Relearning the Art of Conversation

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Barton Science Centre, Tonbridge School.

RELEARNING THE ART OF CONVERSATION

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Daniel Walder presents a compelling argument for finding space to forge enduring relationships

Schools have been at the heart of our communities for hundreds of years. Alongside our universities and religious institutions, they provide a place for people to gather to exchange ideas and build relationships. More importantly, school is the place where young people connect with each other and the world around them when their minds are most impressionable. For many of us, school is where we will form some of our most influential and enduring relationships; whether an inspiring teacher opening our eyes to new possibilities or a close friend sharing in our journey through turbulent adolescent years, these relationships have a profound impact on our lives.

Despite this unique position in society, schools can be reduced to mere exam factories, promoting a culture of academic attainment and a focus on climbing league tables, the importance of human relationships forgotten at a time when they are most important. This academic focus is often evident in the buildings our

schools inhabit. In some of our oldest most prestigious schools, primacy is given to teaching and learning spaces, with the assumption that not all interactions are learning experiences. Over time as school populations grow, social spaces invariably become squeezed reducing some of our most important relationships to a Snapchat post, whilst sitting on the corridor floor between the lockers and the recycling bins. As developing technology increases remote communication, there is a greater need than ever for schools to promote healthy social interaction. Our recent work in some of the UK’s leading independent schools has sought to redress this balance and increase the provision of social space in historic academic settings.

When Tonbridge School approached us with the challenge of enlarging its original 1894 science building to inspire a new generation of scientists, we proposed a partial demolition of the building, resulting in the loss of approximately 150sqm of floor space. Given the desire to maximise

lab space, this initial suggestion was met with confusion. However, we successfully demonstrated that sufficient lab space could still be created, but the focus of the building could be shifted towards the shared social and collaboration spaces to inspire a genuine interest in science beyond the lab-based syllabus. Shared space at the heart of the building encourages pupils, teachers and the wider school community, from mathematics, the arts, design and technology and humanities, to explore ideas using pin up and exhibition display in an informal setting, outside the constraints of the mainstream curriculum. As the school grows into its new surroundings, it is envisaged that formal teaching will increasingly take place outside the traditional setting of the lab and that these spaces will inspire a more blended approach to social and academic aspects of school life, enhancing and encouraging social interaction as part of the school experience.

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(Top left) the new labs complement the original stone science building. (Top right) the building relates to the adjacent listed chapel. (Bottom) concept sketch setting laboratories and theory spaces around a shared heart space. (Right page) Barton Science Centre, Tonbridge School - a glazed bridge brings the historic and new elements together.

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(Left page) Centre for Creative Learning, Francis Holland School. (Right page) A small, underused courtyard is transformed into a raised garden at street level with a subterranean library carved out below.

Similar shifts in learning are occurring at Francis Holland School, in a very different but equally challenging historic setting nestled between the rows of smart terraced houses and artisan coffee shops of Sloane Square. The school estate has grown organically over a period of nearly 150 years and is a collection of densely packed classrooms connected by corridors and stairs. The scarcity of land has resulted in the marginalisation of social learning space. The school aspired to maximise the potential of its existing land and our masterplan identified the need for a new library with improved external space to

promote a culture of self-directed learning.

A small, underused courtyard shoehorned against the Underground line was an opportunity for a new building with a raised garden at street level and a subterranean library carved out below. This provides study space for pupils from across the age cohorts, arranged to foster pastoral relationships between year groups while the roof garden allows students to socialise in a tranquil and biodiverse green setting within an otherwise congested urban estate.

Both projects have made a small cultural shift away from attainmentdriven

learning towards the exploration of ideas through experimentation and discussion by carving shared social space from highly constrained, operational academic environments,. Although the enormous pressure on schools, teachers and ultimately pupils to pass exams and climb league tables shows scant sign of abating, at Tonbridge School and Francis Holland School at least they have elected to place the emphasis on the social experience, to inspire a collective desire for students to venture beyond the curriculum and explore their futures, one conversation at a time.