The problem
old design
Large, institutional boxes have dominated the building aesthetics of schools in the last century. Standardized, utilitarian classrooms with multiple rows of desks dominated the interiors, with grey walls and grey floors,. Sounds like an environment to foster creativity and exploration, right? A boom in population caused the need to build even more schools at a cheeper cost which has meant that in many parts of the country, we are still left with schools built in the 50s. How can 50s building designs adapt to the technology needs of today?
population changes
urban to rural
big cities to small towns
older communities that had aged out now are the most affordable for a young family
immigration
With all of these changes to communities, there is a push and pull on the ability to educate the students in their neighbourhoods.
Schools get closed because the children have moved on.
Outward expansion of a community creates strain on the closest school capacity
cost
In two years since the beginning of the pandemic we have witnessed a change in the needs to which our schools ability to change was challenged.
the physical spaces we need (6 feet between)
updated ventilation
more technology
remote learning
Adaptation is the key and the current state of the physical spaces of learning are not up to the task.
The next 20 years is going to need a resurgence of school facilities being built. The public and private entities involved in making these decisions are going to need a cost effective, transformative way to replace existing infrastructure.
There was two major building booms in Canada the mid 50s (baby boom) and the early 70s (boomer's babies). Many buildings across the country are left in mostly original state or had some renovations, but that will not cut it. If we want to produce students who are ready for the modern world then they need spaces to help them get there.
As of 2020, there are approximately 14,600 public schools in Canada:
10,100 elementary schools
2,600 secondary schools
2,100 mixed elementary and secondary schools
The following videos discuss the historical needs for educating students and the pressure now to move away from these practices towards a newer design for the changing needs of our student populations.
The history of education
The video above highlights the history of the way the education system has arrived at the point it is at now. It does deviate to a Khan academy promotion at the 8:30 mark and the effectiveness technology has added to the way students can learn. The value in the video is the slow transformation of the way children have been programmed in the way they learn and how progress has slowed . It did start out with good intentions providing access to education to everyone, but it has not ended that way.
Shifting population
The pandemic has opened up even more opportunities for people to work remotely. A person or family is not necessarily stuck with living where the job opportunities are. With this shift in populations comes changing needs in infrastructure, specifically schools.
The change in educational practice
Sir Ken Robinson gave a Ted Talk on changing viewpoints on the way we educate children today. The talk was given over 12 years ago and again the process has been slow. What is the biggest reason for this: cost. If we don't change the environment and physical space that children learn in then how do we expect children to keep up with the changing values and experience happening in the world.