Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Architect: Exploring The Complex Interactions Between Design, Pedagogy And School Culture

Architects and school leaders are integral to the process of procuring, designing, constructing and using innovative learning environments (ILE’s). However, the following questions arise: How much do they know of each other’s professions? What can both groups potentially contribute to the development of ILE’s? Is it only luck that results in a successful ILE project? There is a groundswell of support for schools to move towards the development of student-centric pedagogies and many schools and educational organisations are procuring new, flexible environments to support and enable this change. However, as schools become aware that the construction of a space is not necessarily the key factor in modifying teaching and learning practice, the focus is shifting towards the analysis of complex non-design factors that impact the successful inhabitation of the space. There are critical moments in the school procurement process during which architects and educators could work more closely with each other. Early engagement enables the architect to develop a deeper understanding of the pedagogical vision to inform the architectural brief and schematic design. Concurrently, while working with the architect the school community becomes more aware of how space and pedagogy are interlinked. A relative blind spot in current research is an understanding of the complex cultural and organisational factors that have an impact on the end-use effectiveness of physical spaces. Using a recently completed single school project and drawing on professional experience and a critical review of current literature, this paper proposes an early outline for a PhD thesis investigating the complex relationship between the key stakeholders that contribute to the design of both the physical and social factors that shape new learning environments