The solar-collector room in the attic gives sunlight to northward-facing rooms and transfers heat to the extracted air. The heat gives added impetus to the ventilation system and preheats the inlet air via the heat recovery system. Grong School. Architects: Letnes Arkitektkontor AS. Photo: F Østmo
This guide deals with the planning, designing and layout of elementary school facilities. It offers suggestions for function programmes and offers advice regarding considerations that should be taken early in the planning stage, i.e. in the draft project and pre-project phase. This advice applies first and foremost to the location and design/layout of rooms and floorage, access points and lines of communication.
Several illustrated examples of main principles and solutions will be found in Building Research Design Guide 342.207. School outdoor areas are dealt with in Building Research Design Guide 381.501.
The school building/facility is one of several factors that are of importance for the educational environment. The physical environment must provide a practical and inspiring setting for education, creative activities and social interplay. Furthermore, a school will often have to serve a dual function as local culture centre.
Lov om grunnskolen og den vidaregåande opplæringa (opplæringslova) [Act relating to Primary and Secondary Education and Training (the Education Act)]
Forskrift til opplæringslova [Regulations for the Education Act]
Lov om planlegging og byggesaksbehandling (pbl) [Act relating to Planning and Building]
Teknisk forskrift til pbl (TEK) med veiledning [Technical regulations for the Planning and Building Code (TEK) with directions]
Building Research Design Guides:
220.300 Universell utforming; utforming som passer alle [Universal design; Design for all]
220.315 Tilgjengelighet til og i skolebygninger [Accessibility of and within school buildings]
220.320 Bygningsmessig tilrettelegging for orienterings- og bevegelseshemmede [Building-related adaptation for the orientationally and functionally challenged]
220.330 Astma, allergi og inneklima [Asthma, allergy and indoor climate]
222.210 Miljøeffektiv programmering og prosjektering av bygninger [Environmentally-efficient programming and planning of buildings]
321.015 Planlegging av gode lydforhold i bygninger [Layout/design for good acoustic conditions in buildings]
321.022 Oversikt over krav og løsninger ved brannteknisk prosjektering av bygninger [Overview of requirements and solutions concerning fire-related planning of buildings]
341.706 Idrettsanlegg. Flerbrukshaller [Sports facilities. Multi-purpose halls]
342.107 Barnehager. Planlegging og utforming [Day-care centres. Layout and design]
342.207 Grunnskolebygg. Eksempler [Elementary school buildings. Examples]
371.208 Møte- og konferanselokaler [Meeting and conference rooms]
371.801 Serveringssteder [Places where food is served]
379.201 Toaletter for ansatte og publikum [Toilets for employees and visitors]
379.205 Garderober for ansatte og publikum [Cloakrooms for employees and visitors]
379.243 Tilrettelegging for rasjonelt renhold. Del I og II [Arrangements for efficient cleaning. Parts I and II]
381.301 Lekeplasser [Playgrounds]
381.302 Lekeplassutstyr [Playground equipment]
381.501 Skolens uterom [The school’s outdoor area]
421.421 Støy i rom foran fasade. Grenseverdier for lydnivå [Noise in rooms in front of façade. Noise-level tolerances]
421.522 Bygningsmaterialer og luftkvalitet [Building materials and air quality]
421.621 Metoder for distribusjon av dagslys i bygninger [Methods for distributing daylight in buildings]
421.626 Beregning av gjennomsnittlig dagslysfaktor og glassareal [Calculating average daylight factor and glazed area]
470.201 Miljøindikatorer for planlegging og produksjon av bygninger [Environmental indicators for the layout/design and production of buildings]
527.304 Lydregulering i rom med tilhørere [Sound regulation in rooms with audiences]
527.305 Lydregulering i skoler og barnehager [Sound regulation in schools and day-care centres]
552.306 Støy i rom fra ventilasjonsanlegg. Del I og II [Noise in rooms caused by ventilation plant. Parts I and II]
552.111 Vannbåret golvvarme [Water-borne under-floor heating]
552.311 Inneklima og ventilasjon i skoler [Indoor climate and ventilation in schools]
552.312 Ventilasjon og inneklima i barnehager [Ventilation and indoor climate in day-care centres]
700.100 Innemiljø i eksisterende bygninger. Problemer og utbedring [Indoor climate in existing buildings. Challenges and rectification]
700.212 Renhold i skoler og barnehager [Cleaning in schools and day-care centres]
727.304 Forbedring av lydforhold i undervisningslokaler [Improving classroom acoustics]
It would be advantageous if the planning of school facilities could form part of an educational development process. In some schools, planning starts with the preparation of an educational platform and/or personnel participation in an educational development project where one could discuss the opportunities that a new building provides for implementing a set of educational methods. The next step in the planning process should be the preparation of a building programme where goals and intentions are converted into concrete, physical rooms and functions. Educational and social goals must be «translated» into the school’s design/layout. This process applies at all levels, from overriding concept and organisation to room design/layout and furnishing. Abstract ideas have to be transformed into tangible reality.
Whether a client realises it or not, every school building expresses an educational theory. – Steen Larsen, Danish educationalist [933] |
Design for all, or universal design, is a strategy that aims at including everyone; also those with reduced mobility, impaired orientational ability or reduced tolerance to environmental influences.
Universal design of school facilities entails finding a generally acceptable solution that improves accessibility, orientationality and functionality. It has to do with creating a physical environment that provides opportunities for individually-adjusted tuition, allowing pupils and teachers with differing capabilities to participate in tuition, work and social life, see also Building Research Design Guides 220.300, 220.315 and 220.320.
We are living in an age of rapid changes. We should therefore aspire to have adaptable school facilities. Adaptability deals with the opportunities for short-term and long-term alterations in floorage area with a view to altered group compositions and activities. Change opportunities are dependent on building structures and technical systems, see table 13.
Central concepts associated with building-related adaptability
Principle |
Design/layout considerations |
Generality |
The size and design/layout of the rooms shall facilitate usage for different types of activity and user group. |
Flexibility |
The size of the rooms, as well as the interior fittings and equipment, can be changed relatively easily in order to suit different types of activity and user group. |
Elasticity |
The building facilities to be arranged so that enterprises can expand and contract, e.g. parts of the school building can be partitioned off and used for other purposes, and the school can be extended to provide space for new activities or more pupils. |
There is general agreement that school facilities should be utilised as much as possible and be the vibrant centre of a local community. Arguments in favour of co-usage can be both economic and social in character.
Co-localisation and co-usage can provide a better use of resources for a number of enterprises. Some functions can be accommodated by the co-usage of premises and equipment.
Co-localisation and co-usage provide an opportunity – irrespective of size or complexity of the facilities – of creating a place where people of all ages can get to know one another and experience stimulating fellowship. In order for the school to become such a social arena, the facilities ought to be arranged to accommodate informal meetings between children and adults, see item 3.
Examples of partners who often enter into agreements concerning co-usage are shown in table 14.
Three categories of co-usage are shown in fig. 14 a–c, see also item 23 regarding a planning tool when seeking suitable co-usage solutions.
Types of co-usage and co-localisation
Principle |
Users and functions |
Expanded use |
Other users have access to greater or lesser parts of the floorage area of the school, either within or outside school hours. The building facilities could e.g. house a culture school, as well as clubs and organisations, and be a meeting place for the local community, with opportunities for courses, conferences, concerts, recitals and performances. |
Co-localisation |
The school shares the building facilities with other enterprises such as public library, day-care centre or public health station. |
Fig. 14 a–c
Models for co-usage and co-localisation
a. School that lends out rooms
b. School with additional floorage for other enterprises
c. School as part of a local centre
Aesthetic quality is discerned by means of the senses and deals not only with the visual experience. As the sound/noise environment in schools is an important aspect, sound screening and good acoustics ought to be given a high priority. See Building Research Design Guide 527.305. Furthermore, air quality, cleanliness and maintenance are decisive factors in achieving a sense of aesthetic quality.
Arrangements should be made for displaying professional works of art as well as the pupils’ own expressions and works.
Overriding factors versus factors that are more easily changed
Overriding architectural qualities |
– Constructions, room design/layout and room connections – Daylight, views – Contact with outdoor areas – Materials, transparency |
Aesthetic qualities that are more easily changed |
– Interior fittings, lighting and equipment – Colours – Art and pupils’ work – Order, cleaning and maintenance |
One overriding aim is to create an environmental friendly building facility with a healthy indoor climate and low energy consumption.
Overall environmental evaluations can be used to reveal potential improvements while facilities are still at the project stage, see fig. 16. For instance, in the environmental evaluation, a building facility could be classified on the basis of main categories such as [936]:
– effect on the external environment, see Building Research Design Guide 381.501
– consumption of resources used in connection with building, running and disposal (energy, raw materials, water, land, etc.)
– quality of the indoor climate, see Building Research Design Guide 552.311
The main categories are subdivided into sub-areas, which again can comprise many parameters. The aim must be that the building facilities should achieve the highest quality class for each of the main categories, see also Building Research Design Guide 222.210 and 470.201.
Fig. 16
At the planning stage, an environment assessment was made of Borgen Community Centre [921]. Analyses of alternative daylight solutions were also carried out [934]. Borgen Community Centre is one of eight demonstration buildings in the EU project: «Bringing Retrofit Innovation to Application in Public Buildings» (BRITA in PuBs). The aim is to improve the energy efficiency and implement the use of renewable energy sources. Architects: HUS Arkitekter AS. Photo: SINTEF Building and Infrastrukture
It is up to each individual municipality to choose floorage and quality standards for their schools. Larger cities/municipalities that build many schools have prepared their own standards and requirement specifications, which form the basis for the planning of new schools and major retrofitting projects.
Smaller municipalities generally take large-municipal standards as their starting point. The City of Oslo and the City of Bergen have placed their standards on the Internet [923, 935].
Functional and floorage programmes begin with overriding goals and intentions that can be of importance for the design/layout. It must clearly show the enterprises and user groups that are to be housed by the building facilities. The programme can e.g. be arranged under the following main categories:
– meeting places, see item 4
– the pupils’ home-base areas, including out-of-school-hours programmes, see item 5
– specially-equipped floorage areas including school library, see item 6
– floorage areas for staff/personnel, see item 7
– floorage areas for other users
– floorage area for physical education
– outdoor areas, see Item 8
Supporting floorage can be incorporated in each main category. Physical education is not included here as the erection of sports halls/multi-purpose facilities are gradually replacing traditional school gymnastics facilities. Multi-purpose facilities are described in Building Research Design Guide 341.706.
– traffic and communications floorage such as corridors, stairways and lifts/elevators
– constructional floorage, technical rooms and conduits for plumbing, ventilation and heating, electrotechnics, telecommunications and data
The gross/net factor will vary, dependent on which floorage areas are taken as net areas. For instance, in some floorage programmes, cloakrooms, vestibules and storerooms are included while such floorage areas may be omitted in other programmes.
As an example of floorage size, reference is made to the City of Bergen’s floorage programme. The floorage areas in table 222 are taken from Skolebruksplan 2007–2016.
Table 222
Example of floorage for schools in the City of Bergen
Floorage category1) |
Type of school |
||
Primary school:
2 parallels, max 392 pupils (m2) |
Lower secondary school:
5 parallels, max 450 pupils (m2) |
Primary and lower secondary school: 2 parallels, max 572 |
|
General tuition floorage2) |
2 448 |
2 640 |
3 525 |
Specialised tuition floorage, excluding physical education |
430 |
590 |
550 |
Other users |
130 |
130 |
130 |
Support functions3) |
450 |
517 |
592 |
TOT net area excluding physical education |
3 458 |
3 877 |
4 797 |
TOT gross area, excluding physical education |
4 495 |
5 040 |
6 236 |
1) NB: Floorage-areas in the table are different from the main categories that are listed under item 221.
2) General tuition area also encompasses cloakrooms for pupils and work places for teachers.
3) Support functions encompass floorage areas for administration staff and service personnel, meeting rooms, canteen, personnel cloakrooms, etc.
The City of Bergen has issued guidelines for the building of sports halls of various kinds and sizes instead of traditional school gymnastics facilities. These guidelines apply to new buildings. The purpose is to achieve multi-functional facilities with a far better capacity than gymnastics facilities dimensioned to match the number of pupils. Multi-functional facilities are better suited to dissimilar sports teams and for the local community’s varying needs. However, figures for traditional physical-education floorage areas in relation to standardised school size are inserted in the floorage programme guidelines. Net area for sports is 350 m2 for all three types of school that are included in table 222. |
As a general rule, the scope for floorage area in schools is generally limited. In terms of usage, it can often be advantageous to create floorage that is suitable for several functions and varying user groups. The matrix in table 23 is a simple tool in searching systematically for well-suited common solutions. One can assess each single-user group’s possibilities by moving floorage areas to the right in the matrix, i.e. increasing the proportion of multi-functional floorage and seeing what floorage savings are made and the extra costs involved. Thereafter one can try to co-ordinate the users by moving floorage areas downwards in the matrix, i.e. increasing the proportion of co-user floorage.
Moving floorage areas in the matrix squares, combined with drawing up sketches of floor plans, is a multi-stage process where the users’ needs and the building owners’ economic capabilities can be gradually combined to arrive at a suitable solution.
Multi-functional floorage demands a high degree of adaptability. Co-usage floorage demands a high degree of accessibility.
Planning tool for floorage areas. Floorage to be distributed in the matrix squares.
ONE FUNCTION for ONE USER GROUP
e.g. office |
SEVERAL FUNCTIONS for ONE USER GROUP
e.g. pupil base |
ONE FUNCTION for SEVERAL USER GROUPS
e.g. kitchen |
SEVERAL FUNCTIONS for SEVERAL USER GROUPS
e.g. canteen |
Some activities have to take place in certain types of room, while other activities can take place in various kinds of room and zone. We can differentiate between three types of floorage, see also fig. 31:
– primary zone: base for a group/class
– secondary zone: common floorage for some groups/classes. Here there is a possibility for extended group contact and several kinds of activity.
– tertiary zone: Common floorage such as vestibule, canteen, gymnastics hall, special rooms, that are open for everyone at the same time or in shifts
Fig. 31
Types of floorage
1: primary zone, 2: secondary zone, 3: tertiary zone
In this guide we use the concept home-base area when describing primary and secondary zones with appurtenant supporting floorage, see item 5.
When planning school facilities, it would be a good idea to think about a bazaar-street metaphor [928]. A school has several functions that ought to have good accessibility – in the same way as the shops, stalls and workshops in a bazaar street. Examples are the school’s workshops and rooms for aesthetic and practical subjects, major meeting areas, library and dining room. The door can stand open to the street or it can be shut. Activities can be moved out into the street as required. In the same way that the town’s offices and dwellings are somewhat withdrawn from the street, the functions in the school that need peace and quiet can lie shielded from the hurly-burly of the open areas.
Aspects to be taken into consideration:
– There should be one, clearly-marked and inviting main entrance that provides easy access to the administration and common areas, so that users and visitors can easily find their way around the facilities.
– In addition to the main entrance, the facilities usually have decentralised pupil entrances. These entrances are ideal for displaying pupils’ work.
– The main entrance and pupil entrances ought to be inviting and cheerful, and preferably be furnished and embellished. The entrances ought to be covered and slightly sheltered from wind and rain, see fig. 33.
Fig. 33
Covered entrance with bench seats. Paivakoti Savotta, Finland.
Architects: Talli Toimistot Oy. Photo: S. Noach
Example from Netherlands: – The least we can offer is the possibility to sit on benches, stairs, sills or low walls. Preferably, we should also offer shelter from the wind and rain. Hermann Hertzberger, architect [931] |
To help encourage the social life at the school, arrangements should be made so that meetings and gatherings of both a formal and informal nature can be held. The following are primarily regarded as being meeting places:
– communication areas and access points, see items 32 and 33
– vestibule/mingling area, see item 42
– areas for gatherings, see item 43
– canteen, dining room, see item 44
– large meeting room/personnel room, see item 45
It would be advantageous if the vestibule could be a social gathering point for all user groups in the building complex. Table 42 gives an overview over functions and considerations regarding positioning.
Vestibule – main functions and positioning
Main functions |
Positioning |
– Link between various functions – Reception could possibly be manned by pupils during school hours and by a host/duty officer outside school hours – Meeting place for children and adults – Exhibitions |
Advantageous if view towards / open towards canteen, rest room, school library, workshops |
Example from Copenhagen: Statens Pædagogiske Forsøgscenter welcomes pupils to the start of the school day with exhibitions, newspapers, word for the day, picture of the month (including vernissage!), music, questions to ponder over, etc. The entrance hall is pleasantly furnished with sitting groups, tables to stand at, green plants and desks with computers. |
There is often a need to assemble all pupils and employees on special occasions, see fig. 43. Some schools arrange gatherings for larger groups of pupils to start and finish the school week. Some schools arrange monthly gatherings for the 1–4 grade pupils and their parents.
Typical areas for gatherings could be:
– aula/main assembly hall/music room
– canteen
– estibule/mingling area
– gymnastics hall
Sufficient floorage can be achieved by opening-up partitions between adjoining rooms.
In larger areas, arrangements ought to be made for holding performances, recitals and concerts. The large gathering area could possibly have a stage (see table 65, concerning music rooms); Good acoustics for reading aloud is desirable (see Building Research Design Guides 527.304 and 527.305 concerning sound regulations).
Fig. 43
Gathering in The Central Room, Hommelvik School. Architects: Lusparken Arkitekter AS / Næss Arkitektkontor AS. Photo: G. Næss
Considerations to be taken into account are shown in table 44. See also Building Research Desing Guide 371.801 and fig. 44.
Table 44
Canteen – main functions and positioning
Main functions |
Positioning |
– Meals and recreation – Meeting place for pupils and teachers – Rest area where one can also work – Rest area during courses, meetings and leisure activities |
– Advantageous if next to vestibule – Advantageous if next to music room with stage |
Fig. 44
Main-passage area with adjacent dining tables/work desks. Laggarbergs School in Timrå, Sweden. Primary school.
Architects: Nyquist. Photo: SINTEF Building and Infrastrukture
It should be possible to gather the entire group of personnel for meetings. Large personnel meetings need not necessarily be held in the personnel room. Other suitable areas in the school can be used, so that the personnel room does not necessarily have to be dimensioned to suit large personnel meetings.
The personnel room can be located close to the pupils’ social areas, so that the personnel themselves can decide how and by whom the areas should be used. For instance, a larger meeting room / rest room could be located close to the main entrance, vestibule and canteen and, by rendering it suitable for lending out, achieve extended use. The room could possibly be opened up on special occasions and function as an extension to the canteen.
Should one choose to open the personnel room towards the canteen, there could be a need for a smaller area for those who occasionally need peace and quiet when having a break.
Should one opt for a closed personnel room for confidential meetings, the coffee machine, etc. should be accessible to others not participating at the meeting.
The general tuition area, with appurtenant support floorage area, forms the pupils’ home-base area, and it is here that pupils spend most of their time. The general tuition area is often divided into sections which in turn are sub-divided into lesser zones which can have various designations, e.g. pupil bases, class areas or group areas.
– primary grade (1–4)
– intermediate grade (5–7)
– lower-secondary grade (8–10)
The physical design/layout of the sections, however, may be so general that the school could easily change the composition of the groups and choose whether the sections should be age-segregated or age-mixed.
Pupils can be put together in varying group sizes:
– larger gatherings (several basic groups/classes)
– all pupils belonging to a basic group/class gathered for joint tuition
– pupils working in groups within the basic group/class
– groups made up of pupils from several basic groups/classes
Pupils also work individually with educational material and projects.
Example from Sweden: In the Swedish model «Skola 2000» a working unit comprises 90–100 pupils. The working unit is sub-divided into working groups of various sizes, e.g. from 6–16 pupils [938] . |
– communication, presentation and study of educational material, as well as discussions in larger and smaller groups
– conversation and reflection in smaller groups
– group-work/learning through teamwork (3–6 pupils)
– individual in-depth study according to a schedule
In addition to working with each subject according to a schedule, the following work forms are used:
– theme education (across subject lines)
– subject courses (periodic education)
– project work (from planning to presentation of finished product)
– practical/vocational education (partnership with local firms)
– open common areas
– larger work rooms
– communication rooms (mini-auditoria)
Communication and revision for the youngest children often takes place in listening corners.
– landscapes with partitioned zones
– larger work rooms (for two classes)
– smaller work rooms (classrooms and group rooms). See fig. 535.
Group rooms and portioned zones make it possible for pupils to withdraw in order to work individually or with others in small groups. Provided these small rooms have a neutral access, they are available for several groups and not earmarked for any one group. By using glazing in the partitions between group rooms and large areas, it is possible to see what is going on in these rooms.
Fig. 535
Tables of standard height and adjustable chairs with footrests can be used by large and small. Photo: Kinnarps
The school authorities clarify the educational principles that are to form the basis of the planning of a new school. The physical formation of the setting around the educational enterprise is generally worked out in co-operation with the users. One typical setting is the classroom, another type is a solution involving more flexible, partially open areas.
The main challenge is arriving at a suitable floorage distribution between different types of room and zones as base areas, activity rooms, lecture rooms (mini-auditoria) and group rooms. The number of pupils using these areas, and the teaching resources associated with the pupil group, is of great importance regarding how the working environment is perceived.
The primary grade’s home-base area will, in most cases, also be the place where the pupils eat. It is desirable that the mealtime can be made into a period of social gathering. Many people have advocated the introduction of school meals; and a canteen may be incorporated in primary schools in the future.
A multi-functional home-base area will involve rooms of various size, i.e. large and small rooms, open and closed rooms. The rooms can have different types of equipment. The degree of openness and visual contact by using glazing between rooms and zones is a subject for discussion. Activities that involve a high sonic level and activities requiring peace and quiet must be insulated from each other, and movement between the various zones must take place without disturbing the work of others, see fig. 542.
Fig. 542
Example of principle solution (layout) for a home-base areas / a department
Examples of floor plans for general tuition areas
Tuition floorage area |
Functions |
Examples of floor-plan principles |
Traditional classrooms and group rooms |
Used for theoretical work. Study of tuition material for a larger group, information and discussion, work in smaller groups and individual work. – See example from Råholt Primary School. No common areas for the three classes. Architects: Einar Dahle Arkitekter |
|
Multi-functional classrooms/group rooms |
Used for theoretical work and simpler practical work. Study of – See example from a brochure about «Skola 2000» |
|
Large classrooms (two classes) |
Used by two classes. Study of educational material can be undertaken by two classes simultaneously. When used for group work and individual work, one of the classes can use the whole room while the other class is e.g. in rooms for music, arts and crafts, etc. – See example from Grong School. Home-base areas for intermediate (5–7) and primary (1–4) grades. The base areas can be divided into classrooms or large classroom. The group room has neutral access. – Architects: Letnes Arkitektkontor AS |
|
Flexible floorage area (several classes) with bases and common rooms |
Used by a larger group of pupils (several classes) and furnished for group work, simpler practical work and individual work. Study of tuition material, information and discussion is carried out in the base. – See example from Lesterud School in Bærum. Home-base area for three classes. With the aid of sliding walls, the classrooms can either be completely portioned off from each other or open towards the activity room (small landscape/semi-open plan). – Architects: Lille Frøen Arkitektkontor – See also example from Grong School. Gatherings can be arranged with the aid of sliding walls between base and common area. |
|
Landscapes and mini-auditoria |
Used by a larger group of pupils (several classes) engaged in group work, simpler practical work and individual work in landscape. Study of tuition material, information and discussion, singing and use of audio-visual aids carried out in enclosed rooms (mini-auditoria) that are used by several classes or groups in shifts. – See example from Kvernhuset Lower Secondary School in Fredrikstad. Furnishing proposal for home-base area for 150–180 pupils. – Architects: PIR II Arkitektkontor AS and Duncan Lewis et Associés |
|
Open areas (small landscape) and enclosed group rooms |
Used by a larger group of pupils (several classes) engaged in simpler practical work and having joint studies in the open area. The group rooms are used as base rooms. – See example from Røros School. Section of floor plan showing home-base area. Smaller group rooms lie in a ring around a larger working area. Variation in floor levels is compensated by ramps and stairways. The stairway functions as amphitheatre. – Architects: Lusparken Arkitekter AS |
|
«Pupil offices» and common rooms |
Used for theoretical work for smaller groups and individual work. Several «pupil offices» are positioned around a forum or landscape. Study of tuition material and information for larger groups is carried out either in auditorium or forum, where simpler practical work can also be undertaken. – See example from Borgen Community Centre in Asker. Section of floor plan showing home-base area for approx. 135 lower secondary school pupils. Room for basis groups of 15 pupils behind glazed walls adjacent to a landscape (common area). The home-base area also has group rooms and an auditorium with room for 45 people. – Architects: HUS Arkitekter AS |
– smaller group rooms where pupils can be taught individually and in small groups
– rest room(s)
– kitchen with dining area
– cloakroom with room for equipment for outdoor use, e.g. wheel chairs
– changing room with shower
– optional partitioned outdoor area
– possibility of car transport right up to entrance without hazardous negotiation of motorised traffic in schoolyard
In the programming phase, one must address the question whether there should be a separate base for SFO, or whether the home-base areas should be used both for school purposes and SFO.
In the event of an allocation of extra floorage for the after-school programme, one often has to face the issue of how the area is to be furnished, e.g. as a «day/activity room» or as a room for slightly rougher physical activities (exercise room). The choice must be seen in relation to availability of alternative floorage in the school for the SFO time.
Possible rooms for physical activities should preferably have a high ceiling. It would be advantageous if extra floorage for SFO could have good accessibility so that, together with other rooms, it could be used as a co-usage room and for special arrangements.
Fig. 563
Day room. Common area for school and SFO. Meeting place. Mixed ages. Peaceful start to the school day. The teachers are in the day room; cooking coffee, playing games with the children before the tuition starts. Grønnåsen School in Bodø. Photo: Grønnåsen School
– Easy access from SFO’s areas to outdoor areas
– SFO should also have access to the special rooms, e.g. school kitchen, gymnastics hall and workshops.
– Emphasis ought to be placed on a pleasant setting for mealtimes. Meals are usally taken either in the day room, the school kitchen or the canteen.
– The leader of SFO can possibly have an office workplace together with the teachers.
– If SFO is situated remotely from the staff cloakroom, the personnel ought to have room for outdoor clothing and footwear in the children’s cloakrooms.
The porch should be sufficiently roomy that it can serve as heavy-duty cloakroom for the youngest children. There should be facilities for drying wet clothes in the vicinity of the heavy-duty cloakroom.
A division between clean/hygienic and dirty/unhygienic zones is desirable, so that pupils and teachers can wear indoor shoes for comfort and indoor-environmental reasons. With regard to shoe changing, emphasis should be placed on minimising crosswise traffic. This is done most effectively by locating the cloakroom as an alcove in the traffic area (passage way).
It may be necessary to equip toilet rooms to suit the physically disabled persons (handicap toilets), enabling the toilets also to function as changing rooms. Then there must be space for height-adjustable benches as well as showers.
In certain schools, ICT and mathematics tuition is undertaken in special rooms, while in other schools it takes place in pupils’ home-base areas. Technology and design, which is a multi-discipline subject takes place in both home-base areas and special rooms. At the 1–4 grade stage, simpler handicraft activities and kitchen activities take place in the home-base areas. It should be possible to utilise ICT in all special rooms.
Example from Asker: At Arnestad School, which is a large school, the special rooms were so much in demand, the youngest pupils rarely gained access. When the intermediate grade needed more space, multi-functional pupil home bases were built where one base was equipped for handicrafts, another for music and the third for food and health. All the groups borrow each other’s areas. |
Many schools have a combined school and public library. Such a library must have good accessibility as well as the ability to be opened and closed independently of the other school facilities.
Some of the main functions and location considerations for school libraries are shown in table 621.
School library – main functions, location and design/layout
Main functions |
Location and design/layout |
– Collections of various books and records – Work places with computers – Listening points for music and audio books – Work places for groups – Reading places – Office/work place for librarian/person responsible for library and preferably, in addition, a place for a pupil assisting the librarian |
– Good accessibility, especially with regard to the oldest pupils’ home-base areas – Combined school and public library must have the ability to be opened and closed independently of the other school facilities – Newspapers and periodicals placed in an outer zone. Comfortable seats, e.g. sofas, could be an advantage. – Work places for groups in proximity of reference works – Quiet work places in screened-off inner zone – Depository for books needing repair |
One alternative is to place the school library in an open area next to a smaller area that can be closed and locked, see fig. 622. The open section can contain seats and desks and be used even when no librarian is present. The lockable section can contain equipment and books that are to be guarded when there is no supervision. Lockable bookcases can be an alternative to lockable rooms. Bookcases on wheels/runners can be used to lock away equipment and books. Such bookcases are readily available in many stores. The bookcases can be pushed together and locked when the library is unattended.
Fig. 622
Open section of the library at Hommelvik School. Architects: Lusparken Arkitekter AS / Næss Arkitektkontor AS. Photo: H. Hilmersen
Arts-and-crafts workshops – main functions, location and design/layout
Main functions |
Location and design/layout |
– Communication, examination of educational material – Forming of products and sculptures in various materials, e.g. wood, metal, clay – Work with textiles – Drawing and painting – Project work – Courses for residents in the local community – Leisure activities |
– Advantageous with two larger workshops, where one is furnished and equipped for woodworking types of handicraft and the other for simpler forms of crafting and possibly for teaching natural and environmental subjects – Preferable with internal connections so that the workshops are perceived as being one single unit – Preferable with highly visible location and with opportunity to exhibit pupils’ work – Preferable with doorways from the workshops out to the school yard so that work can be taken outdoors – perhaps to a covered outdoor room – Machines for woodworking types of handicraft must stand in a separate room due to noise and dust – Ceramics/pottery oven must stand in a separate room due to temperature and exhaust gases – Painting, lacquering, etc., must be carried out in a separate, specially-adapted room – Storage facilities in separate store rooms and in cupboards. Storage facilities also for other users – Material store must be located in order to facilitate goods delivery |
Tuition encompasses experiments and pupils’ trials, and is subject to safety rules and regulations for storage of chemicals and the carrying out of experiments.
Some of the main functions as well as location and design/layout considerations for natural science are shown in table 641.
Natural-science room – main functions, location and design/layout
Main functions |
Location and design/layout |
– Communication, examination of educational material – Demonstrations and experiments – Treatment of collected material – Project work |
– Advantageous if associated with workshops for arts and crafts – Preferably with highly visible location and with opportunity to exhibit demonstration material – Advantageous if greenhouses, terraria and aquaria could have a highly visible location. – Ventilation must be provided wherever experiments with chemicals are undertaken – Room for preparation where material and equipment can also be stored – Many of the pupils’ exercises are messy and need suitable work places indoors and out. It ought to be possible to hose down objects and work tables outdoors |
Fig. 644
The pupils’ home bases are divided into three sections which have demonstration facilities to cover each respective special field:
– Section YELLOW focuses on solar energy and total energy consumption.
– Section BLUE focuses on aquatic issues.
– Section GREEN focuses on plants and recycling.
Kvernhuset Lower Secondary School in Fredrikstad.
Architects: PIR II Arkitektkontor AS and Duncan Lewis et Associés
This subject shall provide knowledge about music, develop musical proficiency and music appreciation. It comprises various cultures’ folk music, art music and different kinds of improvised and rhythmical music. Dance is a natural part of the music subject.
The pupils should have an opportunity of exploring and practicing own creative powers, gain impressions, listen, evaluate and discuss. Singing, playing and motion are key activities. Greater attention has been paid to composition and improvisation in recent years.
Instruction in the use of ICT equipment should be provided; and provision should be made for group interplay/ensemble in bands incorporating electric guitar, double bass, microphone singing and percussion. Emphasis is also placed on music tuition’s relationship to dance and drama by means of musical-dramatic productions. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on inter-disciplinary tuition and activities in mixed-age groups.
Some main functions and considerations regarding location and design of music rooms are shown in table 65. Figure 65 shows a music room combined with a common area.
Music room – main functions, location and design/layout
Main functions |
Location and design/layout |
– Communication, examination of educational material – Practice/playing of various instruments – Group interplay/ensemble, band – Singing, choir singing – Dance, motion – Practice/ rehearsal for teams and groups in the local community – Concerts/recitals, theatre, performances |
– Location with a view to combined solutions could be advantageous, e.g. the music room could be open towards the canteen or vestibule, and the arts and crafts room could function as workshop when scenery is to be made – Should be situated and designed with a view to control of sound transmission and acoustics (see Byggdetaljer 527.305) – Instruments to be kept in a permanent place, displayed and ready for use – Space for accessories, sound and lighting equipment – Dance and motion will require a larger free floorage area. Some schools have large mirrors mounted on wall – Possibly separate, well-insulated room in connection with the music room for band ensemble, el-instruments, percussion – In connection with the music room there must be storerooms for the school and other users – A stage could form part of the floorage area of the music room, or be incorporated in other large gathering areas, e.g. canteen. Permanent sound and lighting equipment is an advantage. Stepped formations provide opportunities for a choir, seating, etc. The stage ought to have dressing-room facilities in the vicinity, e.g. small group rooms. There should be a toilet in the vicinity. |
Fig. 65
The music room can be open towards a common area where parts of the floor are sunken. An amphitheatre with stage and behind-stage facilities has been created. The gallery on the first floor functions as a lighting rig. Hommelvik School. Architects: Lusparken Arkitekter AS / Næss Arkitektkontor AS. Photo: H. Solberg
The school kitchen can possibly be used as the canteen kitchen. Large schools usually want to have their own canteen kitchen. In any event, the kitchen and larder for the canteen ought to be seen in connection with the school kitchen.
The school kitchen is often used outside school hours in connection with courses, arrangements and meetings.
Some main functions and considerations regarding the location and design/layout of the food-and-health room are shown in table 661. See also fig. 663.
Food-and-health room – main functions, location and design/layout
Main functions |
Location and design/layout |
– Communication, examination of educational material – Cooking and preparing meals – Table-laying, serving – Wash and care of linen |
– Advantageous if the school kitchen is located near large gathering areas for use at arrangements – Separate laundry for washing and ironing linen – Larder for dry foods, cold storage, freezer. The larder ought to have convenient access for goods delivery – Cloakroom with lockers for pupils working clothes – Separate toilets are often required for food-and-health sections |
It is tempting to ask whether the floorage area of a traditional school kitchen could be used in other ways more profitably. Could the dining places be separated from the kitchen so that they could also be used independently of the kitchen, e.g. for project work or free-time/leisure activities? In which case, could this dining room be given a more «homely» or café-style interior furnishing that could help create a pleasant setting for mealtimes? Could one go one step further and place the dining places in a common room such as a day room or vestibule in order to achieve a larger continuous floorage that could accommodate several different functions? See fig. 663.
Fig. 663
Glazed walls between school kitchen and vestibule. The food prepared in the kitchen area is eaten in the vestibule. Bakkeløkka Lower Secondary School, Nesodden. Architects: NAV AS Arkitekter MNAL. Photo: SINTEF Building and Infrastrukture
– Office landscape or team offices?
– Within a personnel department or near the tuition areas?
Individual offices are generally ruled out because they are space consuming and unsuitable for teamwork, see also item 72.
With an office landscape, each individual has an opportunity of meeting all his/her colleagues on a regular basis, and thus enhance inter-disciplinary co-operation and the social environment. Smaller team offices can give better control of the physical working environment. Schools which have such offices try to organise the use of rooms so that those working in the same team share an office. This is not always easy to achieve because the size of the team can vary.
Quiet rooms for telephone calls and consultations ought to be available in the vicinity of the office landscape.
In larger schools the team offices can alternatively be decentralised to the pupils’ tuition area. The teachers can then be available for pupils and, at the same time, do their own work when there is little demand for guidance.
In the City of Bergen, decentralised teacher accomodation is a key element in the new floor-plan solutions.
The persons responsible for ICT must have space for computers that are to be upgraded or repaired.
Schools need some smaller meeting rooms for use with internal co-operation and for co-operation with parties that do not have their daily activity at the school.
One or more meeting rooms ought to be located in the vicinity of the administration and one or more meeting rooms in the vicinity of the teachers’ office accomodation, see fig. 73.
It would be advantageous to have meeting rooms with neutral access so that they can be easily reached by several groups, e.g. the student council, pensioners’ association, parents’ association, various organisations and clubs, etc.
The personnel’s meeting and rest rooms are covered under item 45.
Fig. 73
Meeting room using wood and much glazing. Steindal School, Trondheim. Architects: Eggen Arkitekter AS. Photo: B. Cold
In the designing of outdoor areas, one must take into account the need for supervision and the need for concentrated play in limited areas. In the same way as indoor areas, outdoor areas ought to be organised with rooms and zones. Large surfaces/floorage can be divided up to provide a child-friendly dimension as well as an exciting and varied environment. Buildings, planted areas, level differences and partitions can be used to form areal boundaries. It would be an advantage if the youngest pupils could have a sunny and somewhat sheltered playground near their entrance.
Suitable arrangements should be made to facilitate care. The plants used in a school must be robust and hardy and have strong restitution properties. One good rule is to also have plants on the outside of any possible netting fence. This will give the school a green «wall» and the plants will be less subject to wear and tear.
Consideration to persons who are physically challenged is just as important outdoors as indoors. The schoolyard should also be able to offer challenges and games opportunities to children with various kinds of physical disabilities.
Local residents often use the schoolyard outside school hours. One could make arrangements so that residents could come to the schoolyard in school hours as well, e.g. a footpath through the schoolyard could encourage many local residents to visit the schoolyard. Parts of the area could be turned into a park by planting trees.
There are examples of combined outdoor areas serving elementary schools and residential areas, i.e. the schoolyard is not delineated as a separate area.
Example from England: – List of activities that take place in an English school yard: – Forming: Graffiti on the tarmac, scarecrows, sundial, modelling in clay. Carpentry, handicrafts using wool, bark and roots. – Natural science: Keeping sheep, snail breeding, carrier pigeons, vegetables, flowers and Christmas trees. Classification of wild flowers, compost with measurement of heat development, ditching, burying dead animals and digging them up after three years, damming, greenhouses. – Other subjects: Mathematical games on the tarmac, fire drill (burning a hut), building with lightweight-concrete blocks, bicycle repairs, street theatre, sports/games. |
The school ought to have one or more storerooms for outdoor games and implements. It could be an advantage to distinguish between games and equipment for summer and winter use. Storerooms can be integrated within the building, leaned against a fence, or be freestanding sheds that could serve as fences or walls for ball games.
Examples of equipment to be stored in storerooms are outdoor equipment such as canoes and tents. A carpentry shed is desirable.
The storerooms ought to be without thresholds and designed so that pupils themselves can take out e.g. bicycles.
Storage facilities for caretaker will vary, depending on whether the school has its own caretaker or a contract with an outside supplier.
Refuse containers for sorting at source must be provided with a proper parking space, shielded with fences and a roof, and preferably located in a separate building.
The school premises must have satisfactory traffic separating and parking facilities. Provision must be made for convenient and tidy bicycle parking.
Commercial traffic will comprise goods delivery to the kitchen and workshops as well as refuse collection. Sufficient manoeuvring space must be provided for large vehicles. Commercial traffic must be kept separate from the pupils’ entrances.
The car park must not disturb the overall impression or functionality of the main entrance and commercial traffic. The number of parking bays to cover the collecting and delivering of children, for visitors and the school’s employees, must be clarified in each individual project, and should be seen in connection with available public transport and parking possibilities in the vicinity. Reversing in the vicinity of entrances should be prohibited.
This guide was written by Karin Buvik and replaces the guide with the same number issued in 1989, as well as Building Research Design Guide 342.206 Grunnskolebygg. Arealer for småskoletrinnet issued in 1997. Henning Vik has been the project leader. Technical editing was completed in January 2009. English translation: David H Lovett MSTF
© SINTEF Byggforsk
Materialet i dette dokumentet er omfattet av åndsverklovens bestemmelser. Uten særskilt avtale med SINTEF Byggforsk er enhver eksemplarfremstilling, tilgjengeliggjøring eller spredning utover privat bruk bare tillatt i den utstrekning det er hjemlet i lov eller tillatt gjennom avtale med Kopinor, interesseorgan for rettighetshavere til åndsverk. Utnyttelse i strid med lov eller avtale kan medføre erstatningsansvar, og kan straffes med bøter eller fengsel.
Januar 2011 ISSN 2387-6328
Utgave | Ver | Tittel | Dato | |
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Januar 2011 | 1.0 | Elementary school buildings. Layout and design | ||
Tilbaketrukket
Årsak trekkes tilbake i forbindelse med revisjon av anvisning 342.205 og 342.207 |