Flexibility and the Design for Change in School Buildings

Change and the ability to cope with it has been increasingly recognised as one of the most crucial design problems in the contemporary architecture. The growing concern about the design for change evoked greater controversy during the 70's and the 80's, and became the focus of many studies on flexibility of building use over which continued discussion is needed. Therefore, the prime objective of this paper is to provide an in-depth investigation supported by some empirical evidence about the nature of the process of change in school buildings, endeavouring to highlight the main design parameters which regulate this process. Three central questions will be addressed accordingly: Why does change occur? How can it be achieved cost-effectively? To what extent may the accommodation of change improve the operational efficiency of school buildings in use? The paper will later examine different design strategies and approaches of schools, concentrating on a few design variables associated with close-fit and loose-fit design concepts and their consequences on the accommodation of change. These include uniformity versus variety of spatial organisation, articulation versus zoning of teaching areas, and independence of building elements. Meanwhile conflicting claims about their relevance to change will be reviewed and explained.