Design Frameworks for Schools: Facilitating the Involvement of School Users in the Design Process

The school environment affects pupils’ and teachers’ health, work and emotions. The good design of school buildings makes these places pleasanter and more functional; and increases the quality of the considerable amount of time users spend there. A fundamental challenge of school design is to identify and accommodate the diverse needs of different users. This book explores ways in which school users can participate and their views about school environments can be gathered. It also identifies, clarifies and compares aspects of school design that concern teachers and pupils. This book suggests a ‘generative tool’ for school design to guide the design and decision-making processes of architects and designers. Finally, it suggests an emerged ‘evaluative tool for designers’: able to assess the quality of an existing school or a new one at various stages of design in order to discover the extent to which the school is fulfilling users’ expectations. This book is an essential reading for architects, designers, educators, policy-makers, and those involved in childhood studies.