Scotland’s first “education design champion” today gave evidence before the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee in the Scottish Parliament.

Paul Stallan, Director of Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) and European Director of RMJM architects, was recently appointed for the post by Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop as part of A+DS school design programme. Under the programme A+DS have reviewed 50 schools around Scotland.

Stallan, who since taking post has been vocal in his criticism of the poor design of some Scottish schools and in highlighting the negative impact PPP/PFI can have on design quality, was questioned by MSPs on issues of architecture and design in Scotland’s School’s Estate. He outlined some of the environmental quality issues such as light and ventilation problems in schools arising from poor design which needed to be tackled. He cited one example he had witnessed in a Scottish school in which the windows were sealed shut for security reasons.

Stallan called for greater design leadership and a more multi-disciplinary skills set to be reflected in Local Authority planning teams to advance design quality in schools. He indicated that significant progress is being made on this front in many councils, including Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen.

When questioned on procurement methods Stallan said that whilst PPP could be made work, that once private contractors take control of a project design priorities can change and some design quality can be lost in the interest of reducing costs.

The architect addressed the issue of flexibility and how it can be incorporated into design to help schools adapt to changing policies, demographics and teaching methods. He said: “Flexibility is a key consideration to meet the requirements of the new curriculum. Teaching styles have changed from chalk and talk classrooms to more pupil centred teaching and class layout should reflect that.”

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