Building for Sport:Layout 1 11/09/2009 14:17 Page 11
building for sport
Designed to fail?
From the perspective of community sport, BSF is a crucial
opportunity to influence school master-planning, facility
design and future management. Executed effectively, it
could lead to a new generation of schools that both support
increased physical activity in the curriculum and at which a
proper, workable, concept of ‘community use' is embedded,
says JOHN EADY, md of sports and leisure consultants
Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP).
H
OWEVER, based upon the evidence organisation”. Among the (literally
of schools that are now operational, hundreds) of eminently sensible
that are under construction or questions, some of the key ones it asks in
being designed, we may be in danger of the context of community use,
repeating many of the failings of the particularly for sport and physical activity,
existing school stock and, in effect, be relate to the following:
‘designing out’ practical, affordable
community access from the outset. • How do the school’s community
This could result in us thinking that there facilities respond to different patterns
is community use when in fact, it happens of access?
haphazardly and inefficiently because it is • Do the entrance routes to the school
so difficult to provide, ie communities find link to local movement routes?
it hard to access...it’s problematic ensuring • Are routes to sports facilities safe
pupil safety and school security...schools throughout the year?
find it complex to manage or it costs too • Do the grounds facilitate community use?
much... the list is endless. • Does the design maximise the area for
sports pitches?
The impact of design • How does the design support
In its Successful School Design publication community use and out-of-hours use?
CABE asks some very important questions • Is it clear which areas are open to the
and refers to what it calls “strategic site community and which are not?
• Are proposed access controls appropriate
and integrated into the design?
Between them, these cover 80% of
what might be termed the essential
design issues that can make or break
community use.
What is of concern is that, based upon
the evidence of a range of school
masterplans KKP has viewed to date, the
desire for ‘beautiful buildings’ may well be
over-riding practical access factors.
Circular vs rectangular
Invariably site size, shape, topography and
flexibility varies and, in many instances,
architects are required to design new
buildings around existing ones and to
enable the school to continue to function
while new buildings are developed.
However, the common trend for round or
semi-circular main school buildings with
‘fingers’ or ‘wings’ can make it difficult to
John Eady: design issues can make or break
insert logical configurations of (what are
community use. essentially rectangular) sports buildings;
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