Henry Sanoff
First, it is necessary to distinguish between a program and ed specs, in spite of the fact that there are people that cannot distinguish the difference between the two. I will quote from my book, METHODS OF ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAMMING (1977. “A program is a communicable statement of intent. It is a prescription for a desired set of events influenced by local constraints, and it states a set of desired conditions and the methods for achieving those conditions.

The program is also a formal communication between designer and client in order to determine that the client’s (as well as non-paying client) needs and values are clearly stated and understood. It provides a method for decision making and a rationale for future decisions. It encourages greater client participation , as well as user feedback. The program also serves as a log, as a memory, and a set of conditions that are amenable to post-occupancy evaluation.”

Ed specs, on the other hand, are standards that are unrelated to the context (site, user population, etc.) Consequently, the outcomes are predictable, and have very little relationship to educational goals. Ed specs are standards, mostly antiquated since they are modeled after the one room schoolhouse, and are not based on research. There is no research that suggests that an elementary classroom should be larger than a middle school classroom. These standards are based on a curriculum model that requires elementary students to remain in their classroom for the entire day, while middle and high school students frequently change classes. The standards are also based on a fixed population, consequently there are over as well as under populated classrooms.

After recently completing an elementary and middle school classroom addition, it was impossible, for example, to discuss learning centers in a middle schoolroom, because the specs (which are emphatically enforced in many school districts) restricted the size. Consequently, in spite of the teachers concern for teaming and exploring other modes of teaching, the ed specs became a straight jacket.

The gap between how children learn and what actually happens in today’s
classroom creates enormous frustration for educators. Eliminating ed specs
would no doubt be equally frustrating for administrators planning school budgets, but what an opportunity to approach the design of a school
considering educational goals for starters.

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