stage One: Getting Started – partners, themes and teams

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The first stage of Senses of Place: Building Excellence involved encouraging local authorities to be involved, the selection of themes (one for each local authority) and the creation of the teams within each area.

Meeting and working with staff and pupils from other schools was a good thing

The partners

Local Authorities

The Lighthouse, Scotland’s National Centre for Architecture, Design and the City, with its specialist expertise in designing and managing participatory processes for design and architecture, was the lead partner for this project. Anne Cunningham, Senses of Place: Building Excellence Project Manager and Kate Kenyon, Senses of Place: Building Excellence Project Co–ordinator, were responsible for the overall management and co–ordination of the project.

The local authorities involved in Senses of Place: Building Excellence all self selected to be part of the project. Five councils were involved: Argyll & Bute, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, West Lothian and Stirling.

The Lighthouse fed in expertise to all aspects of Senses of Place: Building Excellence including: structuring the process; identifying profiles of essential participants; managing and developing user aspirations; delivering participatory and creative workshops; undertaking participatory evaluation; and training and support for facilitators.

Building Excellence Review Team The Building Excellence Review Team (BERT) was established by the Scottish Government as a steering and advisory group for the Building Excellence programme of events of which Senses of Place: Building Excellence was an integral project. BERT is comprised of representatives from the Scottish Government’s school estate team, the Curriculum Review branch, an economic adviser from the Schools Analytical Services Unit, a representative from the Architectural Policy Unit and representatives from The Lighthouse.

Schools The range of schools which took part were selected by the local authorities.

Pupils and teachers were chosen from the schools to form mixed teams. The pupils were aged from 3 – 18 years and included pupils with additional support needs.

Other members In addition, other appropriate adults were selected. For example, parents, community professionals, local authority officers, school managers and industry professionals with relevant expertise in the chosen themes.

19 The partners

The Lighthouse

The themes

20 The themes

Selecting the themes

The chosen themes

The key themes for the project were identified nationally as part of the Building Excellence programme of seminars and conferences which involved educationalists, architects and local authorities. The themes were then matched with priorities that each local authority identified during further discussions with The Lighthouse.

Argyll & Bute: the project was to develop a design exemplar that explored large spaces within secondary schools.

In Argyll & Bute we were about to gain entry of four new secondary schools, all of which had several large open spaces. It was felt that the project was an excellent opportunity to look at these spaces and see what value could be gained from them, particularly when considering the implications of Curriculum for Excellence.

The concept then extended to looking at the outdoor school environment as well.

How can we make the school a more pleasant and vibrant place to be in?

North Lanarkshire: the project involved developing a design exemplar that explored how to create settings for learning that would allow schools to reconfigure their space for different learning and teaching approaches.

The focus was on innovative approaches to learning for enterprise, and learning together, for pupils with additional support needs.

North Lanarkshire Council’s Learning & Leisure Services have been developing plans to upgrade schools to make them better suited to the 21st century. Involving pupils in this process is considered essential.

The opportunity for the pupils of Firpark Primary School to engage with the Senses of Place project was ideal as they move towards the design stages of their new school.

The theme was chosen after a discussion involving a few people from the selected schools along with members of the local authority. It was felt important in the Orkney context to look at education in the widest sense and be able to reflect on the well–established links between schools themselves and between schools and the local environment to consider what we mean by learning communities and outward looking spaces. Travel and the use of the local environment is a strong feature in the education of the pupils in Orkney and this was reflected in all parts of the workshops and designs.

West Lothian: the project involved developing design exemplars/ adaptations for recently built secondary schools that would enhance science education in the context of Curriculum for Excellence.

Science is a vital subject for the economic development of the Scottish nation. The working methodologies in science should very much reflect the four pupil capabilities identified in the Curriculum for Excellence – we wanted to see if science learning spaces could be designed to support creative science processes.

Stirling: the project aimed to enable primary schools (P1) and nurseries to develop design exemplars that would enhance active learning and purposeful, well planned play in the context of Curriculum for Excellence.

Stirling Council has prioritised a number of key projects as part of our Curriculum for Excellence work, one of which is an action research project exploring active learning in early stages primary. We were keen to extend this area of interest to consider how learning spaces could be enhanced to support continuity and progression of learning from early years into early stages primary and welcomed the opportunity to work closely with a range of professionals to share ideas and explore possibilities.

21 The themes

Orkney Islands: the project was to develop a design exemplar that explored the theme of learning communities and focused on networking between schools, staff and pupils, as well as between schools and their local communities.

The teams

22 The teams

It’s all in the mix

Creating the teams

How they got started

Creating the right mix in each team was critical to success. It was important to mix adults, children and professionals to create a good dynamic and gain a variety of views and experiences. This helped to develop a real understanding between participants about what each had to offer to the process.

The most effective teams were those that mixed adults and children from the beginning as this led to the development of coherent teams which negotiated preconceptions and became genuinely excited about the collaboration and what it was producing.

Approximately 10 adults and 20 pupils were involved in each team. The pupils involved were selected because they were the appropriate age, at the appropriate stage and with the right level of experience to engage with the project. There was a mix of abilities and the pupils had different levels of success within the education system but all of them possessed skills of critical and creative thinking.

Each local authority was supported in the creation of its team. These teams were subsequently involved in a series of consultations to explore the relationship between space and learning before embarking on a series of workshops to explore more specific ideas.

Feedback from all of the teams consistently recorded surprise from the adults regarding the children’s abilities and from the children about the development of their confidence to work with the adults as their peers.

The adults involved in each team varied in relation to the selected theme but a typical profile included: – Teachers (6–8) – Local Authority Officers (including those involved in curriculum development) (3–5)

…inspirational cross section of ideas for all (pupils, teachers, council, companies) – their ability to work together has made me think about all working spaces

– Community members/ parents (2–4) – Community/industry professionals (2–4)

A model team One of the most successful teams was created in West Lothian where adults and pupils participated together throughout the whole project, exploring designs which could enhance science education. The team included a range of pupils from three different schools, science teachers from three different schools, a primary teacher seconded to the local authority, and professionals from the science industry and national organisations which support science learning. The team dynamic was characterised by enthusiasm and openness which led to an innovative approach.

The aim was to involve individuals with experiential expertise that related to the theme and who were creative and positive, with practical problem solving skills and an openness to explore different perspectives and ideas. It was important that the adults could work ‘with and for’ young people and generate an inclusive, equalitarian dynamic.

Different people, views, schools, opinions was a strength

We were picked to do this project!

The aim of Senses of Place: Building Excellence was to develop ways to encourage innovative and aspirational thinking about future learning environments and ways of creating aspiration that explored school buildings and spaces in relation to the Curriculum for Excellence.

Stage 2. Exploring ideas

Stage Two: Exploring ideas and developing ‘considered aspiration’

Considered aspiration

I liked this because it was good and meeting new people also helps you to understand science

How can one school suit everybody?

Although a direct consequence was not to look at what new school buildings in Orkney will look like or have in them, the primary pupils from Stromness were often discussing this in the car on the way to and from the workshops

25 Considered aspiration

Although Senses of Place: Building Excellence was not dealing with real build projects it was important that the ideas and aspirations captured by the project were realistic and took account of constraints. The project encouraged new ways of thinking and new approaches and prioritised the experiential expertise pupils, teachers, parents and school managers had to offer as users of schools. Its aim was to generate innovative but realistic designs which could be built, and which would stand as exemplars that could support schools to deliver Curriculum for Excellence.

The importance of clientship

26 The importance of clientship

Equipped for a design dialogue

Wider application of clientship skills

Successful architecture comes about through an effective architect/client relationship and good clientship is about having the skills to enter into a design dialogue. Developing clientship is not only about developing confidence, knowledge and the ability to liase with professionals successfully, but is also about learning how to manage expectations and acknowledge limitations.

Using a creative design process to explore ideas and make decisions can be a highly effective learning tool. Senses of Place: Building Excellence focused on building clientship skills not only because they are crucial to achieving a successful design process but also because they have a wider application.

Senses of Place: Building Excellence used the design process as a way of learning to develop creativity, negotiation and communication skills, as well as building confidence of key user groups.

As a learning experience, the participatory process involved in design develops a range of useful skills and is illustrative of many life and work situations.

An effective client is one who is empowered to articulate well considered aspirations for a space/place. They feel equal partners with the professionals responsible for designing and implementing changes or developments in school design and, therefore, better able to communicate and negotiate their desires and aspirations. Equally an effective architect is one who is able to explore their preconceptions and be able to enter into a dialogue which respects the client’s expertise.

The pupils all contributed well throughout the process but their confidence grew throughout the three days as they became more confident with their ability to voice their own opinions freely

A participatory process

Senses of Place: Building Excellence used an action research approach, so that self–reflection and evaluation tasks were a key part of the process, allowing participants to comment on the activities they were undertaking. It meant that the participants shaped the project as it developed, generating a greater sense of ownership and increased understanding of its aims and outcomes. This was key to keeping participants motivated and actively engaged. The approach also facilitated the transfer of learning between teams, partners and the other facilitators involved.

The value of good facilitators Key to a successful participatory process are the facilitators. Those used by Senses of Place: Building Excellence were selected from different backgrounds to ensure a good mix of skills and expertise. Desirable skills within a team of facilitators would include: – experience of work with professionals, adults and a wide age and ability range of pupils; – ability to engage with a wide range of learning styles through different workshops; – understanding of creative learning and of the design process;

– understanding of learning in a wide range of contexts;

27 A participatory process

A continuous process of reflection and evaluation

– experience of working with schools; – understanding of schools design and its recent history; – experience of working as facilitators (not educators); and – understanding of the potential benefits of involving users in design processes.

The exploratory stage Each facilitator worked with the Senses of Place: Building Excellence programme manager to draw up a programme of workshop based activity which could develop clientship and explore each selected theme. The facilitators were responsible for the ‘exploratory’ stage of the project when ideas were brought forward, expanded, discussed and evaluated, and when aspirations, dreams and wishes were encouraged.

This stage also involved the participants in looking really hard at every day activity.

As facilitators we worked as a team, openly recognising individuals expertise – no one felt threatened and all delivered together in a relaxed and informal style A strength was the ability of facilitators from different disciplines to learn from each other and develop their skills further

The exploratory stage workshops

28 The exploratory stage workshops

Purpose of workshops

Workshop activities

A wide range of workshops and activities were used during this stage in order to:

The activities carried out through the workshops fell into three categories:

– give participants an opportunity to reflect on and explore their experiences of learning and spaces;

– Team building: negotiating existing power relationships, successful collaborations and consensus building.

– explore other international design exemplars; – to ensure participants understand the project process and are happy to participate; and – encourage expression of individual ideas and extended explorations of each other’s ideas and experiences.

This stage is the first step to building a consensus and setting priorities in a design brief.

Aims at this stage What Senses of Place: Building Excellence aimed to achieve at this stage was to gain an understanding of what the users wanted to do, how they wanted to learn and what they wanted to feel in a space.

The focus was on enabling users to express their own experiential expertise and on activities that developed learning and thinking, rather than on the creation of actual designs for spaces.

– Building clientship: developing an understanding of a real life design process and the importance of user clientship in designing a successful building.

– Theme focused work: to explore the chosen themes and allow participants to express their expertise and ideas, and to explore other users experiences.

Creating the right environment for participation What Senses of Place: Building Excellence aimed to achieve in every workshop was: – A participatory process that catered for different learning styles and abilities.

– A process that provided new experiences/new ways of exploring everyday experiences.

– A process that enabled individuals to explore and develop their own ideas.

– A democratic, inclusive process that supported everyone to fully participate.

– A supportive environment that allowed individuals to express views in any way (sometimes valuable points are expressed in unexpected or unconventional ways).

– A permissive environment that let ‘mad’ ideas be expressed.

– An environment where what was expressed was people’s thoughts and views on what they wanted to do in a space, how they wanted to feel, what they wanted to experience – ideas, emotions, experiences – not design solutions.

Implementing the workshops A maximum of four days of workshops was undertaken for each local authority area – this was required to facilitate pupils working in separate teams where age range and/or learning needs required it. These workshops generated creative materials which explored the theme that each team was focused on in relation to Curriculum for Excellence.

In North Lanarkshire, where the team included children with additional support needs, the facilitators worked with the teachers on the team to tailor the workshops appropriately for the pupils.

Later in the process, four secondary pupils were involved as facilitators to ensure that the teachers had the space and time to articulate their own ideas within the briefing and design review workshops.

A different timescale was adopted for the team in Stirling. Their project involved nursery children and the workshops were implemented slightly differently. It required six days over two months, as well as a CPD day to plan the project and a day where the facilitators were just present in the nursery to allow the children to get used to them. Working with very young

The exploratory stage workshops

Choosing an appropriate venue Where possible the Senses of Place: Building Excellence workshops were held outwith the school environment to give participants a clear headspace and to minimise any intrusions from their everyday environment. The project tried to use an inspiring venue for each local authority, so that the venue contributed to the process as well, illustrating what a building could be, and helping to inspire the participants and raise their aspirations for design. Using a non school building also provided a neutral environment which helped to create greater democracy for the participants.

Look for architecturally interesting venues in the local authority

Suggested materials for workshops

Book venue and organise catering

– Card (various sizes and colours)

Inform local authority of date, venue, start and finish time, and catering arrangements

– Pens & Pencils

Inform facilitators of date, venue, start and finish times, and arrange any accommodation or transport requirements Confirm workshop numbers with local authority Send film and photo release forms to local authority contact

Set up initial planning meeting with local authority contact

– Post it notes – Flipchart

Modelling Materials – Foam board – Straws

Receive workshop planner from facilitators

– Lollipop Sticks

Send workshop planner to local authority contact

– Glue

Receive materials list from facilitators and order materials and arrange any AV equipment

– String

Check room set up with facilitators and confirm with the venue Arrange transport of materials

Checklist for organising workshops

– Paper (various sizes and colours)

After the workshop ask facilitators for SWOT evaluation and images File images and SWOTS

– Wire – Scrap box of recycled materials – Cellophane (various colours) – Felt – Scissors – Pipe cleaners

Establish possible workshop dates and times with local authority Set up planning meeting with facilitators Establish availability of facilitators for upcoming workshops

It was quite hard to attend all sessions

Got to go to interesting places like the science centre

29 The exploratory stage workshops

children required some tailoring of activities in order to help them explore the spaces and to capture their ideas. As the partnership with the children evolved the team constructed trial spaces with them which led to a community workshop where a multi–sensory activity zone was built, used and evaluated by local families.

Recommended workshop activities TEAM BUILDING

30 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Human bingo Aims – To encourage the group to mix and meet new people.

– To set the tone for a relaxed participatory atmosphere where the facilitators are not ‘teachers’.

Materials – Worksheet (adapted from Save the Children: DIY Guide to Improving your Community) – Pen/pencil

Time needed 10 – 15 minutes Each participant is given a worksheet which has 16 squares on it each containing a question.

Facilitators also participate. To complete human bingo participants need to find someone who can answer the question in each square. When an individual is found who can answer the question, their name is written down in the corresponding square. The group should try to find a different person for each square/answer. When someone has a name in each square they shout BINGO!

Having fun at the workshops made it good

Didn’t enjoy the part when they talked a lot

TEAM BUILDING

31 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Shoe game Aims – To encourage the group to mix further and to set the tone for the rest of the day.

– To provide an alternative warm up to Human Bingo for the second day or particularly when there had been a long period between workshops.

– To introduce how good research informs a good design.

Materials None

Time needed 10 – 15 minutes

Step by step 1. P articipants find a partner (ideally someone they have not spoken to before) or form groups (of no more than six). Facilitators can also participate.

2. Facilitators give instructions: Tell your partner/group about your shoe: Why did you buy it? What do you like about it? What would you change about it?

3. The group is asked to present each others’ shoes. Once the shoes have been presented the group is asked what sort of things people consider when buying a shoe. It is explained that these considerations are similar to those that underpin good design research.

There was often good interaction with the presenters

TEAM BUILDING

32 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Ground rules Aims – To agree a verbal contract and generate group ownership of how participants should behave and relate to each other.

– To address existing power imbalances within mixed groups (i.e. teachers and pupils/adults and pupils).

Materials – Post–it notes – Pens/pencils – Flipchart

Time needed 10 – 15 minutes

It was good allowing us to have our own opinion

Adults still acting like teachers made it hard

Step by step 1. Working in groups (of no more than six), participants use post–it notes and write down three ground rules each. Participants are asked to think about how they want to be treated and how they want others to behave.

2. Each group tells the other participants their ground rules and all the suggested rules are written on a flipchart and clarified if needed. The whole group checks that they agree with the rules and considers whether it wants to add anything else.

3. T he ground rules are placed where everyone has a clear view of them for the duration of the workshop.

4. The ground rules should be revisited at the beginning of each day, when participants don’t adhere to them, or if the space or activity demands a change in ground rules, e.g. working outside.

TEAM BUILDING

Aims –T o find out what participants’ expectations are and clear up any queries.

Materials –F lipchart

4. Once they are finished participants are asked to read out their expectations. The whole team is asked which column on the flipchart they think the expectations should go in (Yes/No/ Maybe). If the group can’t decide/don’t know, the facilitator decides and explains their reasons for their choice, equally if the whole group has a misconception it is discussed. These expectations are displayed for the duration of the workshop.

33 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Expectations: Why are we here?

–P ost–it notes –P en/Pencil

Time needed 10 – 15 minutes

Step by step 1. A project process diagram should be shown to participants and talked through.

2. On a flipchart three columns are drawn with the headings Yes/No/Maybe.

3. Participants are given post–it notes and are asked to write down what their expectations are of the project: What do they think the project is about?

Please give overview at start of the project!

CLIENTSHIP

34 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Misfits/Shared Spaces Aims – To show the participants how they have to take note of other people’s voices during the design process.

– To explore a good design brief and design process which can create spaces that fulfil the needs of diverse users.

– To highlight the process of turning 2D into 3D.

Materials – Pen/pencil & paper – Model making materials

Time needed 60 – 90 minutes

Step by step 1. Participants are asked if they have played misfits before. Each person folds their sheet of paper in three and then unfolds it. In the top third of the paper they draw a head which can be any kind of shape, and then a face. When they are finished, they fold back the sheet of paper so that the drawing can’t be seen and pass the paper to the person on their right.

2. Participants are reminded not to look at the folded over drawing. In the middle third of the paper they now draw a body and arms.

When they are finished, they fold back the sheet of paper and pass it to their right.

3. In the bottom third of the paper the legs and feet are drawn. The paper is folded over and passed to the right again.

4. The sheets of paper are opened up. In pairs, participants create characters for the drawings. They give a name, a career, preferred way of learning and list the hobbies and interests of the misfit.

5. I n pairs, participants create a space that their characters could share. They must consider the careers, hobbies and interests of both characters when creating the space. The space is created in 2D first.

6. The pairs create a 3D model from their 2D drawing.

7. Once all the pairs are finished, they present their models to the other participants.

After each presentation the facilitator asks a series of questions relating to learning.

CLIENTSHIP

Step by step

Aims

1. Each participant is given five post–it notes and is asked to focus on the project’s theme, e.g. purposeful play. Participants write down the first five words they think of on the post–it notes.

–T o promote clientship skills by giving participants the confidence to ask questions about design features they don’t understand and to explain or define their own design ideas.

–T o promote individual responses within a group and build consensus.

Materials

2. In groups (of no more than six), each participant puts their words in the middle of the table and shares and compares their choices with the others.

3. Each person then chooses five new words from the middle of the table, that are not their own, and creates a 2D response to these words.

–P ost–its –P ens/Pencils –M odel making materials

Time needed 60 – 90 minutes

Good work with words

4. Participants return to their group and describe their 2D response.

5. Using their 2D work and theme words, each group chooses what’s important to them: this is their design brief. They use this to create a 3D response to the theme.

6. When the models are finished, the groups present their models to the rest of the participants. After each presentation the facilitator encourages a discussion about the relationship between theme, learning and space.

35 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Ways with words

PROJECT THEME

36 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Sanctuary Aims – To stimulate thinking about a personalised space that is comfortable and safe.

– To show participants how words can be interpreted differently, promoting clientship skills.

– To help participants bring their personal experience to the group and share this with others confidently.

Step by step 1. This task is quiet and contemplative.

Participants find a place to work individually and think about their own sanctuary.

2. Participants are given a sheet of paper and pen/ pencil and asked to draw a circle in the middle of the paper. This is the beginning of a mind map.

3. A series of questions are asked about the sanctuary and participants write their answers in their mind map. Questions include:

5. Once the models are created participants are asked to find their sanctuary and they discover how someone else sees their sanctuary.

Each participant then presents their 3D model.

Questions are asked about the space such as: – What can you learn in this space?

– Why is it good for learning?

– How would it work for you?

– Would you like it?

– What does it… smell like?… sound like?… feel like?

– Who wouldn’t it work for?

– What shapes… colour… light… is there?

– Do you go alone or in company?

This activity can also be focused on a theme, for example science:

– Pen/pencil and paper

– What do you do there?

– Model making materials

– Can you change or adjust the space?

– To encourage them to think about space and learning by questioning their models.

Materials

Time needed 40 – 60 minutes

4. When all the questions have been answered, participants pass their sheet of paper to the person on their right. Using only the words on the sheet, each participant creates a 3D model of the sanctuary they have received.

thought provoking

After participants have mind mapped their own sanctuary, the whole group is asked to brainstorm famous scientists. Each participant chooses one scientist, and following the same questions as before, thinks about what their sanctuary would be like and then draws a mindmap. All the mindmaps are gathered together and in groups (of no more than six) participants choose one scientist for whom they will create a sanctuary.

I now think about my ‘special’ place more often

PROJECT THEME

Looks like a jail,

...an institution

Aim

Makes me feel spooky

–T o widen participants’ views of different spaces and of what learning environments can be.

Materials – Data projector and laptop – I mages of international design exemplars of learning environments

Looks like a flat pack house Time needed 15 – 25 minutes

Step by step 1. A number of slides (10 –20) are shown of different school environments, indoor and outdoor spaces. The slides can be a random mix or chosen for a particular theme.

2. The participants are asked to discuss the slides, stimulated by questions such as: – What do you think?

– Do you like it? Why? – Could you learn there?

It looks cosy, like my granny’s house I want to see what’s inside

37 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Slideshow

PROJECT THEME

38 Recommended workshop activities

Workshop: Journey

Time needed 20 – 30 minutes

Aims – To allow individuals to express their own learning experiences in a new way.

– To relate an everyday activity (a journey) to the group’s theme.

Materials – String – Paper – Luggage Labels – Pens/Pencils (any other materials available)

Step by step 1. The facilitator describes their journey to the workshop emphasising, where possible, the group’s theme.

2. Participants are asked to tell their own journeys, what they saw or did, that relates to the theme. They are asked to illustrate each point in the journey on a luggage label.

The luggage labels are hung along a piece of string to create the whole journey.

3. W hen participants are finished, everyone is gathered together to present their journey to the rest of the group. Time is allowed for any comments on the similarities or differences between journeys. After each presentation the facilitator encourages discussion about how their theme relates to their everyday lives and how learning happens in their everyday lives.

Workshop outcomes: FULFILLING THE AIMS OF THE CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

Although these outcomes of the workshop activities were important to stimulate thinking and discussion, the expression of the participants’ ideas and their experience of learning and space through doing the activities was as, if not more, important than the physical output.

39 Workshop outcomes

The Senses of Place: Building Excellence workshop activities produced a wide variety of outputs including 2D Drawings and 3D models. A good deal of learning activity was also recorded on flipcharts and post–it notes. All of this information was used to brief the facilitators of the next phases and to support the design brief in later workshops with the architects.

Workshop outcomes: FULFILLING THE AIMS OF THE CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

40 Workshop outcomes

EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS Positive reinforcement rather than confrontation required.

It was very satisfying to reflect on the social ability that all the pupils brought with them in terms of being able to get on and mix with others from different schools and across different ages.

Responsibility for own learning was encouraged.

Contributions were encouraged, supported and valued.

Shown empathy for all learning abilities within workshop.

Sharing ideas.

Good for cooperation with pupils on their level.

Feeling that young people ‘really’ involved not just tokenism.

Liked expressing ideas, being innovative, knowing you are asking something worthwhile.

Allowing us to have our own opinion.

Meeting and working with staff and pupils from other schools.

Liked expressing ideas, being innovative, knowing you are asking something worthwhile.

Meeting new friends.

Making products and seeing our ideas being used.

Having our ideas listened to.

Having the chance to change things.

The sense of doing something worthwhile – making you feel good, I have done something!

Giving your views and having them taken seriously.

Motivation and enthusiasm encouraged without being closely supervised.

Confidence to speak out in a large group to explain their viewpoints and thoughts about the workshop activities.

Helped develop confident individuals.

It was nice to see pupils grow in confidence and speaking out. Pupils developed communication skills.

SUCCESSFUL LEARNERS Challenging activities to encourage individual pupil’s aspirations to reach a higher level.

Expanding our imagination.

Learning new methods of understanding.

New adventures.

I liked this because it was good and meeting new people also helps to understand science.

Expands self confidence to influence science spaces in the future.

Personal development – better understanding of the process involved.

Having fun at the workshops.

Thinking in alternative ways via model making, poems and presentations.

Confidence and involvement of children who are participating.

Adults were helpful and kind.

There was often good interaction with the presenters.

41 Workshop outcomes

CONFIDENT INDIVIDUALS

Orkney Islands Our perfect day at school, creating the design brief

This stage of the project was focused on capturing the creativity, ideas and energy from the previous workshops and the considered aspirations that had resulted from them. For Senses of Place: Building Excellence the aim was to create design briefs which focused on activities – the users’ experience of a space/building and the users’ aspirations, rather than detailed schedules of a design’s requirements.

…the whole island is the school Orkney Islands

Painting the Sistine Chapel under the desk North Lanarkshire

I want to be here Stirling

A space that reveals itself in stages Argyll & Bute

…seeing the chicken – from egg to roast West Lothian

3. Creating a design brief

Stage three: Pulling it all together – creating a design brief

The design brief

Workshop: Creating the Brief Aims – To help participants condense what they had discussed and achieved in the exploratory workshops.

– To help each team create a brief that provided a vision of the future that the teams/users wanted to inhabit.

Materials Flipchart and pens

Time needed 3 hours

Step by step

Unconventional briefs

Each workshop was led by a facilitator experienced in writing design briefs and typically involved the following elements:

The briefs that were created were rather unconventional in format, written in the language of the participants, rather than in professional/specialist language. The participants were encouraged to make lists of statements providing examples of what they liked to do – such as run or have fun – and the briefs also included comments like: “It would be amazing to build our own products in the apple store, or go to Nasa and launch rockets or even go to Nevada and blow up a caravan” or “Experience new things and know what it’s like to be on the edge of a cliff”. However, these unconventional statements carried a serious and useful message which would provide the architects with a clear indication of the experiences the users wished to have in a building/space and how they wanted to learn.

1. Purpose and focus: a short reminder of the purpose of the workshop, what had already been achieved and what the output would be.

2. A gendas and issues: a plenary session to allow everyone to voice their big hopes and fears from the previous sessions.

3. Perfect days: group sessions to explore what the best of all possible worlds would feel like and what they would actually do if their expectations were all met.

4. Perfect places: group sessions to identify personal places that respond to the emotions or themes emerging from the perfect day.

I was impressed by what was produced. It was a “living brief”.

It couldn’t be done by ourselves.

We think about problems. They thought about ideas and feelings.

This workshop led to discussions that avoided predetermined criteria and preconceived models of what a school environment is.

The brief was then built from the desires, imagination and energy of the participants.

5. Reality check: group sessions to identify likely constraints and challenges, and practical ideas to overcome them.

6. And finally: what the big themes and ideas seem to be; a commitment to what happens next; and a final opportunity for participants to say what’s on their minds.

45 The design brief

The brief is a crucial document in the design process for a space or building. The content of the design brief identifies what needs to be incorporated into the design exemplar and provides a guide for the architect. In this project the briefs were focused on the desired results of design – not the actual aesthetics or look of the space/building.

A thorough and articulate design brief helps to develop trust and understanding between the client and architect and serves as an essential point of reference and discussion for both parties.

This stage was about creating shared understanding and mutual respect between the architects and the users of the building/space. The design brief is the essential building block in this stage and its presentation, and discussion, with the design professionals was an important stage in the project.

4. Working with the design professionals

Stage four: Working with the design professionals

ARGYLL & BUTE Reviewing big spaces with DEGW

Communicating the brief

Workshop: Communicating the Brief

Step by step

Challenging briefs

Aims

The design brief presentation workshop had a number of purposes. It looked at:

– To stimulate a strong working relationship between the architect and the client.

– what makes a good architect and a good client; and

These professional teams were involved in responding to the briefs and showing how aspirational design could support schools in fulfilling their aspirations for Curriculum for Excellence.

– To present and discuss the brief.

– what makes a good relationship between the architect and the client.

The rather unconventional design briefs proved somewhat of a challenge to the professionals as they were more used to briefs with quite detailed specifications – for example, a room so big by so big to accommodate a particular activity. Many of the briefs were highly aspirational lists of wishes and desires and required the architects to approach and think about their clients’ requirements in new ways.

‘Expert witnesses’ from the local authority teams, made up of pupils and adults, presented the brief along with accompanying information to the professional design teams.

It then went on to discuss the design brief in detail including: – reviewing the ideas;

Their ideas (the architects) were a new way of thinking

The opportunity to find out the truth about architects

– clarifying aspirations for learning; and – looking at how the space would be used to learn.

In North Lanarkshire, for example, the brief was focused around the notion of learning through fun and social experiences – rather than on the volumetric size of a class room or a science laboratory’s relationship with an IT suite, dining hall or reception – this was because it reflected what the pupils wanted to experience.

Creating the designs Each team of architects/designers was given six to eight weeks to interpret the brief and produce design ideas. Their role was to produce design exemplars which were innovative, even radical, solutions to the challenge of designing learning environments which could meet the demands of Curriculum for Excellence.

As this project would culminate in an exhibition the ideas were expected to inspire debate and discussion between educationalists and design professionals, and to stimulate change in the way people think about learning and its environments.

49 Communicating the brief

Five firms of top architecture and design professionals were selected to take part in the project. They had either demonstrated innovative thinking on organisational change and design, or had experience in the field of school design.

DESIGN REVIEW

50 Communicating the brief

It was important that at the end of the design process the teams had the opportunity to review what had been drawn up by the architects.

This stage involved a design review workshop encompassing extended discussion and feedback on the design ideas presented by the architects.

The architects brought their ideas and a variety of other examples to the review workshop and presented these to stimulate discussion. They also undertook workshop activities to investigate scenarios. A facilitated review process with focused activities allowed the teams to provide feedback so that the design ideas could be refined. The most successful were those where the architects had worked with The Lighthouse to design the review workshop.

Workshop: Design Review

Step by step

The clientship training that the participants had undergone through the earlier workshops helped them to present considered and confident critiques of the design ideas. They were able to rigorously appraise the architects’ ideas ensuring that the final designs would truly reflect the teams’ desires.

1. The architect gave a brief presentation (10–15 minutes) on their research so far and any design ideas they had developed.

There was an opportunity to clarify ideas and discuss the presentation at the end.

Aims – To enable the participants to review the ideas and research done by the architect.

– To enable participants to consider how their experiences and expertise could assist the architect in reviewing their ideas.

2. The facilitator briefed the participants to annotate local and national exemplars using post–it notes. They were asked for feedback on specific questions, e.g.

‘How would you learn in this space?’

‘Which places are important to you and why?’ This process stimulated dialogue and discussion amongst the participants.

3. The participants were split into teams and asked to create a scenario for using the design ideas developed. They were given a postcard with a group of users on it. The description was very open–ended: e.g. Julie and 10 children; Mike, James and Henry. The participants were asked to describe how this group would use the space, describing journeys, arrival, activities, departure and other activities undertaken after leaving the space.

4. These scenarios were presented and discussed by the users and the architects.

5. General discussion of any issues followed to ensure that the focus of the design review did not exclude any perspectives or comments. This was a facilitated, extended discussion that encouraged all to participate.

Materials – Data projector and laptop.

– A1 sheets of exemplars: local senses of place and international exemplars of space and learning relating to their theme.

– Paper – Pens – Post–it notes

Time needed 2 – 3 hours

Is it possible to create an ideal school with limited money and land?

How will these ideas be used and will these be used to help others?

The design exemplars aim to provide innovative solutions to the aspirational briefs and to stimulate debate and discussion around what learning environments could be and should be in order to fulfil the aims of Curriculum for Excellence.

The following pages present each brief and the resultant design exemplar.

The briefs and design exemplars

Each brief reproduced here can be seen as visioning for future learning environments and experiences, created from the desires, wishes and experiences of the diverse teams in each of the local authority areas involved.

Stirling

Design brief STIRLING: PLAY AND ACTIVITY LEARNING

In Stirling the project aimed to enable primary schools (P1) and nurseries to develop design exemplars that would enhance active learning and purposeful, well planned play in the context of Curriculum for Excellence.

HOPES FOR THE EARLY YEARS…

“…a welcoming, beautiful entry” A sense of space, openness, transparency, with natural light and views connecting entrances, exits, and the outside. Big adaptable spaces with a sense of direction and a sense of flow to the outdoors…

“be able to see outside” Free access to an established outdoor space with a big expanse of grass and a woodland.

A garden with challenging equipment to play with – sandpits, swings, slides, climbing frames, planting boxes. French doors to…

“a walled garden” Somewhere fit for purpose that is consistent and doesn’t disappoint. Where there are quality resources and quality toilets and quality storage. Somewhere with flexibility…

“space for children to choose” To like the way a place looks. Nice relaxing sensory spaces for adults and children to relax. To enjoy how it sounds right and how its natural materials feel to the touch.

To experience a sense of surprise… “…all

the things that children love”

FEARS FOR THE EARLY YEARS… Where resource constraints, restrictions on space, and the inadequacies of the building, need to be overcome. Somewhere no longer fit for purpose, with small cramped spaces with too many things in them and horrible surfaces…

“that looks and feels cheap”

“I want to be here” Arrive at your own space in your own nursery, to feel a sense of welcome and belonging as you come through the open doors, and know that your mum, brothers, and sisters can come and play too. Have a happy and relaxed informal start with your own familiar objects and your own routine in your own personal space. Trust that you can continue with what you left unfinished yesterday. Your things are safe where you left them and you don’t need to worry about annoying the Caretaker.

To see happy faces, a happy teacher, hear music, cheery voices, and be able to choose from lots of learning opportunities, inside or out. You want to take part.

“my space and my nursery” Explore, discover, research, and experiment, alone and with others, and in different areas of the classroom and the outdoors – independently, and with no artificial interruptions like playtime. Have the space to play and learn in – for skipping ropes, bouncing balls, and wildlife. Sing and be noisy. Play over the different outside decking levels, crawl underneath, and investigate the sand and the water.

Get messy. Look through all the different shaped windows. Touch everything.

Enjoy speaking to children and adults in spaces respectful to both. Listen to music and the sounds of other people. Use your imagination and try things out. You feel in control, and you have choices…

“busy times and quiet times” You have a comfortable place to eat, and share special times with your friends, and to talk and listen – if you want to. If you’re tired you can find space to be relaxed and to rest and just think or be quiet. Or perhaps you want to work quietly on your own, maybe with a computer in a “spaceshippy, alcovy thing”. Feel calm and free. The day hasn’t been a struggle for you. You might be ready to go home, or maybe not. But your parents are always welcome to come right in and make the time…

“all of this would be wonderful”

EARLY YEARS AND GREAT PLACES…

AN EARLY YEARS SENSE OF PLACE…

Places that make a connection like the Forth Road and Rail Bridges – especially with curves, like the Skye Bridge. Or a complete sensory indulgence like Stobo Castle, or the smell of wood and leather in Habitat.

Feeling special and having a sense of belonging matters. Getting the adult spaces right too, and making them flexible. Learning practical lessons from places that work, and from significant moments that “touch the teacher’s heart”.

Keeping a sense of awe about everyday excitement and personal anticipation.

Buildings that are unusual and interesting like Milan Central Station, or those by Gaudi in Barcelona. And those that have ornate beauty like Glasgow City Chambers, or a quiet cool peacefulness like Edinburgh’s Chambers Street Museum.

Awe inspiring landscapes like Wester Ross, or The Alps, or the sea at Dubai. And sitting on the beach in Iona, or watching the sunset from your garden – or your own living room at Christmas when the curtains are closed, and the Christmas lights are on, and a real fire is burning.

“intimacy not institution”

53 Design brief

A GREAT DAY FOR THE EARLY YEARS…

3DReid’s response ENHANCING ACTIVE LEARNING AND PLAY

54 3DReid’s response

Starting from the inside and working to the outside, we focused on connections particularly with regard to the classroom.

How it connected to other classrooms and with the other school facilities and external environment was central to our approach.

When designing the classrooms we began with a conventional rectangular format.

After dissecting the brief further, we decided this simply didn’t accommodate all of the functions asked for by teachers.

With additional development, we arrived at a hexagonal solution. This classroom also creates spaces around it, both indoors and outdoors, that fulfil additional functions.

One of our key design solutions is transparency. Transparency makes the best use of daylight and helps to maximise connectivity with the community. It can also blur the division between inside and outside.

We also introduced innovative display areas, a mobile storage unit which can be used to subdivide a room, and technology.

We also had to integrate a large gathering space (for assembly, theatre, dance, dining), a welcoming entrance and external and internal social spaces where children, staff and parents could interact. We also aimed to create pathways, rather than corridors, which would form a learning journey.

The corridor shouldn’t simply be a link between rooms but should be a ‘pathway’ making the transition between places into a journey, an experience, another learning space

17 55 3DReid’s response

2 1

1. Storage 2. Covered area for outdoor play and teaching with direct classroom access

3

13

14

3. Display wall 4. Window seat with underneath storage

4

5. Sliding door to adjoining classroom 10

6. Outside window seat

5

7. Toilets adjacent to classroom 8. Mezzanine level 9. Views through to outside play and teaching area

13

16

13

11

6

12

7

10. Water and sink 11. Views through to playground /courtyard

8

12. Technology 13. Arrival areas 14. Playground/courtyard 15. Windows at children/sitting height for views outside 16. Space for quiet time, reading, family room, visiting specialists 17. Large gathering space

15 9

Argyll & Bute

In Argyll & Bute the project was to develop a design exemplar that explored large spaces within secondary schools.

Design brief ARGYLL & BUTE: BIG SPACES

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT BIG SPACES…

“no sense of place”

“a sense of intimacy”

We hate big places with no purpose.

Deserted empty places that are a lifeless.

We feel lost in big, uninspiring spaces that have no sense of direction, that take away our sense of personal identity. Distant spaces.

The kind of spaces that are overpowering and intimidating and make us feel small and vulnerable. We hate spaces that make us feel exposed: uneasy and trapped, nervous and self conscious, or threatened – where it’s difficult to relax or be creative.

We like beautiful, filled places – dynamic places with distractions and points of interest, with a real atmosphere, like The Sony Centre in Berlin. Warm, busy places that are full of so much detail, paths and places to explore, and people watching, like Disneyland. We like packed concert halls, stadiums, festivals, and theatres, where there is colour and noise. And city centre places or great shopping streets, where we can go unnoticed and blend in.

Big spaces can be ugly, cold, dark, and dull – smelly, dirty, echoey places that all seem the same. They have ceiling tiles, and ugly, exposed breeze block. They might have grubby, plastic windows or be claustrophobic with no windows at all and fierce yellow lights. They are gym halls and disorientating airports and crowded supermarkets and multi–storey car parks and discarded places. They are old places that have dress codes and formality and…

“a kind of nothingness”

Or calm, relaxing natural environments that make us feel open and free. We like big spaces that are peaceful and inspiring – the serenity of beaches, and the exhilaration of mountains. We love the sense of scale from buildings like the Sydney Opera House, the Colliseum in Rome, the skyscrapers of Dubai, or the well ordered landscapes of Capability Brown – and we also feel a sense of awe at the wilderness, the ocean, the sky, Scotland.

GREAT DAYS IN BIG SPACES WITH A SENSE OF PLACE… During a great day we would use Big Spaces for pupils and teachers working together in different sized groups doing interdisciplinary work, with everything easily accessible, nearby, and well organised. Big spaces that are also classrooms – with big tables, and big display areas, big windows with lots of light – and the flexibility of “being random”.

We want places that are large and comfy to just talk to friends and be social, study, listen to music – or to be more active if we want.

And to be able to get past the big school controls and into places like gyms and studios.

For our lunch not to resemble a farce or a “Unicef parcel drop” but for it to become a welcoming time and place which creates common ground for pupils and teachers We want to use great spaces outside of the building, or outside of school hours, for collaborative interests, for teaching in the real environment, or for playing games and sports. Or to just walk around in.

WE WANT OUR BIG SPACES TO BE

“modern, romantic and organic…”

We want modern spaces that flow, that use the latest methods and provide a sense of discovery. Environmentally friendly Big Spaces for the future that are not old fashioned, and can change, but without being harsh like a prison. Spaces that are not tacky and cheap, but generate respect and…

“create a sense of worth” Colourful, naturally lit spaces that give us a sense of time and orientation, and make us feel happy and positive. Relaxing and inspiring spaces that make us feel safe, and feel free…

“to do what we want” We want intriguing spaces that have nice curves and visual interest – natural shapes and materials rather than straight lines and plasterboards boxes. And we want to enjoy the contrast between awe inspiring size and attention to detail.

“a space that reveals itself in stages”

57 Design brief

WHAT WE HATE ABOUT BIG SPACES…

DEGW’s response LARGE SPACES

58 DEGW’s response

To deliver on the brief we looked at creating flexible, adaptable solutions. We focused on the large volume spaces of dining and assembly and how these spaces could deliver other activities throughout the day, across the year and outwith school hours.

In addition to the traditional large group activities of dining and assembly, the participants wished to engage in small group and individual activities. They wanted to use the large volume spaces as an extension of their classrooms. They also wanted to consider, for example, how cinema clubs, school dances and other out of hours activities could be best accommodated.

These activities would also require access to appropriate technology.

We established the need to create privacy and enclosure to accommodate the collaborative, multi disciplinary group activities. We developed components to breakdown the space – enabling it to be used in a variety of different ways. Furniture needed to be flexible and easily adaptable to allow its use in a variety of settings, including dining and assembly. We developed a ‘flexiwall’ concept which created a menu of ‘pull out’ components within the walls. These would be used to create intimate corners. The wall and the furniture would allow the space to cater for a wide and rich range of activities.

We also needed the ability to create more defined enclosed spaces and this led to the design of a ‘den’ space. These spaces within a space would also create intimacy and sculptural expressive elements. The ‘den’ also offered an opportunity to break down the formality of the space.

Spaces revealing themselves in stages

Clarity of circulation and access was critical whilst the large space was in different configurations. Location of the big volume space was also critical, including ready access to the entrance, daylight and the outdoors.

As important as changing the settings physically was the ability to change the ambience of the space to reflect what was taking place in it. Technology was important to us in setting the ambience. This technology would also allow for changing displays and the celebration of the schools work within the large space.

Social spaces as well as learning spaces

The den – intimacy and the creation of sculptural elements

59 DEGW’s response

Furniture stored in the walls can be pulled out as required Ownership and understanding spatial opportunities was important

Where we can do what we want to do

Changing the ambience through innovative technology use

North Lanarkshire

Design brief NORTH LANARKSHIRE: ENTERPRISE

In North Lanarkshire the project was to develop a design exemplar that explored how to create settings for learning that would allow schools to reconfigure their space for different learning and teaching approaches for pupils with additional support needs.

DOING GOOD THINGS TOGETHER…

When we think of doing good things together we think of: • Sharing …when we are walking, talking, reading, doing homework, doing schoolwork, gym, shopping, tidying, music, drawing, painting, making things – together. Singing together at Assembly and getting your own Star Badge.

Listening to music together, and watching cartoons on telly, or Dvds, and playing with Playstations, and X–boxes, and computers.

Cooking together and having lunch together.

“doing housework with mum” • Playing …all of our our favourite games inside with other people, like snooker or draughts.

Playing games together outside, on the grass and in the fresh air, and feeling excited and happy to be in a team – saving shots, scoring penalties, being responsible.

Having our own World Cup tournament.

Swimming together with friends. The Sea.

“diving into water”

When we first got the brief we thought it was a waste of time but we have found ourselves self–referring back to it more and more as a justification for what we are doing.

• Outings …and places we discover by travelling on trains and ferries. Going to the Pantomime, and places with easy access, and great food.

Having special days with guide dogs, and horses, and Ferraris, and Police cars, and fire engines. Dressing up and having our faces painted…

“painting the Sistine Chapel under the desk”

When we imagine great days at a great school we think of:

“a big and beautiful reception” A friendly atmosphere with helpful information on the colourful walls so we can’t get lost. With subtle, clever lighting, good heating, and air conditioning, and speaker systems all around. Stained glasss windows and glass walls and ceiling to floor windows with a view of the tree tops. Easy access for us all, with automatic doors and big corridors, and disabled toilets, and laptops with big keyboards. And comfy soft chairs with seats that work for us, with arms.

We think of healthy foods and a healthy breakfast, but we also imagine an ice cream parlour. Our school would have good kitchen facilities, dinner tables designed for wheelchairs, and our own kitchen area. And our own quiet area for lunch, with big windows and lots of light.

“big fancy dining room – like McDonald’s”

We imagine big classrooms, a calm room to have quiet time, and lots of places to play – a snooker room, a model railway, and a huge, comfy, carpeted play area. A computer room like an Internet café, a big library, and a TV room. And a health suite with physio for all, with a massage therapy room and a beauty salon.

“and… a jacuzzi for the Headteacher” We imagine going to a gym which has lots of fitness equipment, wet play facilities, and a climbing wall – somewhere we could use our muscles, and play games like air hockey and table tennis. Our own personal space for football, with a pitch that goes into the gym. And a theatre with a stage, and dance studio, and a music room with lots of instruments. We would also have an ice rink and a cinema – and a big swimming pool.

“I like it underwater… it is quiet”

GREAT TIMES TOGETHER OUTSIDE OUR GREAT SCHOOL…

GREAT PLACES WHERE WE LIKE TO SHARE AND BE TOGETHER…

When we imagine being outside together at our great school we think of:

We like places where we can be with our friends – at school, playing outside or on outings to places like Strathclyde Park, Arran, and Rothesay. We like going out to places for dinner, and shopping, and our Grans.

And we like home because our family is there and our room with all our stuff.

A big area right beside the school entrance with areas for buses, cars, taxis – and for benches to sit on. A helicopter pad.

• a playground The perfect playground with smooth surfaces for easy access. With shelter from the rain and heaters outside for when it’s cold. Separate playgrounds for big ones and wee ones, with giant snakes and ladders.

• a park A big grass park with picnic areas, and a swingpark, trampolines and sandpit.

A bouncy castle and a maze. A football field with floodlights, and a mini golf range, tennis courts, and BMX and Quad bike trails – a stadium.

• a garden We imagine a wild life garden and a zoo, with pets, horse stables, and a pond with fish. A giant garden with a greenhouse and vegetables and flowers, and a sheltered area in the garden with decking where we can sit.

61 Design brief

GREAT DAYS TOGETHER IN OUR GREAT SCHOOL…

JM Architects/LWD Design’s response ENTERPRISE

62 JM Architects/LWD Design’s response

Our design idea was based on creating a new, more informal re–arrangement of existing spaces in an uninhibited, less conventionally structured format in one big room. The idea alludes to traditional African villages where big, small, open and closed buildings are assembled within a boundary.

Within this idea we then developed ‘special rooms’ which related to the pupils’ aspiration for a more sophisticated spatial experience within their imagined school. Our detailed proposal was a ‘Space Room’ and a ‘Glass Room’ – two small enclosures which form rooms within the bigger ‘village’ space. The Space Room is dark and enclosed while the Glass Room is translucent and light. The spaces are separated by a garden. Within the Space Room is a mini theatre with full screen wall onto which projection of ‘space’ of all kinds can be shown: deep water space, long roads, desert, skies etc. The space becomes a learning box and an experience box, a quiet or noisy box offering unique relief from the conventional space of a school. The Glass Room is a new take on a corridor. It is enhanced by a multi–coloured light wall, a textural floor and a transparent lid. The opposite wall has a library of sorts – recesses, shelves, ledges and boxes which can host a range of objects such as cds, books, computers and even seats, so that passing through the glass room is a stimulating experience for any user.

63 JM Architects/LWD Design’s response

Orkney Islands

In the Orkney Islands the project was to develop a design exemplar that explored the theme of learning communities and focused on networking between schools, staff and pupils, as well as between schools and their local communities.

Highest point

Design brief ORKNEY ISLANDS: OUTWARD LOOKING

WHEN WE THINK OF OUTWARD LOOKING DAYS…

HOW TO BE OUTWARD LOOKING IN ORKNEY…

AN OUTWARD LOOKING SENSE OF PLACE…

We think of having fun, relaxing and being happy. We think of being creative and working together with materials, indoors and outdoors, to make and present exciting, interesting things. We remember images of buildings. Sometimes we feel confused, but we also feel valued as individuals.

We’d like to go to different places in different ways – boats, ferries, environmentally friendly helicopters, jets, bendy buses – and to learn, eat and drink, watch movies at the same time.

We’d like school to be more spontaneous, with no timetable or a more flexible curriculum.

We want to visit our Stone Age villages and our standing stones and all of our famous historical places outdoors. And we want to enjoy personal places created by local individuals, like George’s underground house or Jim’s conservatory – and places with personal meaning like Grandad’s farm.

We want to use all of our town and community in a spontaneous way, with lots of diversity and choices to use all of our dispersed and centralised facilities. And we also want to enjoy the time we spend in between places and travelling to new places.

We get a buzz from simple, thought provoking ideas – different, weird, strange, curious and a bit scary.

“they must be joking” We think of glass domes and botanical gardens – buildings with a calming atmosphere. And we think of great places that we might visit – Shetland, Chamber Street Museum, Eden Centre, Pompidou Centre, Egyptian Pyramids, Panama Canal, the North end of New Zealand’s South Island…

“on a plane or on a spaceship”

Then we’d love access to water – leisure pools, jacuzzis, the sea. And being outside to play in the shelter of trees on trampolines or swings, or go horse riding. And after our free breakfast, have lunch outside as well – as much food as you can eat from as many different countries.

In our welcoming, secure, happy school we would have a mini tv that folds out into a really big tv, a big glasshouse, a bowling alley, an Odeon multiplex – and a Tesco, please. There would be a well ordered, happy buzz inside. Our new stimulating, friendly building would also have centres for sports, climbing, technology, science – and stables.

“…safety and freedom”

We really like some of our buildings like old Stromness Academy or the New Pier Arts Centre. And our community has great streets, harbours and museums we can enjoy. We also have cultural festivals for folk, blues, beer, science – as well as sports events for football, rugby, swimming …and unexpected activities like

“…octopush underwater hockey” We also have a lot of nature, and our countryside, and our agriculture. And we have amazing natural features like the Hoy Hills, Rackwick Bay – or Brinkies Brae, on the hill above Stromness, that has fantastic views of most of the mainland and the South Isles.

Our personal experiences vary away from the Islands, but we want to experience all of our local towns and communities, as well as experience new things and know what it’s like to be

“…on the edge of a cliff”

We like going to our school and classroom – the whole of Orkney. And we want to feel like we have won the lottery every day, and can write a story about anything we want.

“…the whole island is the school”

65 Design brief

WHEN WE THINK OF OUTWARD LOOKING…

Gareth Hoskins Architects’ response Learning Communities

66 Gareth Hoskins Architects’ response

In interpreting the brief we designed a range of learning environments to attract the school and community into the natural landscape. Four distinctive, natural sites have been enhanced for learning aiming to arouse curiosity and engender the joy of discovery. We wanted to slightly distort the commonplace activities or experiences usually associated with each site in order to create a stimulating environment highly conducive to a variety of approaches to learning. The spaces were selected as representative of Orkney’s sense of place – a selection that could be repeated in any local community.

Our aim was twofold: firstly, to make useful places for learning in environments outwith the school; and secondly to encourage the child, visitor, or teacher to question, a perhaps very familiar, environment from a new and unusual perspective. We hoped to stimulate the power of imaginative thought and action by juxtaposing the commonplace with the strange.

Our approach was to explore and distort one particularly characteristic quality of each site which would allow for ambiguity and the play of imagination – indispensable ingredients for learning. The sites we have chosen are a beach, a hill, a field, a forest and a cliff.

The Beach becomes a kind of gallery, the Hill incorporates a kind of amphitheatre, the Field is cut to give access to a new dimension, the Forest is cleared to provide a ‘camp’.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM The activity of beachcombing and the value of the items collected is considered, and a kind of gallery is established on the beach. A wind–breaking and shelter– giving wall acts like a ‘net’, catching and displaying the flotsam and jetsam from waves of schoolchildren, dog–walkers and tourists. Objects of interest are placed, removed, and replaced; the things on the ground are raised to the wall and the beach becomes a constantly changing museum of the weird and wonderful.

FLATNESS AND SURFACE A stroll across a field is disrupted by a cutting and a flight of stairs. The field’s flat, expansive surface is questioned, and the cutting exposes its section – a kind of depth, slope, steps, wall and enclosure emerge from this distortion… not to mention worms, crop roots and soil strata. A class can be conducted informally, or the surface of the earth studied from literally a new perspective, on this flight of stairs at the conclusion of a walk through the very earth.

HIGHEST POINT The walk up one particular hill is rewarded, not just with the same awe–inspiring view as from the other hills around, but with a descent into a hole for a sit–down and a chat out of the wind, a discussion, a debate, or even a dramatic performance involving the whole class. A kind of amphitheatre is made – like the opposite of a cairn – with seats heated by solar collector. A class can hide out of the wind, eat their lunch and heat up, and the spatial configuration of the amphitheatre encourages a kind of whole class interaction which is impossible in the small groups which inevitably form on a walk up a hill.

67 Gareth Hoskins Architects’ response

RANDOMNESS OF NATURE A triangular clearing in the randomness of the woodland is defined by a trio of giant brick cylinders which provide a stove, a wood chip store, and a locker respectively. They provide the means for a group of hungry explorers to cook their lunch, or the setting for a teddy bears’ picnic. The setting is made for playing out these rich and important social rituals, and the cylinders gently suggest unexpected connections with dead or fecund trees, urban buildings, industrial chimneys and far away houses.

West Lothian

Design brief WEST LOTHIAN: SCIENCE

In West Lothian the project involved developing a design exemplar for recently built secondary schools that would enhance science education in the context of Curriculum for Excellence.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT SCIENCE…

Science tells us that school is not an artificial place that doesn’t relate to the world. It has a purpose. Science explains life and the world around us. It tells us how things work, and how things don’t work. Everything is science based.

“things you learn in class are actually related to things in everyday life” We like the freedom and creativity of science. Science classrooms can be colourful with posters, plants and smart technology. And we get to do a variety of tasks. We can go outside, we can work in groups, and we can talk about science.

My brief conveyed a strong and concurrent message that science education, in their experience, lacked a connection, not only into the realm of their daily lives but also back into the external setting of the school and beyond into local and global environments

Science is interesting and different. Even maths in science means more than just numbers – it lets you learn new things, like the speed of something. We like experiments – mixing chemicals, explosions. When we get them right it helps us understand practical stuff. We like it that science is unpredictable and dangerous.

“ things are all connected, and working it out has a certain wow factor”

WHAT WE DON’T LIKE ABOUT SCIENCE… Textbooks are boring. So is too much copying or dictation. Science is boring when it is about outdated concepts or learning the obvious. We don’t like it when we’re stuck in our seats all day and there are no practical things to do, or outdoor work, or with animals – or when maths makes science hard. It is frustrating when there is no end product.

We don’t like small, cluttered, dark, boring, smelly and inflexible classrooms.

We hate lab stools, fixed work benches, and fixed seating plans.

Science can be complicated and repetitive when theories and applications aren’t explained, and we have no knowledge of the history of science. There’s not enough independent work, no individual pace, or enough time to talk or think.

“…can’t express yourself”

When we imagine a great day for science we want: • connection We want to do things that relate to stuff we know and connects to other subjects. We want to be connected to the work in the classroom. Walking towards the classroom we want to get in the mood for science and see thought provoking pictures about amazing things – to feel that perhaps science is not so difficult, that it doesn’t take itself so seriously. We want to feel that our own point of view and our own reaction counts – that we can go in deep on a subject when we become interested in that topic. And we want to connect with teachers who are learning too, who also feel interested and excited.

• communication We want to enjoy working with other people in big and small social groups on a mixture of activities – and have choices in learning and who we work with. We want to e–mail other people, link up with other schools about projects, and communicate with…

“the big, wide world”

• challenges We’d love the personal freedom and control to build something new and experience incredible, challenging things. It would be amazing to build our own products in The Apple Store, go on Safari, swim with dolphins, experience the Eden Project, or got to Nasa and launch rockets – or even “go to Nevada and blow up a caravan”.

We want every day to be a performance with surprise, variety, and fun. We want the everyday to be memorable and to…

“…think outside the box”

A GREAT SPACE FOR SCIENCE

A SENSE OF PLACE FOR SCIENCE

We need to do these things in great spaces that let us be:

We want to experience science in places that are awesome.

• unconventional We want to work in unconventional ways. We need spaces that can change with the times, with the flexibility to move things and use them in new ways – tables, cupboards, display walls, even mezzanines. We want to really experience science in the classroom, whether it’s by virtual reality, or planetarium projections, 3D glasses, or using laptop computers.

• Science reminds us of natural places, from the Great Barrier Reef to Niagara Falls, and of great constructions from the Empire State Building to the Space Station. We see science in the places around us, from Deep Sea World to The London Eye. We like places that can be quiet and relaxing for the individual and yet big and wonderful – places like Central Park, Caribbean beaches, the Rainforest.

“seeing the chicken – from egg to roast” • hands–on We want to be hands–on, with exciting, unusual experiments involving animals, plants, different materials, and “big explosions”. We want to have our own “Eureka” moments and touch everything. We want to be outside in the natural environment.

• comfortable We need a healthy space to reflect in comfort – a creative, confident, bright, and colourful space where we can control the temperature and ventilation. It should be an uncluttered roomy place, laid out so that people can talk and relate to each other – with space for beanbags for talking about science, as well as all the ‘hidden spaces’ for preparation and storage.

• We like places that are safe – that remind us of being calm in our own room and of being funny with our friends. Places that mean something to us personally, pupils and teachers – whether it’s Prestaton Coast or at the wheel of a Mini. And we like places where we can have fun and excitement together – from Hampden Park to Disneyworld.

We want to be inspired by science’s unique brand: a fireworks display to music, a cliff edge, a quiet island, a mountain top, a reach for the stars. And we want people to listen to what we say about science…

“science spaces, not laboratories” “don’t be afraid to go for it”

69 Design brief

A GREAT DAY FOR SCIENCE

Lisa Mackenzie’s response ENHANCING SCIENCE EDUCATION

70 Liza Mackenzie’s response

The goal of this challenging project has been to create the inspirational and unconventional spaces desired by the participants of West Lothian. I felt it was important to respond to their request to work both inside and outside and utilise exciting technological advancements in both environments.

My aim was to fuse nature, science and a diversity of learning styles in order to create a space to truly inspire young minds to explore ideas and extend their own learning.

In essence, to create a space where they would want to be. Eroding the boundaries between inside and outside spaces, my design anticipates a reconnection with learning about science that stretches beyond the walls of a classroom and out into our fascinating, global environment.

Although I utilised advanced technological developments (specifically multi point touch surfaces) I was determined that the classroom should not be dominated by constant virtual and visual stimulus. The participants had been clear in their brief that they also needed space and time to contemplate their learning experiences. Therefore the technology can power down and more tactile experiences of nature and materials, both indoors and out, can come to the fore.

Breaking outside the walls of the classroom and connecting to the external world at local and global scales

The design encompasses a moveable and highly flexible lab structure, capable of ‘docking’ into both floor and ceiling energy points. There can be flexible configurations of desks and of the space which should enable both teachers and pupils to facilitate a learning community.

The cross pollination of ideas and experiences makes learning stronger

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Science classroom 1. Interactive and flexible desk environment 2. Wall storage to prevent unnecessary clutter 3. Touch screens and projection 4. Responsive and permeable walls to let the outside in 5. Outdoor learning classroom

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CREDITS

72 Credits and further information

The Schools Estate Team at the Scottish Government commissioned The Lighthouse, Scotland’s National Centre for Architecture, Design and the City to create this publication based on the learning from the Senses of Place: Building Excellence programme.

This programme has been funded by The Scottish Government and supported by The Building Excellence Review Team.

Written by Anne Cunningham, Kate Kenyon and Melanie Sims Briefs written by Sam Cassels

Local Authorities Argyll & Bute North Lanarkshire Orkney Islands Stirling West Lothian

Architects 3DReid DEGW Gareth Hoskins Architects JM Architects LWD Design Lisa Mackenzie

FURTHER INFORMATION

Facillitators

The Lighthouse

Building Connections

Anne Cunningham Brian Hartley Jean Kerr Kate Kenyon Sam Cassels Suilven Plazalska

Scotland’s National Centre for Architecture, Design and the City www.thelighthouse.co.uk

Developed by The Lighthouse, this is a resource for schools of educational materials, ideas and case studies that can enrich learning and teaching across the entire curriculum www.buildingconnections.co.uk

Design by O Street www.ostreet.co.uk

Scottish Government School Estate Website Contains strategy, design guidance, and case studies of school building projects from across Scotland www.scotland.gov.uk/schoolestate

The Lighthouse would like to thank

Architecture & Design Scotland

Lesley Riddell Robertson, Anne Milovic, Lucy McEachan, Jarprocess, Bill Scott Watson, Alan Russell

Scotland’s national champion for good architecture, design and planning in the built environment www.ads.org.uk

Copyright Page 64 photograph, Bob Shand Page 67 photograph, Ben Shepherd

Curriculum for Excellence The latest information about the curriculum review process www.curriculumforexcellencescotland.gov.uk

Great Schools by Design An initiative from the American Architecture Foundation that seeks to improve the quality of America’s schools and the communities they serve by promoting collaboration, excellence and innovation in school design www.archfoundation.org/aaf/gsbd

Design Share A US site that provides a range of ideas and resources from around the world about best practices and innovation in schools from early childhood through to university level www.designshare.com

Grounds for Learning Learning & Teaching Scotland The lead organisation for curriculum development in Scotland, providing advice and guidance to teachers, early years practitioners, schools and education authorities to help improve achievement for all www.ltscotland.org.uk

Helps Scottish schools and early years settings make the most of their outdoor spaces for play and learning www.gflscotland.org.uk

Save the Children DIY guide to improving your community, getting children and young people involved www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_90.htm ISBN Number: 978–1–905061–14–3

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