Canning Vale High School

Narratives

Architect Narrative

Question One
What exemplary ideas do the designs contain that enhance learning?

PUTTING CHILDREN FIRST - THE SHARED VISION

The Western Autstralia Department of Education provided a simple rule - that every decision relating to the school had to be measured against. This was expressed in three words - Putting Children First. This rule became the shared vision of all participants working on the school.

THE TEN PROJECT PRINCIPLES

The design of the school is guided by the following ten Project Principles developed by the school’s stakeholder community of students, parents, teachers, state and local government officials and local business representatives. Some of them have direct architectural application whereas others are contingent on the organization and staffing of the school.

1. Learning experiences will be designed to nurture mind, body and spirit

2. Learning will be personalized for every student

3. Every student will be supported by an adult mentor and a peer group who will remain with the student throughout his or her school experience

4. All learning will be authentic with a significant project-based orientation

5. Every student will have the opportunity to participate in structured work place learning experiences

6. The scale and organization of the facility will be broken down so that every student will belong to a small learning community

7. Flexible spaces will maximize opportunities for various learning styles

8. The facility will serve as a center of community

9. All aspects of the facility will have a strong environmental focus

10. All staff will be trained to function according to these project principles

ARCHITECTURAL PHILOSOPHY

The following architectural philosophy evolved out of the Project Principles

1. ARCHITECTURE SHOULD NOT BE A LIMITING FACTOR: The school’s architecture should not limit occupants either now or in the future from utilizing spaces to best meet their educational needs. That means, the design has to accommodate a variety of occupant configurations and needs now and in the future

2. ARCHITECTURE AS INSPIRATION: Beyond the passive goal of being a non-limiting factor in the learning equation, the school’s architecture can and should inspire and facilitate the learning process

3. PAYING SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE SPACES BETWEEN BUILDINGS: Learning happens as much in the spaces between buildings as within the buildings themselves. Therefore, the design of these areas between buildings deserves special attention.

4. CUSTOMIZATION BY END-USERS: The architecture should allow end users some degree of customization

DESIGN RESPONSE TO PROJECT PRINCIPLES

The design of the school represents a translation of the following 11 concepts developed to honor the original vision of putting children first, respond to the architectural philosophy and the 10 project principles.

1. Create a “family” unit of no more than 16 students each. Each family under the care of one advisor. Families are also intended to encourage and support peer counseling.

2. Eight families make one neighborhood and five neighborhoods make up the middle school “community”.

3. Encourage interaction between neighborhoods and make each one special with its own unique identity

4. Create seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor space

5. Develop meeting places for each neighborhood or “corroborees” (aboriginal term for gathering places)

6. Minimize corridors and other circulation spaces for their own sake. Rather, use such spaces to create opportunities for socializing, student display, large group gatherings, etc.

7. Plan the campus to maximize the use of daylight and natural ventilation

8. Preserve the natural environment of the site to the maximum extent possible

9. Create welcoming entries for parents and community members

10. Create multiple opportunities for physical activities

11. Create a town center out of the commons block. Commons block and the area around it becomes the “heart” of the school

Question Two
What innovations in the planning, programming and design process supported the realization of those exemplary ideas?

APPOINTMENT OF A PROJECT CONTROL GROUP AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

The Government of Western Australia created a Project Control Group (PCG) to be the key decision-making body on all matters pertaining to the planning, design and implementation of the school. The PCG was supported by technical working parties, each with community representation, working on issues such as curriculum, technology, and shared community facilities.

CONSULTANT SELECTION REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL(RFP)

Another innovation in the school’s planning process was the manner in which the RFP for consultant selection was designed and timed. Beyond a rough idea as to the number of students and the location of a project site, there were few decisions made prior to the issuance of the RFP. Within the RFP itself, the State made it clear that it would only hire a consultant team that could demonstrate:

a) School design excellence
b) An understanding of the connection between school facilities and learning outcomes
c) Familiarity with the latest research in the field of education pertaining to the way children learn
d) Experience engaging communities in the task of school planning
e) Building consensus amongst a diverse stakeholder community

GLOBAL CONSULTING TEAM

The architects from Western Australia teamed up with a firm from the US who collaborated on project planning. The US firm also ran the community consultation workshops and worked as part of the overall team developing the schematic design for the school. This global partnership resulted in an interesting cross fertilization of ideas which was fully evident during an intensive week-long design charette in which both the Australian and American architects and planners participated.

Prior to and following visits by the American team, communications between the two firms were conducted electronically and via an Internet FTP site where documents could be exchanged. This collaborative process has continued as the project has developed and responded to changing criteria.

UNCONVENTIONAL PLANNING, PROGRAMMING AND DESIGN PROCESS

* Rather than the more typical sequential planning/programming and then design process, the planning/programming and design processes were undertaken concurrently.

* The project team began their community consultation process at the same time that they began their site analysis.

* The site constraints and opportunities analysis by the design team informed the community consultation process in the same way in which stakeholder preferences and needs informed the design process.

This more organic approach to planning and design has allowed for ongoing community input, an essential element as only half of the future school community currently resides in the district. It has also allowed the design of the project to evolve in sync with and in response to other planning activities undertaken by the PCG, such as the selection of a school principal and development of curricula, as well as the continued growth and development of the school community.

* Within this process, the development of a project brief (program) has served as a documentation of the evolving design rather than a fixed target to which the design must rigidly conform.

IDIOSYNCRATIC DESIGN ELEMENTS

In developing the design of the facility, a range of idiosyncratic design elements has been developed to encourage “unprogrammed” learning opportunities, and cross curricular collaboration.
Examples include:

- Bandstand area with a permanent multi media projection backing wall, open to a “learning street” and cafeteria zone allowing impromptu performances.

- Lecture theatre flanked by a climbing wall in the heart of the middle school.

- Entry points to Learning Neighborhoods with paired “Making” and Testing” studios that are not curriculum-specific.

- Collaboration with local environmental group to develop “eco-gardens” and a recreated wetland precinct.

By the time a project brief was created that included a list of project requirements, it was more a way to memorialize decisions previously made. In other words, the planning and design of this school was a very fluid and iterative process.