Five trends to watch in education design
At Holmes Miller we always like to be ahead of the game and, as we prepare for Learning Places Scotland this week, we caught up with our education team to discuss the industry’s latest trends in building design in this space.
Here are our five top architectural trends that every school or local area authority should consider when improving their built environment.
1. Net Zero – putting ‘place’ at the heart of projects
One of the biggest changes we have seen implemented across the board is the need for action to meet Net Zero targets.
The Scottish Government and The Scottish Futures Trust set out the Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard earlier this year to reaffirm its commitment to all buildings achieving Net Zero emissions by 2045. With each Holmes Miller project, we actively encourage our clients to not only meet these guidelines, but to go above and beyond them.
‘Place’ is at the centre of our design process as it encourages thinking to go beyond the building, with designs taking into account the whole community. Often, educational spaces can be found at the heart of a neighbourhood acting as a hub for both residents and students. Therefore, the standard asks that existing infrastructure is reviewed in line with public need and how current assets can be transformed in line with Net Zero ambitions. The considerations we implement for education projects are outlined below:
Determine need within the community – often community ‘hubs’ house more than educations spaces. They can include facilities such as leisure, healthcare and libraries. We assess the wider needs of the public for communal areas, bringing benefits such as tackling high levels of deprivation, more efficient use of public resources, encourage more engagement with families and helping the communities served thrive. This approach often enhances students’ learning experience with access to resources they may not have had before.
Assess suitability of existing community assets – we will look at what’s already available in the community and determine whether facilities could be enhanced within our designs.
Repurpose existing buildings wherever possible – we will review the suitability of the buildings already in place and will suggest retrofitting opportunities where possible.
By repurposing buildings, we can keep assets in the community that are familiar to users. This is the best approach when we consider embodied carbon as we look to reduce the carbon footprint associated with a building before it is operational.
Support the creation of a vibrant circular economy – if suitable, we aim to re-use as much as possible to promote the continual use of resources and eliminate as much waste as we can during projects.
Depending on the site – as a last resort, we consider the need for a new building.
This approach also backs the ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’ programme supported by the Scottish Government. These areas are designed so that residents have everything they need daily within a 20-minute walk from their home. This supports the important role urbanisation has in decarbonisation, by providing spaces for communities which amenities are in one area and can be walked to, in return reducing the carbon footprint.
2. Our approach
As an industry, there can be a tendency to rinse and repeat when something works well, with similar approaches being taken again and again. We believe that no design solution fits all and our approach is to get ingrained in the granular detail, ensuring that we deliver a design that is bespoke to that project.
We have already used this approach in many of our designs and, most recently, for a series of Early Years Centres we designed for East Dunbartonshire Council. We observed the needs of the children and ensured that we maximised their learning space with a semi-indoor/ semi-outdoor courtyard. The result is a centre which is based on the children’s experience, by rationalising the true requirement for indoor space the centres can be designed with extended play areas for the children, places that focus on active movement and health and wellbeing.
3. Lessons to be learned
Regrouping after a project and keeping in touch post-occupancy helps us understand how the design is working and if any new learning can come from the space as it’s used. Completing a POE (post occupancy evaluation) is an important step after a project as it helps understand and assess the effectiveness of the building as it evolves with its occupants after conclusion. Getting feedback from the people who use the space is invaluable as gives insight into user-satisfaction.
4. Sustainability
When we talk about sustainability it should be for all aspects of a project – from energy usage to retrofit and assessment. Within our Net Zero objectives we aim to implement designs that see carbon efficient solutions incorporated. If this isn’t possible, we will work with the client to identify creative offset opportunities. Retrofitting is also a major player in our journey to a more sustainable future. If we look at how our existing public and education buildings can be improved for carbon efficiency we can begin to take the action needed in some of our key public spaces to meet Net Zero demands.
5. The learning environment
From remote learning to smart classrooms, we’ve seen the learning environment evolve over the last 10 years and, as a result, there is a clear need for more flexible learning spaces. Adopting the best practice endorsed by the Scottish Futures Trust we seek to create education settings to accommodate all types of learners.
Our Renton Campus project embraces this trend. With the designs including a primary school, language and communication base, and early learning and childcare centre – the importance of learning environments and their suitability for all learners played a key role in the designs. The facility takes on the role of ‘Learning Ladder’ with stages of learning configured vertically to reflect the stages of maturation of children and young people and the changing ways in which they engage with learning as they develop.
These are just some of the key themes we have seen emerge across the sector recently. By embracing these trends and pushing boundaries, we can create learning places that spark ideas, promote ambition and nurture individuals. With a focus on the future, this doesn’t have to come at a cost to the environment and we can create industry-leading spaces that embody lasting sustainability, for both people and planet. This is just one way we’re looking for ways to push standards further and try to go above and beyond – get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
