RIAI DESIGN FOR EDUCATION GROUP PRIMARY SCHOOL DESIGN SERIES In association with the Department Of Education And Skills SEMINAR NO. 3: Spatial Relationships/Concourses/Other Spaces/Community Needs

DATE: Thursday 19th April 2012 By Michael Mullen, BDP Michael Mullen proposed the radical redesign of the primary school to serve the needs of new learning methods and to widen use by the

community. He illustrated recent analysis of learning and working methods which suggest new pedagogical and spatial arrangements:

space for informal learning/teaching outside and inside the classroom for individual pupils, smaller and larger groups

libraries available for individual and group activities

GP areas devoted to multipurpose use and PE rather than Sports Halls

flexible framed structures and widespread use of WiFi

He illustrated his proposals with examples from Herman Hertzberger and BDP designed primary schools in the UK:

intense, multi-use of circulation spaces for individual and group social and learning activities

highly designed, acoustically performing multipurpose, GP and library spaces

intense and immediate relationship between indoor and outdoor space, with covered external play areas

extensive use of ground floors by local communities, out-of-hours

intense use of suburban sites, with multi-storey schools, incorporating play terraces on each of these storeys and use of all eleva-

tions for pedagogical gain