Authors: Murray Hudson & Terry White
ABOUT THE BOOK
Research over recent years has demonstrated that the spaces and places where young people learn have a significant impact on a wide range of learning outcomes, as well as on the health and well-being of all those who live and learn in our schools. An effective learning environment is the physical representation of the ethos, values, and culture of a school, and of the intentional relationship between pedagogy, space, and a relevant twenty-first-century curriculum experience for all students.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reinforced this view through many reports, stating that “today’s schools must equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in an uncertain and constantly changing tomorrow”. They observe that many schools look the same today as they did generations ago, and that they are not developing the pedagogies and practices required to meet the diverse needs of twenty-first-century learners.
Working together on extensive educational design projects for schools, the authors recognised that, in the majority of school facility designs, they were no closer to closing the gap between those who use and inhabit learning environments and those who commission and design them.
Central to resolving this continuing challenge it is critical to understand that you cannot successfully design educational spaces unless you fully understand the learning and teaching practices they need to support.
In this publication, Murray Hudson and Terry White have brought together leading educationalists and innovative school architects to pool and share their experience and expertise in the design of effective contemporary learning spaces. The publication demonstrates, at an international level, the success of a process of early engagement in educational design and delivery that empowers all stakeholders to define the intended approach to learning and teaching in the physical design of schools.
The book tackles vital elements such as lighting, heating, acoustics, and technology. The key role of furniture, fixtures, and fittings in future-proofing and zoning generic and specialist school spaces is fully explored and illustrated.
The publication draws on examples across all phases of education and across continents. There is a strong emphasis on research and post-occupancy evaluation. Contributions come from leading minds in education, architecture, and design who are successfully innovating and developing more integrated approaches to the planning and delivery of spaces and places for contemporary learning.
As a result of the success of this publication, Gratnells has developed Planning Learning Spaces in Practice as a design framework for working directly with schools.
‘A welcome and timely addition to the subject of school design at a time of great change’
Professor Alan Jones
President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, 2019-21
‘Comprehensive but also very practical approach’
Andreas Schleicher
Director of the Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD
