Schools of the future: Andrew Bunting answers some key questions

Dr Andrew Bunting Architectus Melbourne, Australia

‘Are primary and secondary schools as we know them obsolete?’
‘In a planning sense, particularly, they are obsolete.  They are based on an industrial, production-line concept of educational delivery. Progressive educators don’t see this process as relevant or worthwhile any more. Most schools are very divorced from the rest of the community. There is a real need for greater integration with other community facilities to strengthen ties between education and the community for lifelong and life-wide learning.’

‘Who is doing it especially well?’
‘Country towns often do pretty well in this regard. The more remote the community, the more importance they attach to the school as a vital community facility. The school building is often the only community facility they have, so they respect and care for their schools.’

‘So how can schools be made less exclusive and more connected?’
‘It requires a paradigm shift in the way we think of schooling. In my suburb, the local primary school is buried in the residential precinct but the heart of the local community is located in the main retail precinct. It would be great to have a school above the shops and to be a part of the ‘centre of the community’ rather than isolated and so often deserted as soon as the bell rings. Schools are very under-utilised public assets. Some are close to other public facilities and do benefit from this proximity. Swinburne University, for example, in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, makes excellent use of the Glenferrie Road shopping strip. The students bring a vibrancy to this place. There are a couple of schools in Christchurch, New Zealand that are also similar in concept – right in the centre of town.’

‘This is much less about the design of schools than planning. You’re really talking about stitching them right into the community fabric?’
‘Yes, and this requires a re-think on behalf of educators, town planners, developers and the community. Other institutions such as banks, defence services and hospitals have re-thought the spaces and places they need for their operation in the 21st century. We need education centres which are vibrant places and used not just by full-time adolescent students, but also by adults during the day and night.’

‘It’s an interesting concept; wanting to recreate village learning, instead of having isolated institutions.  How is Architectus progressing those concepts?’
‘Well, I speak about these ideas quite often to educational groups and they always seem to elicit nods of agreement. State systems are beginning to realise that, with the benefit of information and communication technology, there are some exciting opportunities to re-think a far more authentic learning for the 21st century. It’s quite obvious with some of the schools Architectus has designed that thoughtful, yet inexpensive, planning of precincts and courtyards, for example, can create areas where students relax, socialise and feel more optimistic.’

‘You describe the physical needs of students. What about their psychological, emotional, spiritual needs?’
‘Ideally, schools should be places where kids feel cared about. A strong and positive relationship between students and their teachers is vital for student learning. The architecture of educational precincts should encourage a sense of the ‘community of learners’. Students should feel comfortable gathering informally in these places. It’s often the informal exchanges with teachers and others that can be really valuable for student learning.’ 

‘Schools should be places where students want to go.  How many schools feel like this? I see better designed schools – especially secondary and tertiary – as very connected to place and being open all hours to other members of the community and encouraging that flow-through of people, rather than being a learning outpost.’

‘Schools don’t have to be bleak places. ‘Wall to wall’ asphalt environments where students queue in dreary tuck shops and then sit outside on benches don’t send a message that they are important.’

‘So you believe that, even in this cyber-space age of learning and communication, that physical environments remain paramount?’
‘Definitely. Most schools fall very short of that dynamic atmosphere. Compare schools to suburban shopping malls, for example. These places are usually boring on the outside (and I’m not suggesting this for schools!), but inside they can be seductive. They feature colour, warmth, movement, music and flowing water, and so on. Management obviously doesn’t want shoppers to leave in a hurry! I think the planning and design of schools needs to tap into these principles to generate places that students find irresistible.’

‘Is globalised education bringing about a kind of IKEA one-size-fits-all?’
‘No, indeed, the opposite. There is much more emphasis now on ‘student-centred learning’ – taking more care and notice of individual students and their needs rather than trying to provide a universal formula.  This is equity rather than equality. Architects have a crucial role to ensure that we avoid the worst aspects of standardisation in building design.’