Making Use of School Facilities in the Service of Learning
Jeffery A. Lackney, Ph.D., A.I.A., R.E.F.P.
Presented
at School Design: PRACTICE IN PLACE, Australian International Chapter
of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International
Fremantle, Western Australia, 22 May 2002
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This presentation makes the case for an ecological view of the school as a social and physical place of learning that supports mental and community health, both psychological and social. First, school facilities, beyond their influence on a learner's physiology and physical development, contribute, support and encourage a broad array of pro-social behaviors, social climate, and academic performance behaviors. Second, a facility, if designed appropriately will support the goals of the school organization, but the social climate in a school is equally dependent on the culture established between students, teachers, administrators, parents and community. 'Placemaking', the process by which the school facility is planned, designed, managed and occupied has just as an important role in the ecological place of learning as the physical features and components of place. Empirical research will be presented that supports a number of design principles aimed at making physical facilities in the service of learning.
