0 General

 

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

 

01 Contents

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.

 

02 Background

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.

03 References

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]  

 

 

1 Goals and intentions for design

11 Correlation between content and design

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.

 

 

12 Design for all

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.

 

13 Adaptable school facilities

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.

 

Table 13

Central concepts associated with building-related adaptability

 

14 Co-usage

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.

 

Table 14

Types of co-usage and co-localisation

 

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

 

15 Aesthetic quality

151 General. Aesthetic quality is of great importance with regard to quality of life and general well being. Emphasis on quality in schools also implies good architecture and interior furnishings. The aim should be to have school facilities that provide positive experiences and aesthetic qualities, as well as being an inspiring setting for educational activities and social life. One goal is to create school facilities where the atmosphere, both indoors and outdoors, is perceived as being friendly and stimulating.

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.

152 Good building practice is defined as environmental, aesthetic and functional quality in built surroundings. Practicality, durability, aesthetic quality and interplay with the surroundings are other key features of good building practice.

153 School-facility characteristics. When discussing a school facility’s physical properties as a setting for learning, one should differentiate between overriding architectural factors and conditions that are easier to change. The school facility’s physical characteristics can be divided into two main categories, see table 153.

 

Table153

Overriding factors versus factors that are more easily changed

 

16 Environmental goals

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

 

2 Floorage usage

21 Floorage usage and quality standards

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].

 

22 Functional and floorage programmes

221 General. Designing a detailed floorage programme is no longer common practice. Instead, the floorage areas are collected in floorage categories with functional descriptions. Such a starting point provides scope for local ideas and suggestions as well as taking government/municipal guidelines into account.

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.

222 Floorage is expressed as net area in a floorage programme, i.e. the programme does not include the following floorage areas which nevertheless are included in the gross/net factor (gross area divided by net area):

– 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

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.

 

 

23 Planning tool for floorage economy

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.

 

Table 23

Planning tool for floorage areas. Floorage to be distributed in the matrix squares.

 

3 Localisation of functions – main features

31 Zones

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.

 

32 Communications floorage

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.

 

33 Access points

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

 

 

 

 

4 Meeting places

41 General

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

 

42 Vestibule

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.

 

Table 42

Vestibule – main functions and positioning

 

 

 

43 Areas for gatherings

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

 

44 Canteen, dining room

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

 

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

 

45 Large meeting room / personnel room

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.

 

5 Pupils’ home-base areas

51 General

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.

 

52 Organising pupil groups

521 Home-base areas/sections. One usual organisational form is division into sections according to grade:

– 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.

522 Basic groups/classes/working groups. In many Norwegian schools these days the class is replaced by basic groups, which are somewhat smaller than traditional classes. Each basic group has a contact teacher who has regular meetings with his/her group. Several basic groups comprise a larger working community for which a teacher team has responsibility. In the daily tuition work the pupils can be redistributed, i.e. gathered in larger or smaller groups according to arrangements and needs. Thus pupils acquire an affiliation to a basic group and to a larger working community within a section. Most of the time is spent in the regular basic group.

 

 

 

53 Tuition arrangements and working methods

531 General. Irrespective of the chosen organisation model, it should be possible to divide the sections or home-base areas into various group sizes and to equip them for various activities, such as imparting of knowledge, conversations, group work, pupils’ performances, singing, reading aloud, individual work, etc.

532 Organising for ICT (information and communications technology). The official curricula emphasise digital competence as a fundamental skill. This means that arrangements have to be made for ICT in large parts of the school building.

533 Differentiation in tuition. The official curriculum for the 10-year elementary school paves the way for differentiation in education. Varied forms of work and a greater emphasis on adapted education means that schools ought to be capable of offering several activity opportunities concurrently, without the pupils disturbing one another. The physical environment should be arranged to accommodate various group sizes and activities which also encompass the practical aspect of many subjects and a number of pupil-active kinds of work. The home-base area or section ought to have room and equipment for:

– 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)

534 Communication and presentation methods. It should be so arranged that the educational material can be imparted/ communicated to larger groups/classes. There ought to be facilities in the sections for presentations, performances, recitals, singing, etc. either in common areas or by opening up wall-sections, partitions or sliding doors between work rooms. Technical aids (projectors, etc.) are essential elements such areas. Suitable rooms for such activities are:

– open common areas

– larger work rooms

– communication rooms (mini-auditoria)

Communication and revision for the youngest children often takes place in listening corners.

535 Individual and group work. By using differentialised education, tuition could become a combination of studying educational material / brief lectures for larger groups of pupils, and work in smaller groups of pupils where one solves assignments, work with projects and acquire new themes/topics. ICT is being employed in an ever-increasing degree. Individual and group work can take place in:

– 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

 

54 Floor plan of home-base areas

541 General. The choice of floor plan has far-reaching consequences for the educational practice of each individual school, see item 1.

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.

542 Multi-functional home-base areas. The wish to have theme education, project work and practical elements in many subjects has led to a need for multi-functional sections where simpler forms of practical activities can be carried out and, preferably, tuition in certain handicraft subjects. The sections can e.g. have an activity room equipped with a kitchen bench, as well as tables and benches where pupils can use tools and paintbrushes, etc.

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

 

543 Schematic overview of different kinds of floor plan. Since the end of the 1960s there have been hefty discussions about how the general educational floorage area ought to be divided, and what degree of openness there ought to be between rooms and zones. Table 543 shows examples of various models.

 

Table 543

Examples of floor plans for general tuition areas

 

55 Pupils in need of special attention

551 General. Schools should have an all-embracing educational environment. Some pupils are physically disabled and require more space while others have difficulty in concentrating and need peace and quiet when working.

552 Social interaction and integration. Some pupils follow a specific programme in smaller groups, under separate framework conditions and with their own teacher when required. They participate in common activities whenever appropriate. As it is becoming more usual to have interchanging groups, these pupils avoid the stigma of being the only ones who are removed from ordinary tuition. As social interaction and integration is the ultimate goal, it is undesirable to remove individual pupils from their sections or home-base areas. It should be possible to run different activities – quiet as well as noisy – within the section at one and the same time. Inter-changing between theoretical and practical exercises ought to be easy to achieve.

553 Pupils with severe disabilities. Some schools will need separate bases for educating pupils who are seriously handicapped, e.g. multi-physically challenged pupils and those who cannot take advantage of normal education. Such bases, which ought to be partitioned-off but not hidden away, should comprise:

– 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

 

56 Out-of-school-hours programme (SFO)

561 General. Norway’s out-of-school-hours programme, a voluntary service that is available before and after school hours, is partially paid for by the parents. SFO, a Norwegian acronym for this programme, literally means «school leisure-time arrangement.» Ever since its inception, some people have expressed a wish for introducing «All-day schools.» Day-care centres have developed an all-day pedagogical tradition, which alternates between an organised, structured arrangement and free self-determined activities for mixed-age groups. This tradition may be introduced gradually for the 1–4 grade in schools.

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.

562 Separate SFO base is a frequently-used solution. The wish to have separate premises for SFO can be partially explained by the fact that many school premises are so sparsely equipped, they are highly unsuitable for occupation over lengthy periods. We could then arrive at the unfortunate situation where a SFO base is left unused during school hours, and a tuition area left unused during SFO hours.

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.

563 Joint rooms for the school and SFO. Home-base areas can be planned with a view to both tuition and certain out-of-school-hours activities. The home-base areas must then be designed so that they are suitable for occupation by small children for long periods during the day. Among other things, the children must have an opportunity of withdrawing in small groups, and they must have an opportunity for rest, e.g. in a group room. This could lead to a requirement for more floorage space and more rooms. On the other hand, with this solution one can avoid duplicating floorage, e.g. cloakrooms and optional common room / day room, see also fig. 563.

 

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

 

564 Other aspects when planning SFO areas:

– 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.

 

57 Supporting floorage areas

571 Storage space, storerooms. Practical storage facilities are of great importance in keeping premises neat and tidy. Pupils ought to be allocated a cupboard each so that they can clear tables, desks and benches as well as prepare the premises for others to use when vacated. Each section ought to have its own storeroom. The after-school programme could possibly have its own storage room.

572 Cleaning room. Each section ought to have its own cleaning room, equipped so that some of the cleaning could easily be done by the pupils themselves.

573 Pupils’ cloakrooms. Decentralised cloakrooms and toilets are now the order of the day. They help eliminate crowding and pushing, compared with former-times centralised solutions. Furthermore, there is often a requirement that each pupil should have his/her own locker.

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).

574 Toilet. It is usual to calculate with one toilet for every 20 pupils. Some toilets should be accessible from outdoors.

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.

 

6 Specially-equipped areas

61 General

611 Subjects traditionally taking place in special rooms, are arts and crafts, science, music, food and health, as well as physical education. The school library too is often classified as a special room.

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.

612 Multi-functionality and combined solutions. These days heavy emphasis is placed on designing facilities that can cover many different functions, e.g. it is quite usual to locate the music room, stage and canteen next to each other. Furthermore, instead of building special rooms for each individual subject, one can build workshops that cover several disciplines. Other considerations are arranging for trans-disciplinary themes and project work, development of entrepreneurship, as well as making arrangements for various clubs and organisations in the local community (rehearsals, courses, meetings, etc.). Storage facilities are a precondition when rooms are utilised by many different user groups for varying activities.

613 Usage frequency. In smaller schools it could be an idea to share special rooms with neighbouring schools. In larger schools the demand for the special rooms could be so great, one might have to use a rote system. Another solution could be the building of multi-functional pupil home bases.

 

 

614 Partnership with local firms. There are examples of schools entering into a partnership or co-operation with companies in the local community. Such agreements can comprise use of rooms and equipment, hiring of teaching resources or practical experience for pupils.

 

62 School library

621 General. A good library can be an important aid by which pupils are stimulated to independent study and reading in leisure hours. A library with good accessibility can have an inspiring effect on the school’s working environment. Close proximity between the pupils’ work places and aids can help the pupils’ individual work.

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.

 

Table 621

School library – main functions, location and design/layout

 

 

622 Open rooms / closed rooms. At some schools the library has a larger room with book collections and work places plus one or two group rooms for users who wish to work screened-off. At other schools the library lies in an open area.

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

 

63 Arts and crafts

631 General. One key element in the subject arts and crafts is practical creative work in giving expression/form to experiences and in developing products. Work in this subject should be carried out both in the home-base areas and in workshops. Some of the main functions and considerations regarding location and design/layout for arts-and-crafts workshops are shown in table 631.

 

Table 631

Arts-and-crafts workshops – main functions, location and design/layout

 

632 Digital tools are used when seeking information and for the presentation of own and others’ work. The subject encompasses photography, scanning, animation, films and videos at the lower secondary school grade.

633 Local community. This subject provides an opportunity for developing entrepreneurship and co-operation with firms, institutions and professionals. It is often desirable to arrange activities that encompass arts and crafts in order to promote contact between groups in the local community across the generation divisions.

 

64 Natural science

641 General. Even though natural science is divided into different subject disciplines, such as biology, physics, chemistry and geo-subjects, the goal is for the school subject natural science, both theoretically and practically, to be regarded as a general subject. Naturally, environmental aspects come under this subject heading. Work with this subject is carried out both in the pupils’ home-base areas, in workshops / laboratories and as field work outdoors where pupils gather material that the school should be able to keep for a while.

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.

 

Table 641

Natural-science room – main functions, location and design/layout

 

642 Extended use of natural-science rooms. It could be advantageous to locate the natural-science rooms in connection with arts-and-crafts rooms. This could impart flexibility to the tuition and would be an advantage in project work that often comprises these subjects. Should one wish to use the natural-science room for other purposes as well, the room should have general usage properties. This can be achieved by placing fixtures and fittings along the walls so that the floor can be furnished with movable furniture.

643 Schools without natural-science rooms. In elementary schools that are built without separate rooms for natural-science, natural-science tuition is carried out partially in the home-base areas and partially in the rooms for food and health or arts and crafts, and partially outdoors. Some people maintain that the standard of education has gone down due to poorly-arranged facilities.

644 Demonstrating as an aid to environmental education. Demonstrating as a teaching aid in developing a better understanding of the environment and ecology, can be undertaken both indoors and outdoors. The use of renewable energy sources could be one such an opportunity, e.g. one could show how solar collectors can be used to heat water, and perhaps one could install some solar cells/panels. One could arrange for separation of refuse, foodstuff production and composting, as well as the re-use of grey water for watering plants. The purpose is to focus on resource economy, recycling of materials and cultivation of useful plants both indoors and outdoors, see fig. 644.

 

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

 

 

65 Music

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.

 

Table 65

Music room – main functions, location and design/layout

 

 

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

 

66 Food and health

661 General. In the food-and-health subject, pupils learn about cooking and healthy nutrition, they are taught how to use ingredients and resources sensibly and they learn how to wash and care for clothes/linen. Parts of the subject are of a practical nature with the emphasis on proficiency, experimenting and creativity. The food-and-health subject is an important arena for co-operation and the development of social skills. The practical work of the subject is carried out in the school kitchen and other various kitchen facilities. The theoretical portion can take place in the pupils’ home-base area.

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.

 

Table 661

Food-and-health room – main functions, location and design/layout

662 In a traditional school kitchen it is usual for pupils to work together in groups of four, with four groups working at the same time, i.e. four work stations whereof one is adapted for wheel-chair users. Pupils eat the prepared food together.

663 Alternative kitchen facilities. More recent primary schools are often equipped with several kitchens. In addition to the traditional school kitchen, some schools have kitchen benches in the pupil bases. Others have kitchens in the day rooms and after-school-programme areas. Staff rest-rooms often have their own small kitchenettes.

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

 

7 Personnel

71 Office accomodation for teachers

711 Alternative office solutions. Teachers work both alone and in teams. Discussions regarding teachers’ office accomodation often centre around localisation and room size / floorage area:

– 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.

712 Decentralised or centralised team offices? The team offices in most schools are collected in a personnel department. Outside the offices one can have a common area, a «public square,» where collective equipment can be kept. This common area can also be furnished with seats and arranged as a place for meeting and co-operation.

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.

713 Dimensioning. As an example of dimensioning of accomodation for teachers, reference is made to the City of Trondheim. There the floorage standard is 4 m2 per teacher. They calculate with 2 teachers per class at the primary grade and 2,5 at the lower secondary school grade.

714 Furnishing. The teachers’ office accomodation must be furnished in a practical manner with work desks, space for computers and paperwork, and alternative possibilities for sitting and working. Adequate cupboard space and bookcases makes it possible to share desks, as in the case of libraries (clean desk).

715 The teacher’s library can be located in a personnel department, but can also be integrated within the school library.

 

72 Administration and support services

721 General. Administration and support services ought to be readily accessible. Advisor and social teacher should be easy to reach. Functions that generate a good deal of traffic, e.g. reception, post pigeonholes, etc., must be located so that work is not disturbed. Out of consideration for the indoor climate, copying machines and printers should be in enclosed rooms.

722 Offices. Work places can be arranged in open landscapes, enclosed offices or possibly a combination. Floorage areas for meetings ought to be separated from possible enclosed offices, so that meeting facilities have good accessibility and can be used by many people.

The persons responsible for ICT must have space for computers that are to be upgraded or repaired.

723 Spare room. It could be advantageous if the school has a room where pupils and employees could be taken in the event of illness or injury. Such a room could also be used by the student council, the parents’ association, as well as various organisations and clubs. Incidentally, it is intended that these groups can use the meeting rooms.

724 Caretaker. In cases where a school has its own caretaker, it would be advantageous if the caretaker’s office could be within the administration.

725 Archives and storeroom(s). The administration should house the short-term archives and stationary store for both the administration and the teaching staff. The long-term archives can be outside the school, possibly combined with the local-council / municipality’s other archives.

 

73 Smaller meeting rooms

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

 

 

8 The school’s outdoor areas

81 Schoolyard

811 Rooms and zones. The schoolyard ought to be arranged and adapted for play and learning, experience/adventure and recreation.

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.

812 Contact between indoors and outdoors. The outdoor area can be a valuable addition to indoor functions, e.g. exit possibilities from indoors directly out to a patio can be an attractive experience, even if one has to go via a cloakroom most days of the year. As mentioned under Item 5, it could be an advantage if arts-and-crafts rooms and natural-science rooms could have direct access to the schoolyard.

813 Varied paving and topography. It is preferable if the ground is varied, and only parts of the area should be tarmac. Surface water must be drained off, but could be channelled to an artificial pond. If the site is flat, one could build a mound that could serve as a toboggan run in the winter and serve as a partition in the summer.

814 Planted areas/vegetation can be used as climate shields and space-forming elements. It could be advantageous to use useful plants such as berry bushes and fruit trees. Plants with seed and fruit stimulate animal and bird life. Perhaps one could establish a small arbour and kitchen garden. It is preferable to use evergreens and plants that flower and blossom at different times. Poisonous plants and plants that cause allergies must, of course, be avoided.

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.

815 Games and physical development. Suitable arrangements should be made for a number of games and sports activities for all age groups. This is especially important for schools in an urban environment with long distances to green areas. Plans for both summer and winter should be prepared, see Building Research Design Guide 381.501.

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.

816 Meeting places. The schoolyard ought to be so attractive that children and adults alike would want to be outdoors as much as possible. It ought to contain secluded areas and seating where one can get together in small groups, and places where the whole school can congregate for parties and other enjoyment. Barbecues, amphitheatres and outdoor stages are popular items.

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.

817 Tuition. The schoolyard can provide an excellent opportunity of learning through play, learning by discovery and learning by doing. In the same way as the school building, the schoolyard can be designed so that it becomes a place for purposeful learning, i.e. that some tuition takes place outdoors.

 

 

82 Store rooms / unheated stores

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.

 

83 Traffic and parking

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.

 

 

9 References

91 Production

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

92 Bibliography

921   Andresen, Inger and Anne Grete Hestnes. Environmental assessment of the redevelopment project of Borgen Community Centre. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, project report. Trondheim, 2005

922 Arbeids- og sosialdepartementet & Miljøverndepartementet. Regjeringens handlingsplan for økt tilgjengelighet for personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne. Plan for universell utforming innen viktige samfunnsområder. Oslo, 2004

923 Bergen kommune. Skolebruksplan 2007–2016. Del II: Pedagogiske arbeidsmåter, arealrammer og byggeprosjekter

924 Buvik, Karin. Primary and Secondary Schools – Options when designing school buildings. The Norwegian
Ministry of Education and Research. Oslo, 2001

925 Buvik, Karin. Miljøvennlige skoleanlegg – 5 skoler med tilknytning til programmet ØkoBygg. Læringssenteret (nåværende Utdanningsdirektoratet). Oslo, 2003

926 Buvik, Karin et l. Arbeidsbok for internevaluering av skoleanleggets funksjonelle og estetiske kvaliteter.
SINTEF-rapport. Oslo, 2008

927 Buvik, Karin. Funksjons- og arealprogram for nye Nesna skole. SINTEF-rapport. Trondheim, 2005

928 Cold, Birgit. Skolemiljø – fire fortellinger. Kommuneforlaget. Oslo, 2003

929 Cuban, Larry. Whatever happened to The Open Classroom? Schools without walls became all the rage during the early 1970s. Were they just another fad? Article in the periodical Education Next. The Hoover Institution, Stanford University. USA, 2004

930 Gustavsen, Kari et al. Var alt så meget bedre før? Debattinnlegg fra fire rektorer. Aftenposten 28.01.2008

931 Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for students in architecture. Rotterdam, 1991

932 Kunnskapsdepartementet. Veileder til opplæringsloven kapittel 9a – Elevenes skolemiljø. Oslo, 2006

933 Larsen, Steen. Undervisningskulturen. I: Dannelseskultur og undervisningskultur i et fremtidsperspektiv. Undervisningsministeriet. København, 1996

934 Matusiak, Barbara. Daylight conditions at Borgen Community Centre. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, project report. Trondheim, 2005

935 Oslo kommune. Krav og forventninger til skoleanlegg i Oslo kommune – vedlegg 1: Utforming av arealene. 2007

936 Stiftelsen Byggsertifisering. ØkoProfil – Miljøvurdering av bygg. www.byggsertifisering.no

937 Utdanningsdirektoratet. Kunnskapsløftet – fag og læreplaner. Oslo, 2006

938 Wallin, Erik. Skola 2000. Nu! En helhetssyn på pedagogik, arbetsorganisation och fysisk miljö. Rådet for arbeidslivsforskning. Stockholm, 2000

 

 

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