Education Buildings Journal
Reach for the Skies with Stacked City Schooling
Helen Taylor Director of Practice, Scott Brownrigg
Over 100 new skyscrapers are being added to our global city skylines each year. Currently 76% of these can be found in Asia and although the business and residential sectors are initially driving these developments it is only a matter of time before educational spaces in tall buildings become the norm.
There are many issues for the education systems around the world to consider. The harnessing of technology to support learning, acknowledging what it means to be a global citizen in the 21st Century, and addressing which skills and experiences our young people need in order to make the most of their opportunities are key. Architects need to respond to the evolving needs of children in cities.
How can we deliver more school, college and university places on increasingly dense and challenging sites where land is at a premium? Limited space in both developed and developing economies is encouraging schools to grow upwards.
Educationalists and architects must work closely together to develop imaginative and visionary solutions. Creating vertical environments that work as positive and fl exible learning spaces, generating a sense of community within the school, and having a positive relationship with the surrounding urban fabric as well as the natural world should all be considered.
The extent of vertical circulation in a multi- storey learning environment requires new
Image of SHaW Futures Academy Courtesy of Wates
approaches when considering school organisation, timetabling, effective multi- purpose use of space, and access to the outside on multiple levels. The height of a school building is constrained more through practical and pedagogical issues than structural or planning constraints. Parents want to ensure their children are in a safe environment and have access to the same range of learning and social opportunities that they would also enjoy in a more conventional school environment. Maximising the value of a site takes on such a different meaning when considering these complexities needed for a school.
Precedents around the world for similar schemes are limited. Universities or schools occupying a few fl oors of a tower do not provide suitable comparisons. A tall school requires signifi cantly greater proportion and area of circulation than a typical 3 or 4
storey school, so the need to deliver an adequate teaching area without exceeding the typical total funded area is a critical challenge.
Stacked schools are worth exploring to minimise excessive travel distances during the school day and create a sense of connection across the levels. With each Phase or Key Stage having its own dining and social space, learning resource
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