Building Better Learning Environments

The intention of the Priority Schools Building Programe is to improve the overall standard of school buildings by creating classrooms which are conducive to learning and provide access to world-class facilities for pupils and teachers.

It’s the ‘conducive to learning’ statement that we find most interesting.  At the height of ‘Building Schools for the Future’ there were many assumptions that better, newer buildings would lead to high student achievement.  Research suggests that really poor premises have a detrimental direct impact on learning outcomes. Noise and low air quality appear to be particular problems.

In order for learning environments to be planned and designed to support the intended learning activities, collaboration has got to be key. School designs cannot be imposed nor bought off–the-shelf. Success lies in users being able to articulate a distinctive vision for their school and then working with designers and architects to create integrated solutions.

Vitruvius has supported many schools in developing their facilities and premises to further improve the learning experience for their pupils. We work with architects and contractors with a great deal of expertise in delivering high quality education building design, creating centres of learning that inspire knowledge sharing, a sense of community and progress. We understand students’ lifelong learning needs, as well as the requirements of teachers and pedagogical trends and create integrated environments which accommodate state of the art information communication and technology (ICT), leisure facilities, and community requirements.

We understand the restraints of working within an occupied environment and have a high level of technical understanding of every stage of a construction project’s life cycle. We work alongside Head Teachers, Bursars and Facilities Managers to understand their vision and support them in managing the process, building a dedicated team of contractors and suppliers around  their project to bring about a speedy, cost effective construction solution.  See our case studies for more information.