In Victoria we have examples of school buildings constructed over a period in excess of 100 years. These buildings tell a story of attitudes to education at the time they were designed. What is that story and where might that story be leading?
Solid Brick and Permanent
In the late 1800s and during the first half of the 1900s, schools in Victoria were purpose built and constructed of solid brick. These schools were built to last. There was no flexibility in their design and the learning environment was teacher centred.
These schools were regarded as permanent built symbols of the community along with banks, churches, railway stations, hospitals, post offices, hotels, police stations and law courts. As such they were particularly important in country towns. Such construction of school buildings reflected the Government’s proud promotion of the infant public education system.
But where are all these built symbols of the community now? Many of them have been closed, demolished or recycled for alternative uses. Those remaining are often struggling to operate as originally intended. Their malaise has been brought about by a combination of structural economic change, the impact of technology and changes in patterns of living and community. This has had a dramatic impact in country areas.
Some of the schools of this period have disappeared, but many live on and are in current use.
Light Construction and Temporary
In more recent times, to accommodate the post-war baby boom and the fact that many students were staying on at school for longer periods, the Victorian Government could not afford the time or cost of continuing with solid brick school construction. This problem was so acute and overwhelming that temporary portable buildings had to be imported from England whilst a home based solution was devised.
The answer was the LTC or “light timber construction” model. The then Public Works Office designed the standard from which many schools were subsequently built across the State from the 1950s to the 1970s. What did these buildings say? Once again these schools were of uniform design but their rapid construction indicated that the Government was catering for mass education of the student population. There was no community consultation relating to school design. The architecture was “industrial” and catered for a centralised and standardised education system. These buildings did not exude permanency or community.
Innovation and Economy
During the last ten years or so the Victorian Government has encouraged creative architectural design for schools. Initially through the Public Works Office and latterly through the appointment of private architectural practices, This programme has delivered innovation to the design of schools whilst adhering to economic construction and pre-determined space schedules.
An important feature is that many school designs are now unique. The process also allows for the involvement of the school community in design and once again, and to this extent, schools are seen to be community facilities embodying the local culture. This sense of the school as a community facility is heightened where there is an adoption of life long learning within the community which makes use of the school facilities. Flexibility and Adaptability – essential for the variety of current learning methodologies - are concepts widely adopted in current designs.
Buildings for the Future
There are currently major changes at hand which will effect the future design of schools However it will take some time for these to be extensively reflected in the built environment.
Technology is the most obvious change. We are currently in the “eye of the storm” of the information revolution and this is effecting our lives in incredible ways. Changes in education are evident. The use of computers in schools - the use of computers at home. The links between the two and the links world-wide are causing basic questions to be asked such as “where does learning happen?” Does it all have to happen at school and if not, what is the purpose of school? What is learning?
Redefining community is another change. There is much anguish at the breakdown of many existing community structures and the seeming void of replacement models. In many sprawling Australian suburbs there is no community focus. Many of the icon buildings spoken of earlier have gone or are not constructed in the newer areas and, if there is a heart, it is more often a “retail heart.” In a planning sense the siting of schools does not always take into account the concepts of community focus or “heart.” Often schools are located away from other community facilities and separated by fences. In the redefining of new community, where will new school (or learning centre) be located and what will it be designed to do? How will it integrate with the rest of the community facilities?
The recognition of alternative means of learning has an impact on learning spaces. No longer is learning “teacher focussed” but rather incorporates the offerings of interactive electronic technology and team and project based activities. In addition, more and more learning is outside of school rather than confined to the four walls of the classroom. Indeed, some would say that more learning takes place in the community than in the school! The possibilities within the curriculum have increased and it is now recognised that more and more choice is required to construct a learning programme. Consequently, the changing learning approaches, changing pedagogy and changing curriculum have all had an influence on the learning spaces.
In addition to the above trends, there is a growing appreciation that the physical environment has an impact upon the students’ and teachers’ attitudes to the place called school. So, the buildings as well as being spatially functional must be inspirational. They must uplift and they must give the students an appreciation of the beauty of design. Quite simply, school should be a stimulating place to be. The environment should communicate to the school population that the community cares and wants to give them the best environment for their stage of progress.
The Importance of Buildings
It is evident that there is a changing emphasis on the importance of the design of buildings in community. It is not just schools that are effected by this trend - but all institutional buildings. Some would argue that it is preferable to spend resources on computer technology rather than on buildings. Others would say that buildings such as schools are no longer relevant! But the question which always returns is the one which relates to the socialisation of humankind. We are not designed to operate alone - even as cy-bodies although some do it this way. For most of us, a fulfilling existence is predicated upon our interaction with other human beings. Although much of this may come naturally, we still have to learn lessons to perfect our relationships and in the formative years this is done at home, in the community and in schools. To this extent, school buildings are still relevant. The fact that our school buildings may not be constructed to last as long as their forebears is perhaps not as important.
