primary school design case study

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Case Study – Thoroughgood Elementary

Thoroughgood Elementary

Designing a neighborhood school for the 21st century.

The new Thoroughgood Elementary School will enable students to learn, explore, discover, and  play in an open and collaborative environment. The partnership between the architect’s team of designers and engineers, Virginia Beach City Public Schools administration and school board, faculty and staff, students, parents, and community members has promoted a 21st century school design supportive of non-traditional and diverse learning methods for students Pre-K through 5th grade.

This project replaces a sixty-two year old aging and over-crowded elementary school facility. The overall design is custom and tailored to reflect future forward educational instruction, contribute to the VBCPS system’s wide sustainability goals as a net zero ready facility. The new 91,913 SF school will initially house 725 students. The design features exposed elements of construction and energy efficiency as teaching tools to facilitate learning through demonstration; it redefines the ideas of traditional educational spaces to promote collaboration and learning everywhere and finally the design reveals the positive effects of identifying, respecting and integrating the site’s existing attributes and characteristics.

The new Thoroughgood Elementary School is deeply rooted in its community and is supportive of its core values and culture. These values are revealed in each design element beginning with how one approaches the site and experiences the entry, moves through the special shaped spaces in each area of the building, enjoys the natural light and air everywhere, and enjoys the natural textures and cheery colors. It is a bright, fresh and stimulating environment inside and out for learning and sparking young minds!

The two story wing houses Grades 2-3 on the first floor, Grades 4-5 on the second floor and is nestled into the forested area at the rear of the site. This building siting effect has a two-fold impact: one is external and the other internal.

• From the street view, the building never really presents a 2 story feel to the dominantly one story residential neighborhood aiding, in the appropriateness of scale to its surroundings.
• Internally, whether you are on the 1st or the 2nd floor, you always feel like you are in a treehouse. It is a super positive natural “green” effect where the outside feels like it is on the inside all the time.

All the classrooms in this area of the building are designed to be interchangeable with these 4 grade levels to accommodate the ebb and flow of age group demographics. This 2 story zone of the building is all classrooms and the same planning principles are the drivers organizing natural light and transparency from room to room, multi-tasking of spaces and shared classroom space for special learning activities. The accent colors on the floors and walls are themed after earth, wind, water and fire and enhance the feel of openness and vibrancy as you move through the corridors.

The upper level commons area features several unique spatial relationships. It looks down into the gym and is accessed by an open central stair or elevator. An extraordinary Maker Space Lab is open to and looks down into the 2 story learning commons volume and has direct access to a rooftop outdoor classroom which is partially decked and partially planted.

Creating a transparent environment enables students to feel more comfortable and less confined, encourages more communication between faculty and staff, and allows visibility for teachers to keep a close eye on their surroundings. The key to this design strategy was connectivity.

• Materiality, color + form guide your eye from room to room
• Natural light from all directions is a constant
• Portable furnishings offer infinite flexibility and are interchangeable amongst spaces
• Visibility to the outside is everywhere
• Writing surfaces for lessons and messaging occur throughout
• Art + music access the courtyard directly

The integration of nature and increased natural daylighting has been proven to enhance academic performance, decrease disciplinary issues, lower stress levels, encourage curiosity, and enhance occupants’ ability to focus on tasks.

Thoroughgood Elementary is one of the last true neighborhood schools in Hampton Roads. Respecting the goals of the stakeholders, the school naturally blends into the neighborhood and reflects the surrounding community’s culture. The entry was carefully designed to be distinct and welcoming to all who walk, bike, bus, or ride to school with a history walk as a nod to the historical namesake of Adam Thoroughgood, one of the founding colonists and community leaders of the 1600s.

Parent drop-off, faculty and visitor parking, and the bus loop are clearly delineated and separated with independent entry points for safe circulation.

A critical component to the design and construction of the new school was a tree preservation exercise to retain the beautiful century old canopies and forested area at the rear of the site. Designing the parent drop off and bus loop to weave through the trees was a part of this preservation plan. The new school was positioned and thoughtfully shaped to preserve and enhance the site’s character and capture the existing natural attributes. The final result is a new school which feels as if it were always there.

Learning activity areas on site:

• Outdoor reading areas
• Legacy garden
• Outdoor dining
• Storm water features
• Outdoor classroom
• Art gallery + music patio
• Multiple hard play courts + grass play fields
• Forested fitness area

Sustainability Moment

Rainwater Cisterns Collection and retention of rainwater in rainwater cisterns will be used as “greywater” for restroom fixtures. Annual collection of 500,000 gallons exceeds the 180,000 gallon annual usage that is estimated for the school.

Stormwater Retention 87,215 cubic feet of underground storage was added to mitigate any large rain events. These retention areas are used to keep water on site and slowly release water so the city’s systems are not overwhelmed. This retains 78% of stormwater runoff in a 100-year storm event.

The ability to closely interact and collaborate with all stakeholders throughout building design, interior programming, and site development allows us to learn about the inner workings of our client, just as it allows our clients to learn about the inner workings of design and architecture. We have found these collaborative and idea sharing moments within a project to be special and memorable for the entire team. It creates a bond of understanding, effectively creating a better design than we could not have imagined from a singular vision.

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Creating excellent primary schools

23 February 2010

There is a clear link between well-designed primary schools and pupil performance and behaviour. Successful school design is the result of hard work and collaboration between designers, contractors and visionary, committed clients.

Creating excellent primary schools takes readers step by step through the process, offering practical tools and inspiring case studies to show just what can be achieved.

• Creating Excellent Primary Schools   (4.50 MB)

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25 Examples of School Architecture around the world

School architecture is a culmination of design and education. This typology is one of the most challenging typologies to design as it has to cater to the children of growing age, and at the same time, it has to help them learn as well. 

When we look at worldwide examples, we can see many interesting attempts made which formulate better learning conditions and act as a community centre, and sometimes even as an answer to critical conditions of providing a learning centre in states that lack basic amenities. We can also see the school design as a typology that is more grounded, flexible, playful yet as a foundation to formal education. 

So, here are 25 noteworthy schools across the globe that deserve your special attention:

1. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School

Location: Salkha, Rajasthan , India Architect: Diana Kellog Architects Special Feature(s): Fort-like, Sandstone

Located on the sand dunes of the Thar desert, this school is designed by the New York-based Diana Kellog Architects. The school blends with the landscape around yet stands out like a fort. This school caters to about 400 students of the age group between 5 years to 16 years. The design is an oval-shaped fort-like structure built out of locally available Jaisalmer sandstone crafted by local artisans.

2. The ARC At Green School

Location: Indonesia Architect: IBUKU Architects Special Feature(s): Bamboo

Although the ARC was a new addition to the existing Green school, which was 12 years old, this structure is one of its kind and is an extraordinary example of bamboo architecture. This structure takes its shape from the ribcage in the human body, which takes the compression and the muscles and skin take the tension. Here, in this case, the arches take compression, and the anticlastic grid shells bear the tension load.

3. School in Laterite stone

Location: Niamey, Niger Architect: Article 25 Special Feature(s): Laterite

About 44.5% of people of Niamey, Niger, are below the poverty line, and about 6.6% have only received secondary education. Building a school for this city was a challenge to the Architects of Article 25 team. As a response to these conditions and the harsh temperature of Niamey that rises to about 40 degrees easily, they have made use of passive design technologies to reduce the temperatures. Here, laterite was a locally available material that was used for construction. This design emphasizes change. 

4. School of Alfa Omega

Location: Kosambi, Indonesia Architect: Realrich Architecture Workshop Special Feature(s): Metal and Bamboo

This project was built to uphold the spirit of Locality. Here the building is raised 2.1 m above ground to deal with the unstable soil conditions. The idea was to make children feel close to nature and emphasize outdoor learning; hence, the site was chosen accordingly. We can see that local craftsmanship is made use of effectively here. The metal structure at the ground level withstands the load of the superstructure efficiently, and the bamboo roof on top is a parabolic element that allows flexibility.

5. Jojutla school

Location: Mexico Architect: Taller De Arquitectura Special Feature(s): Arches

This school was a prototype that was tried after Mexico’s schools were affected by earthquakes in 2017. This prototype was developed to be earthquake-resistant structures so that such events of an earthquake would not affect the schools. The structure comprises 2 directional arches and coffered flat slabs at the top. The arches ensure rigidity, and concrete is used as the primary materials, which is complemented by the wood used for doors, lattices, pergolas, and so on.

6. Community canvas school

Location: Sawarpada, India Architect: Pk_iNCEPTION Special Feature(s): Canvas

The community school, Sawarpada, was initially a small school of 2 rooms for 40 students and 2 teachers. Due to lack of resources, the teachers effectively made use of floors, walls, etc., for teaching. The current design concept aimed to build a low height curved wall instead of several small ones that could bridge interaction between the community and school.

The school has a circular courtyard in the centre, enveloped by the circular plinth area, encompassing the amphitheatre further wrapped by the circular wall. The circular wall has inverted arches, which help the village link with the school and also act as a play element to the children. This circular wall acts as a canvas that can take various forms during various events.

7. Farming Kindergarten

Location: Vietnam  Architect: Vo Trong Nghia Architects Special Feature(s): Rooftop Farming

Built for the children of the factory workers of Vietnam, the Farming Kindergarten is a magnificent three-ringed continuous green roof that contains all the functions under one roof. Vietnam’s increasing dependence on a manufacturing-based economy is taking it away from being primarily an agriculture-based economy. And, Hence, mostly the children remain disconnected from the green spaces and agricultural lands. 

But, here, VTN architects have attempted to convert the roof as a green roof that connects back to agriculture, allowing students to get in touch with farming.

8. Valladolid Space Agora

Location: Valladolid, Spain Architect: Julián Zapata Jiménez, Pablo Moreno Mansilla Special Feature(s): Rising Ramp

The design comprises a ramp that gradually rises with a constant slope giving rise to terraces and new spaces. These multiplying spaces signify growth. The open spaces aim to increase interaction both visually and physically, which help build a bond among pupils. 

9. Bomma’s Halte Primary School

Location: Worcester, South Africa Architect: Meyer & Associates Architects Special Feature(s): Towers

Built to replace a dilapidated old farm school, the school caters to the farmworker community and serves about 250 children. The building has incorporated sustainability principles and sits harmoniously on the site. The towers derive their form from traditional corbelled huts, ant heaps and are set beautifully into the landscape. 

10. Inside Out School

Location: Abetenim, Ghana Architect: Andrea Tabocchini & Francesca Vittorini Special Feature(s): Earth and Wood

Built as a prototype as the only school in the town was destroyed by harsh winds. The school was built by hand due to lack of electricity in 60 days, with a tight budget of 12000€. The design follows sustainable principles. The walls are built of compact local earth, and the wooden structure sits lightly over the walls allowing the roof above to float lightly. 

The design subsides the partition between the indoor areas to the outdoor area, allowing the classrooms to connect outside rather than being just indoor units.

An architect who strongly believes architecture is a fusion of the built form and the way people using it bring it alive! She is also fascinated by colours on canvas, memories in snaps, words in books, and most certainly by the glimpse of nature!!

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, primary school design: co-creation with children.

Archnet-IJAR

ISSN : 2631-6862

Article publication date: 30 November 2020

Issue publication date: 23 June 2021

The school environment affects children's health, emotions and learning. The good design of school buildings makes these places more pleasant and more functional. Children's views are important and need to be more effectively integrated in the school design project, especially after the pandemic as many schools had to re-design their spaces. However, there are challenges for academics, designers and policymakers in determining which methods are appropriate for listening to children's views and ensuring their effective participation. The study aims to evaluate the different ways in which children could get involved in designing schools, and to identify spatial design trends from the perspective of the children.

Design/methodology/approach

For this study, qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Various data collection techniques were drawings, model making and questionnaires. The empirical study was undertaken by 120 children (8–10 years old), who designed three spaces in two Primary Schools in England.

This paper discusses the change in use of spaces for current and future (post-COVID) school design and the need for multi-purpose spaces that can flip form one to another. The findings highlight the importance of involving children in the school design process that could then inform the decision-making processes of architects and designers. The findings would have implications for school design practice, demonstrating how research can be embedded in primary schools to evaluate the quality of indoor and outdoor spaces.

Research limitations/implications

More research focusing on diverse spaces, various age groups and in different primary schools would provide reliable and age-appropriate guideline for future school design. It is recommended to gather children's and teachers' views related to the changes that primary schools in the UK have applied in response to the pandemic since June 2020 to assess the impact of social distancing in various indoor and outdoor spaces.

Originality/value

The study is a response to effective involvement of children in school design process as the main user. By identifying appropriate methods to gather children's views, the gap between academics, designers and policymakers can be bridged, especially for innovative post-COVID design of primary schools with radical changes. The study also highlights children's views for design of outdoor and indoor multi-functional spaces and suggests some post-pandemic design considerations to respond to children's preferences as well as their health and well-being.

• Participatory design
• Biophilic design
• Co-creation methods
• Co-design with children
• Primary school design

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities at De-Montfort University for supporting her in carrying out these studies. The author also would like to thank the headteachers and teaching staff at Earlsdon Primary School and Broad Heath Primary School for their kind support and involvement in this research. Specially, the author would like to thank all the children participated in these studies for sharing their views and creating amazing work. Funding: There was no external funding for this project, but an internal fund from the faculty to buy the materials for model making.

Ghaziani, R. (2021), "Primary school design: co-creation with children", Archnet-IJAR , Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 285-299. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-07-2020-0132

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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Designing schools for quality: An International, Case Study-based Review

Universal access to primary schools is a key millennium development goal, still proving difficult to deliver in low-income countries. Schools designed for the poorest remain inadequate for the numbers enrolled, and for the basic needs and functions of today’s classrooms. The key issue is overcrowding; classrooms designed for forty regularly accommodate more than sixty due to the use of outdated international classroom design standards. These schools also have poor access to infrastructure; electricity, drinking water, sanitation, and ICT/library spaces. This paper highlights these issues and suggests strategies for improved school design through the evaluation the EdQual research project school case studies, the author was involved with, and also recent international examples It is argued that schools designed considering these issues, can become 'hubs' for development; providing local assets that can be shared by their communities. (Approved for forthcoming publication in the International Journal for Education Development)

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The Building Schools for the Future programme has been established to ensure that English secondary schools are designed or redesigned to allow for educational transformation. The programme represents the biggest single UK government investment in school buildings for over 50 years. For this reason, it poses a major challenge to those involved in the design of educational buildings. Inspiration is in part sought from exemplar schools around the world. The paper draws on a multiple case study of four such exemplar schools in Scandinavia that have been designed to address changes in the educational curriculum. The analysis depicts the degree to which the building design in each case supports the school approach to teaching and learning. The disjuncture between commercial and educational issues inherent in designing ‘good’ schools is highlighted. The findings show how it is important to find a balance between good design, commercial realities and educational approaches.

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