10. Successful whole
Making a design that works in the round
Criteria for good school design
Appropriateness
Does this design as a whole offer a thoughtful, coherent and convincing response to the key issues of the site and brief?
Does the whole design add up to more than a sum of its parts?
Delight
Will it be a pleasure to work, eat, learn, play, teach and socialise in this school?
Timelessness
Is this school set to become a cherished part of its locality?
Fulfilling user intentions
Does the architectural approach successfully meet the aspirations of the client and community?
Will the school’s design help to deliver educational transformation?
Questions to help you meet the criteria
A successful scheme will work in the round. It will feature a coherent design for an excellent and enjoyable school that will stand the test of time. It will also meet the client’s priorities.
Our questions to ask about a successful whole can help you meet the assessment criteria.
A good example
The panel commended the scheme for its robust and rational architecture with inherent flexibility and adaptability. The scheme can include both open plan and subdivided spaces to accommodate a number of group sizes and learning styles.
It has the potential to adapt easily should the school’s educational approach change in the future.
Another good example
The scheme is a refurbishment and extension of an existing building which radically changes the school through the new circulation street which connects the general and specialist learning spaces to the social areas.
The scheme also adds extra classrooms to the existing blocks creating clusters with central open plan spaces. This was commended as an approach which offers flexibility of organisation.