The fabric of design

To consider the landscape of the design of schools in the UK’s built environment, you need to consider the socio-economic, political, architectural and spacial discourses that already exist governing the progress, and, in some cases, hindrances to its development.        
   
First and foremost, the legislation set up by the former labour government – the Building for Schools Programme – was criticised as somewhat of a utopian concept by the former Education Secretary Michael Gove in 2011, scrapped and replaced with the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) in a bid to address only the needs of the schools in urgent need of repair. 261 schools out of the 587 that applied were announced as eligible to have their conditions met by the Education Funding Agency (EFA).
   
However, with the bill already in full swing, what does this mean for the fabric of interior design in schools, its occupants and their wellbeing? Is evolution only possible with the implementation of new schools or can this be achieved with a retrofit? In a brief overview, our contributors discuss the key factors.

Discussing new builds and refurbs
In a conversation with Barry Hicks, Principal of Itchen Sixth Form College, Southampton, Sarah Bax of Solent University considers the discourse as the Itchen Sixth Form College successfully won a grant from the EFA building condition improvement fund to build onto the existing façade, a new three-storey extension.
   
The new build, featuring a state-of-the-art performance and media suite replaces an outdated temporary classroom. Principal Barry Hicks points out that the most pressing issue in the debate is dependent on the size of the site. He notes that “[…] with a large acreage there is less of a problem with planning the design, a new building can be set away from the existing site and is less disruptive. It is also much cheaper to build new than to try to integrate into an existing building, which can create all sorts of problems with connection and flow.”
   
However in reality, space is not always available. Melanie Laing, director of Innova Design Solutions, notes that new builds can allow schools to future proof themselves, ensuring the building can accommodate the latest trends in teaching as well as technology, but only if they’re planned correctly.
   
Refurbishments can be more restrictive as the school usually has to work with strict space parameters. As the student numbers increase, current classrooms may struggle to provide suitable circulatory space, which will have a dramatic impact on performance and results unless extra room can be found.
   
Within the interior of the building itself, Laing argues that the blank canvas of new builds are a great opportunity to create more engaging surroundings, but the same effect can be achieved in a refurbishment with careful space planning and clever design. This clever design is particularly essential as Sarah Bax notes that a new build potentially cause problems with integration of students as buildings can create sub cultures and separate staff and students within the institution, creating a lack of identity for both students and staff.
   
Laing states that a layout which focuses student attention and interest can have a huge impact on productivity: “Innova has worked on many refurbishments, and factors such as re-thinking desk configurations, teacher positioning and the provision of storage can all have a positive effect on pupil behaviour. Our work designing and installing furniture and interiors in newly built science and arts buildings at a Lancashire high school has produced remarkable results. Since completion, the school has reported a 30 per cent increase in pupil numbers, record results for the whole school and its best ever Science and Art results – a clear indication that a well-designed environment inspires those who use it.”

Working around constraints
Refurbishing a building will have its existing constraints especially when building for purpose, says Bax. Each subject has its different requirements; lighting in an art departments is hugely important, while creative subjects such as drama is best put apart from other departments such as Maths and English, due to the nature of the courses activities, storing equipment and outside activities which may not combine well with subjects which need quieter, more stable interiors.
   
In the case of the Itchen, there has been a major refurbishment programme at the college and in the last year has seen new science laboratories and a new student service centre. Funding obviously has enabled the new refurbishment programme to happen, but as Hicks outlines: “It is no good adding extra classrooms without increased infrastructure.” This means heating, ventilation and car parking all has to be taken into consideration when building onto an existing site, making funding estimations more problematic. Jeff Roberts the director of Finance and Resources at the college points out some areas schools might not consider before embarking on refurbishment, such as fixed planning regulations that have to be satisfied when building a new educational space or attaching on and extending. Highlighting potential problems and unforeseen expenditure, he says: ”The new three-storey extension attached to the original building is in line with the college’s continuing commitment to offering students an unmatched level of learning and hands on training. However, unforeseen problems and making sure contingency plans are in place is vital, the discovery of asbestos was a major extra cost implication which if not taking into account, the EFA will not subsidise after.”

Most 1960s schools were made with asbestos ceilings, walls or sub-structure. The biggest problem is that the asbestos went into the ground around the schools when they were being built and strict building control assessments add extra cost to make sure all soil found with pollutants is taken away from the site.

Heritage buildings
Not forgetting the architectural landscape of the built environment, new builds, although possessing their own aesthetic power, slowly shift away from the historical buildings that contribute to making Britain what it is today. Sarah Bax notes in reference to the Itchen model, Hicks’ explanation of the significance of the 1920s college building which was previously a school: deciding on building new could result in the loss of a distinctive old building which relates to and has an identity within the community and the students themselves. “The building has been loved by the community,” says Hicks, “but from time-to-time has ultimately needed refurbishment and change to keep the building functioning adequately. We are all proud of the way we have kept the original building by extending and refurbishment, with the end result looking and feeling as if the new was always part of the old.”
   
In a perfect world, Melaine Laing notes: “New builds will allow schools to create the right learning environment, from the layout and lighting acoustics, flooring and heating  ensuring the end result is economical, easy to maintain both now and in the future, and will have a high BREEAM rating.” However, the reality of the situation is that budgets are tight. She goes on to say: “Even schools involved with the PSBP struggle to make new build budgets stretch and many end up using ‘legacy furniture’ – filling bright new learning spaces with chairs, tables and storage units unfit for modern learning. Using ‘legacy’ furniture may work in the short term, but outdated equipment makes it difficult to adopt modern, collaborative teaching methods.”

A complex situation
Russell Gagg also corroborates this view stating that the argument is far more complex than a simplistic view of new-build versus refurbishment. Considering the fact that school buildings need to be fit for purpose in order for staff to deliver quality and innovative teaching, he looks at the case of the first school built under the PSBP, which he notes as of December 2014, is still in Special Measures. Considering the suppliers, he states that Wates Construction stepped in with its ‘Adapt’ standardised school approach as a direct response to the James Review and proudly delivered Whitmore Park Primary School in Coventry in April 2014. Wates’ system promised savings of up to 60 per cent on the cost of providing new school spaces, but as margins have become increasingly tight many of the country’s leading contractors are finding it impossible to meet the government’s targets and EFA schemes are failing to attract bids. He goes on to reflect on feedback from school leadership teams, of which 1,100 of them responded to a survey conducted by the Key in Autumn 2014. More than one third confirmed that their school buildings were not fit for purpose and, with two-thirds of schools unable to apply for capital funding, delegated budgets were being used for maintenance and repairs, rather than for improvements to teaching and learning resources.
   
It seems that there is some practical sense to making do with what you’ve got but the real question is, is the government considering all it has got? It seems almost obvious that the point of a refurbishment and essentially the PSBP is to develop the interiors to be useful as well as aesthetically pleasing. But by cutting the industries’ fees which is effectively cutting its influence and expertise on the redesign of schools in order to save money, might we end up in an a similar state that we are already in?

Contributors include Russell Gagg RIBA, Principal lecturer at The Arts University Bournemouth; Barry Hicks Principal of Itchen Sixth Form College; Sarah Bax, Course leader at Southampton Solent University and Melanie Laing, Director of Innova Design Solutions.

Further information
www.sbid.org