Upon graduation many years ago, my first job with a local practice introduced me to the world of school design. I learnt that, in many ways, schools are microcosms of a city. And there are good cities, and bad cities. Certain cities entice you in, make you want to spend time there, they feel comfortable, logical, sympathetic, safe – a perfectly scaled piazza, a narrow laneway, an urban park, a bustling avenue. If schools provide the stage for our next generation to rehearse life, then we ought to set their sights high by giving them learning environments that emulate the qualities of our best cities.
I learnt this lesson nearly 20 years ago. However, it was only last weekend that I came to understand the value of this design principle…
