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Design+

REVIEW ARTICLE
Five concepts to consider when designing future

schools

Craig Deed*
School of Education, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

This paper presents a review of concepts that have implications for the design of
future schools. These concepts have both educational and design meanings and
applications, and these are examined here specifically in relation to their design
application. A brief review of school design trends is outlined, followed by a semi-
systematic review of literature that combines both future education pedagogical
trends and related school design implications. Five concepts are identified and
considered: context, culture, and place; community ecosystem; personalized
experience; flexibility; and agency. The conclusion summarizes the considerations
for future school design. These design concepts are important as the built school
context provides a basis for how teachers and students frame their perceptions
of where, when, and how they can teach and learn. Built environments may be
symbolic of a construct that represents the school’s education vision and practice.
The concepts explicated here are relational, connecting design ideas to the social
practices of teachers and students that are by nature complex and unstable, but
with an assumption that these practices can be afforded and prompted through
considered design.
*Corresponding author:
Craig Deed
(c.deed@latrobe.edu.au)
Keywords: Learning environment; School design; Pedagogy; Student experience; Design
Citation: Deed C. Five concepts affordances; Future schools
to consider when designing future
schools. Design+. 2024;1(1):4131.
doi: 10.36922/dp.4131
Received: July 3, 2024 1. Introduction
Accepted: July 29, 2024
This paper presents a review of the literature on concepts that should be considered in
Published Online: August 20, 2024 the design of future schools. These concepts have both educational and design meanings
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Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). and are examined here in relation to their design application. As expressed by Boyd,
This is an Open-Access article there is a relationship between insight into function and design integrity. This paper
distributed under the terms attempts to increase the depth of insight into the purpose and shape of future school
of the Creative Commons
AttributionNoncommercial License, infrastructure.
permitting all non-commercial use,
distribution, and reproduction in any It is also acknowledged that it is difficult to respond to two basic demands: the
medium, provided the original work building must look and work as a school, drawing on traditions, conventions, and the
is properly cited. ratio model of a teacher and a class of students; and be flexible enough to cope with
Publisher’s Note: AccScience whatever the future might hold for education. This contradictory task is an example
Publishing remains neutral with of Gombrich’s principle of intersection – the symbolism of a building offers several
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regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional possible meanings or uses, only some of which are feasible depending on the time and
affiliations. context.

Volume 1 Issue 1 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/dp.4131