Architecture+Design Scotland

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Campbeltown pupils imagining modern alternatives to the traditional classroom. Edinburgh pupils exploring innovative settings for personal learning.

It’s tempting to focus on the excellent creative outputs from these unfettered imaginations. But the real joy, the revelation for designers at all levels, is the power of the conversation itself. There is a raw power in the words and images pupils employ in articulating their insights and creativity. In my experience this provides the best fuel in the world for designers.

Good ideas are hard to come by. We should be thankful that in the design of schools our emerging clients have such ideas in abundance.

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Just because a particular choice is ubiquitous doesn’t mean it’s not the right choice. The important thing is to make each and every choice with the same amount of care rather than letting them become defaults.

‘Default: A particular setting or value for a variable that is assigned automatically by an operating system and remains in effect unless cancelled or overridden by the opertator.’

Design is always about careful decision making and never about unthinking defaults. 

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Walking in a forest is often defined by the chance happening upon a clearing or a glimpse of spaces beyond. In other words, the enjoyment of the forest is heightened by the presence of contrasts.

The same applies to an oasis in the desert, a walled garden in the city, or a rest in music. In trying to create remarkable places we need to resist the temptation to relentlessly repeat the same ideas – as if our experiences could be endlessly cloned. We need to provide respite and contrast, a sense of discovery and exploration, and a sense of uniqueness in the midst of similarity. 

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