Towards a responsive understanding of sustainable school architecture

Abstract

Current international strategies admit the vital importance of education as the development engine for our knowledge-based society, where sustainability is the all-encompassing vision. In this context, a school building project should not begin with a design solution. This study aims to investigate the ways in which architects can better understand sustainable strategies and also how can they translate the real users’ needs into architectural design solutions. Sustainability may be implemented both inside the school’s curricula – knowledge, skills, critical thinking, attitudes, way of life – as well as into the design approach, construction, operations and maintenance of the school building. Not only the school building in itself should be a tridimensional textbook which offers sustainability lessons, subtly, attractively and interactively, but architects can become teachers of sustainability. Education for Sustainable Development has become a long-term strategic objective across the world. The strategy adopted by The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in 2005 aims for integrating sustainability as a central nucleus within the educational curricula by 2040. This research applies a double filter in analysing the architecture of educational facilities: “What qualifies as sustainable?” and “What could educate?”. In other words, the study answers an original filter of analysis, “What is it in the sustainable architecture of a school that has the power to educate its users?” and defines major interconnected elements of a sustainable school building: Site, Transportation / Mobility, Safety & Security, Energy, Lighting, Indoor Air Quality, Acoustics, Water Management, Waste Management, Materials & Resources, Structural Systems, Modularity & Prefabrication, Accessibility / Universal Design, Image / Awareness / Local Footprint, Interior Design & Furniture, Orientation & Signage, Health, Nutrition & Physical Activity, Operations & Maintenance, Building services, BMS, Smart / Intelligent Buildings, Information and Communications Technology, Costs & Financing, New or Rehabilitated, Innovation. An 8-boxes matrix type SWOT Analysis have been applied for each specific component, investigating the situation of existing Romanian schools. The SWOT Analysis details the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and put forward sustainable and educational strategies. Following this study, architects may benefit from new open paths, landmarks and a research toolkit for generating original design solutions. New designed schools should be able to offer a wide range of dynamic methods of teaching architecture, engineering and environmental sciences. Therefore, Education for Sustainable Development is shaped through sustainable school architecture. If we offer users the opportunity to learn and work in educational spaces which are able to capitalize on the creative potential, in schools strategically placed within the environment and deeply rooted in their context, then children, adolescents and adults can all be proud of schools where they feel valorised, they all will be able to evolve, innovate and develop sustainable behaviours. Applying the filter of sustainability to educational purposes, architects can develop a responsive process of integrated design, based on evidence and looking towards the future.