These links may assist in developing plans, designs and/or specifications for new or upgraded buildings. The following international material may be of assistance. The resources are mainly from the UK, but the last is from the USA.

Futurelab - Themes - Learning spaces

The link leads into the site and provides and overview of its contents, which is a program of work which aims to provide the tools needed to envisage and create transformed learning spaces, as well as modelling and researching radically new, technology-enhanced learning spaces. View site...

What if - Re-imagining learning spaces

This paper arises from a workshop bringing together individuals from a range of design, teaching, mentoring, policy and research backgrounds. The workshop aimed to 're-imagine' learning spaces, and encourage the development of scenarios that push the boundaries of thinking and encourage debate of the relationship between educational goals and the design and resourcing of spaces for learning. These scenarios are presented in the paper as a stimulus for discussion. View article...

Lord David Puttnam on Building Schools for the Future

From Futurelab comes a video of Futurelab's Chairman Lord Puttnam of Queensgate giving a keynote presentation on Building Schools for the Future at the 3rd National Summer Conference for City Learning Centres, in June 2008. View article...

Reimagining outdoor learning spaces

This handbook is a tool for rethinking the use of outdoor spaces for a broad range of possible learning and play opportunities and purposes. It provides ideas about places other than the classroom for learning and play in order to offer children more direct experience with the outside world. View article...

Dr Tim Rudd on reimagining the design of outdoor learning

From Futurelab comes a 43-minute podcast on reimagining the design of outdoor learning and play spaces, given by Tim Rudd at BETT 2009. The presentation argues for a more rigorous alignment of capital investment programmes and wider transformational educational policies and initiatives, such as personalisation, Every Child Matters, and the Children's Plan. Giving greater emphasis to such policies in the design process will help ensure designs are more relevant to future practice and relationships and should also place pupils at the heart of design processes, which can also offer tangible, exciting and real learning experiences and opportunities for children. View article...

Professor Keri Facer on re-imagining teaching for the 21st century

From Futurelab comes a 16-minute presentation by Keri Facer, part of a seminar on the 'future of teaching' chaired by Stephen Heppell at the Handheld Learning Conference (in October 2008). In her presentation Keri discusses the current orthodox views of the future of teaching, and argues that these are inadequate. As an alternative view, she suggests that we need to explore such issues as: 'how should relations between adults and children change?' and 'should it only be teachers who teach?' View article...

Assessing secondary school design quality – A review of new school buildings in the UK

This UK publication, not on the Futurelab site, reports the findings of secondary school building design assessment. The report includes recommendations for those involved in the design of new schools. View article...

Building learning futures – Steven Heppell et al

This UK research report, not on the Futurelab site,  focuses directly on the evolution of pedagogy in the school sector and its implications for schools building design. Recommendations regarding school building design are also included. View article...

Learning through buildings and places

This publication, not on the Futurelab site,  focuses on Building Schools for the Future, the UK secondary schools transformation programme, and the opportunities that the programme offers for young people and learning about the built environment. View article...

Flexible space and built pedagogy: Emerging IT

This US paper analyses the convergence of information technology infrastructures and traditional educational spaces and proposes flexible criteria for material-virtual, hybrid learning environments. View article...

School Building Design

CELE Exchange, formerly PEB Exchange, is the journal of the OECD Centre for Effective Learning Environments (CELE). It addresses issues related to providing a quality educational infrastructure in a cost-effective way. Recent themes covered include innovative and environmentally sustainable design, asset management, science facilities, libraries, seismic safety and campus development. Articles are available to download. View article...