Articles
Built Environment Education by Eileen Adams
Creative Learning and Thinking by Craig Dunn
Designing Schools by Anne Cunningham
Primary Ideas by Leo Care
Remaking Learning by Rosie Parnell
Working with Lighthouse by Gary Johnson
Projects
School Workshops by Leo Care
1) Abbeyfield Youth Shelter, Sheffield, UK Collaboration Sheffield City Council Park Ranger service Description: Working with young people in North Sheffield to develop a contemporary shelter within the strict regulations of a heritage park. The project is an example of a new informal design and construction process that young people can have control over but also falls within the requirements of local community groups and council protocols.
2) Community Visioning Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK Collaboration U-scape Regeneration Canklow and West Central Community Partnerships Description: Developing a community vision for West Central Rotherham with local projects and priorities identified for action through a process of community planning, engaging local residents. The project is led by actively involved local people who undertake training and capacity building throughout. The process is designed uniquely to suit the area and is inclusive of all, regardless of age, ability, sex and ethnicity. The outcomes inform local and strategic planning and regeneration activities.
3) Buildings By Design Collaboration Glasshouse, Architecture Foundation, Trafford Hall Description: A residential course helping community groups around the UK design and procure a community building for their area. A series of activities help inform delegates about the design and construction process, culminating into a workshop, physically modelling design principles. The course has been running for two years and three community buildings have been constructed as a direct result!
4) Hattersley 3 Spaces: Community led design of three recreational spaces Collaboration Bureau of Design Research, Eventus, Hattersley Development Trust Description: The ‘Three Spaces’ project offers Hattersley residents an opportunity to help shape important open spaces in three different neighbourhoods. Local people are key to the success of the schemes, participating in design and realisation. This project offers the whole community a chance to question the relationships between different age groups and reflect on their respective needs. Although the projects are focused on children their needs cannot be addressed in isolation. The needs of youth groups, grown-ups and senior citizens are interconnected and need to be investigated.
Green Day by Rosie Parnell
An eco-homes design challenge
Date: 17th March 2005
Place: Stocksbridge High School, Stocksbridge, UK
Time length: 1 hour workshop repeated over 1 day
Partnerships: Stocksbridge Comprehensive School & Science Week
Participants: Approximately 130 young people aged 12-13 and 5 teachers.
Goals/Aims: To get students excited about science, in this case to raise awareness of the impact of dwellings on the environment and the potential to minimise this impact through good design and appropriate use of technology.
Methodology: The session included background information on Architecture and design for sustainable living and an opportunity for students to apply their new (as well as their existing) knowledge in a design exercise in teams.
Description of Events: Began with a background careers talk on what architects do and the route to becoming an architect. A scenario was then presented in which the students are now architects who have moved back to Stocksbridge and have been invited to take part in a design competition for a prototype eco-home for the town. The school field provides the site.
Needs to:
Be an environmentally-sound design.
Provide accommodation for a couple or a small family.
As architects, the first thing they do is some research. At this point a short film was shown about a specific 'eco home'. A discussion followed and main points recapped. A wide variety of alternative approaches to sustainable living and eco-home design were shown and discussed through a slide show.
The competition submission requirements were made clear (1 poster per group including drawings and diagrams with notes to show the design). Students worked in groups for the rest of the session to develop their designs. A sheet of guidance questions was provided to prompt thought about different aspects of the design. The workshop facilitator circulated and discussed the ideas as they emerged, providing informal tutorials.
Outcomes:
Students learned new concepts and terminology relating to architecture and design for sustainable living. Their awareness of the relationship between dwellings and the sustainability of the environment was raised and they were made aware that the impact of dwellings on the environment could be reduced through appropriate design and technology. They gained insight into the design process and working in a team through direct experience.