Designing learning environments for all
Working collaboratively to design learning estates for Scotland's new generation of learners and educators.
At Architecture and Design Scotland we believe that design has the power to bring people together and make better places for everyone. This belief extends towards educational places and seeing first-hand how people in well-designed environments receive a positive experience throughout their academic and vocational journey.
We are currently supporting the Scottish Government and collaborating with Scottish Futures Trust to help anyone involved in design proposals for learning estates across Scotland by sharing our learning, co-ordinating advice and supporting local authorities.
Only by working together can we create learning environments that will help improve the lives of Scotland’s learners.
Support for the learning estate
Tackling the climate emergency is central to Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy. The Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) aims to deliver digitally enabled, low-carbon (new and refurbished) schools and campuses that are inclusive and welcoming places which meet the needs of the whole community.
Challenges
We know that there are many challenges for those who plan, design, and deliver our places, including:
- tackling the climate emergency
- achieving Net Zero emissions
- addressing inequalities in health and wellbeing
- supporting inclusive economic stability
We are here to help local authorities, schools and communities to work together to achieve those goals. We are offering early-stage place planning and design support to education authorities, national partners and schools in Scotland at no cost.
Our support
We are here to help projects at an early-stage project to collaboratively identify and articulate design outcomes, contributing to the achievement of the priorities of the Learning Estate Strategy and the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP)
- design advice and support to education authorities to help briefing and option stages of school investment and design
- use of the Designing for a Changing Climate: the eight principles of a carbon conscious place to frame discussions to identify inclusive Net Zero Economy Outcomes that supplement existing technical and environmental objectives to inform a project brief and evaluation framework
- outdoor learning design advice informed by our current action research projects with Learning through Landscapes (Climate Ready School Grounds) and Queen Margaret University (Outdoor Learning Hub)
- placemaking support for projects that are aiming to achieve design focused objectives of Net Zero Public Sector Building Standard (NZPSBS)
Shared learning events: Learning Estate Investment Programme
The Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) was launched in September 2019 alongside the Learning Estate Strategy (LES). The programme intends to ensure the best outcomes of the Learning Estate Strategy by focusing on the benefits and contribution it provides towards its achievement. It aims to deliver learning environments that promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth by delivering high-quality, low-carbon and innovative educational settings. We run quarterly events and share outputs from the event.
Most recent learning
Here you'll find our most recent resources on designing for Scotland's learning estate. These range from outdoor learning environments to accessible spaces and more. Legacy resources from our work on the learning estate can also be found in the Resource section of our website.
Designing for inclusive and accessible learning environments
Inspired by our work at Craighalbert Centre, the Scottish Centre for Children with Motor Impairments, we have developed a suite of digital resources which explore how design can help to create safe, accessible, and nurturing spaces for every pupil, regardless of their needs. Explore animated videos, user experience scenarios, spatial ideas, and key principles to understand how design can positively impact learning for children with or without Additional Support Needs (ASN).
Discover our resource designed to empower schools, local authorities, and the wider community to transform their school grounds. Full of inspiring ideas for diverse outdoor spaces suited to all school settings, this resource also offers essential guidance on planning, designing, and delivering your project from start to finish.
Developed in partnership with Learning through Landscapes, we have launched a resource to help designers, local authorities and teachers play their role in adapting school grounds to tackle the climate emergency.
We worked with Learning through Landscapes to facilitate workshops with three schools to better understand the areas that we need to focus on in order to adapt our school grounds for a changing climate.
We support conversations around needs and ambitions by including learners, teachers and communities in participation methods for co-designing learning environments.
This process allows all of us to see a bigger picture of what to connect, how to connect it and what form the built environment should include to accommodate these connections.
And we do this through the Inspiring Learning Spaces Toolkit.
Case studies on the learning estate
We have a collection of case studies that showcase well-designed educational spaces for schools across Scotland. Learn about what you can include for your learning estate from real-life examples.
