Hazelwood School, Glasgow : Information + Images

Hazelwood School - TV Appearance The Designed World Programme just produced by the BBC on design and craft, initially for their education unit (but soon to be broadcast nationally), in which the Hazelwood School features prominently. The programme is an hour long, the section on Hazelwood starts at 53.30 and runs to the end. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00l17v1/The_Designed_World/ Hazelwood School photos : Keith Hunter Hazelwood School - Award Shortlists + Results Jun 2009: British Council for School Environments Awards Hazelwood School won one of the top awards for Inspiring Design gm+ad Highly commended as Best School Architects Hazelwood was the only Scottish school to win any award and we were the only Scottish architects listed as Best School Architects. Featured in Phaedon's 21st Century Atlas Included in the top five "Schools of the 21st Century" by Architectural Record Magazine, USA RIAI Awards 2009 Shortlist May 2009: WAN Education Award 2009: High commendation and second placing "Receiving a high commendation from the jury was Hazelwood school in Glasgow, Scotland. Already the recipient of numerous awards, this special needs school was commended for its tactile and innovative use of materials and proved a tough contender to the Technical College." Judges comments photo : Thomas Lee Apr 2009: International Design Awards from Los Angeles: Second place winner Apr 2009: The British Council for School Environments shortlist for its 2009 awards: Hazelwood School listed in two categories: Inspiring Design (only two Scottish Schools) and Best School Architect (only Scottish Architect) Hazelwood School - Best New Building in Scotland The Architecture in Scotland Annual ran a poll to identify Scotland's best new building of 2008. By a huge margin gm+ad's Hazelwood School for the sensory impaired picked up the honour. "It is in the delivery of public service, however that any such project must be measured and in this Hazelwood really excels". Gordon Young Editor, Prospect "Hazelwood is a beautiful building in which to work and learn. As soon as you enter you feel the vibrancy and sense of warmth that the building exudes." Monica McGeever, Headteacher, quoted in The Herald Hazelwood School photos : Keith Hunter Hazelwood School - Scottish Government Report Scottish Government website report on the Hazelwood School: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/Buildings/CaseStudies/ Glasgow/hazelwoodschool/design Hazelwood School - US School designer newsletter Issue 23 (goes to all architects involved in school design, universities and all local governments in the USA): The United States isn't the only country in which architects, school designers and others are championing high-quality school design that meets students' needs. by Ellen Kollie The word is getting out that a school's design affects students' ability to learn. As a result, in the United States, we're starting to see schools designed to meet students' needs. Not surprisingly, this trend isn't limited to the States. Schooldesigner.com recently learned about efforts to improve school design in the Middle East and Scotland. Where Things Stand Today Ahmad El Shawy, chairman and managing director of Cairo, Egypt-based Talimia/Edu-Fun, admits that school design is not a priority in his country and region. Still, he notes that this is just beginning to change. This is based, in part, on his firm's continual championing of high-quality design. "I always mention in my meetings and lectures," says El Shawy, "that we have so many ugly schools. This shows we do not care about the students, who spend 12 to 15 years in them. I always ask the owners, decision makers, and architects, 'Is this the best you can do?'" In Scotland, the importance of school design is complex. Alan Dunlop of Glasgow, Scotland-based Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop Architects, observes that good architects recognize the significance of school architecture. "Good school design is important for children," he notes, "for it says: 'You are our future, and we recognize that you are special.' It's important for teachers, for it places a value on them and helps to motivate. A well-designed school can reduce the burden and pressures of teaching. It helps parents, for it conveys the clear message that they deserve our respect." Still, Dunlop recognizes that school architecture is not always so important to the national government, other than as a political issue. New schools have to be provided, but present a financial challenge. "To many in government," he says, "a school is just another public building that has to be delivered, not something special that will impact the wellbeing of teachers and children. A classroom is nothing more than four walls and a roof to keep the rain out. This is a great pity." In the United Kingdom (U.K.), major public projects, including schools are procured generally using Public Private Partnerships (PPP). "Private construction companies and specially formed consortia build the schools and rent back to the local government through a 30-year period," says Dunlop. "The local government essentially has a mortgage on their schools, and they get grant assistance from the national government. The trouble is that this procurement process has resulted in pedestrian architecture driven by bottom-line economics and has resulted in some of the poorest new school design." Working to Make a Difference Both of these firms are working to elevate the importance of school design for their nations and even internationally. Talimia/Edu-Fun was established in 1987 as the first Egyptian company in the Middle East to produce and sell educational materials, including nursery, kindergarten and educational furniture; educational toys; and indoor/outdoor play equipment. The firm also has experience with school design, taking note of the purpose of the building and occupant comfort, among other things. The firm always tries to raise the awareness of the importance of a good learning environment and its direct effect on education. "We do this with architects, decision makers, and the direct users," says El Shawy. "We participate in educational fairs and exhibitions and educational conferences, as well as place articles in magazines. We feel that the message is getting out and slowly things will improve, but not as fast as it is needed and, most importantly, not as fast as is needed for developing countries." Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop have been practicing architecture together for 10 years, winning more than 25 national and international awards in that time. The firm promotes the importance of excellent school design through the national press (including television and radio), in professional journals, and by lecturing at and taking part in conferences where school design is promoted. "It has been a struggle," Dunlop admits. "The national government counters by saying that the teachers who move into new PPP schools are happy and often praise the new school environment. This is perhaps because the schools they left were often dilapidated; many of them were 100-year-old Victorian stone buildings that have outlived their time." Coming Together Both firms also are seeing architects, decision makers, product manufacturers and educators coming together to raise an awareness of the importance of education facilities. In the U.K., organizations like the British Council for School Environments are bringing architects, teachers, and local government representatives together to discuss school design and are lobbying national government. "Together," says Dunlop, "we are beginning to have a positive effect. This new tranche of PPP school projects are not as awful as the first. Local authorities have become better skilled at negotiating commercial contracts. People have become scandalized with the amount of money the consortia are making and the poor quality of the school environments they previously delivered. "Consequently, pressure is being applied to national government to alter the way we procure our schools but, for national government to change policy and place more emphasis on the significance of good school design, takes time." Similarly understanding that elevating the importance of school design is a process that takes time and effort, especially when officials turn a blind eye to the issue, El Shawy notes that his firm is staying the course as a measure of raising awareness. "In our 20 years experience," he says, "we have proven that school design can be different. We have proven that an excellent school building has a positive effect on the users and creates a good learning environment." What Does the Future Hold? While El Shawy maintains hope that architects, designers, owners, and administrators will make a commitment to school architecture in the future, he observes that many once-developing countries (i.e., Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia) are not currently committed to the development of education. He voices his concern: "It is important to understand that educational buildings and school design is a major part of this needed development. You cannot achieve good development in education without taking care of the learning environment." Dunlop, too, has hope for the future. "As an architect committed to promoting high-quality school design, I have to remain optimistic," he says. "I genuinely believe that prospects are good." With projects achieving international success and organizations that promote school design, he believes that school design is being recognized as a fundamental issue and important to many people. "As long as this continues, the greater chance there is of improvement," he concludes. School Buildings Hazelwood School : further information on the building Hazelwood School Photos Photographs by Andrew Lee of completed building from gm+ad 28 Sep 2007: Shortlisted by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland for the Andrew Doolan Award. The award is for the Best Building in Scotland in 2007 and is the biggest in the UK. Hazelwood School Building : Background info Hazelwood School architects : Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop Architects Another gm+ad architects' school project in Scotland: Scottish Schools - clackmannanshire