Culture Design and Facilities
Plans for delivering educational impact through culture and the arts should be key drivers for the design of any new or refurbished spaces. Culture should be a core component running throughout the BSF Facilities and Services Output Specification. Detailed help with this process is included within the guidance.
Cultural professionals and artists can add considerable value to the design process, both in ensuring that spaces are fit for purpose and by incorporating an artistic vision and public art to the design process. Artists can be brought onto the design team early in the process and can create projects which also link to the consultation and engagement stages of BSF.
Local authorities and schools will need to identify which spaces need to be accessed by the community, with the hours and days of community access stipulated in the output specifications. Plans for community access should factor in school holidays, weekends and seasonal variations, whilst building in as much flexibility as possible to allow for future provision and changes in lifestyles and working patterns.
Facilities should be carefully planned so that the community can access spaces and resources where appropriate and without disrupting the school day. There may be an opportunity to link with other regeneration or community capital or development programmes to maximise the value for culture and BSF.
It is essential that spaces built for cultural learning are fit for purpose and are designed carefully using specialist advice and guidance. This information sheet signposts a number of resources that have been developed by a range of organisations aiming to give guidance on the design process.
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (supported by Arts Council England) have produced the following useful guidance document: Arts spaces in schools, designing for excellence
Local authorities and schools will also need to consider the specialist equipment that might be needed to deliver cultural learning. Technology for cultural learning may be developing quickly and it is essential that plans take this into account and allow for flexible, appropriate facilities which can be easily updated and used by young people and the cultural workforce.
