Working in Harmeny

This article originally appeared in Independent Schools Magazine, authored by Director Iain Monteith. 

 

The design of education spaces has long prioritised learning, but today’s classrooms need to focus on the wellbeing, social development and productivity of students. 

 

Historically, classrooms and schools have been designed not with children’s needs in mind, guided instead by budgets and funding and delivering linear teaching models which can limit personal growth of those who need it most.  Prioritising the needs of children via purposeful education design gives us an opportunity to nurture students through engaging spaces, for optimum learning and teaching experiences. 

 

In 2019, Loader Monteith was commissioned by the Harmeny Education Trust, a Scottish charity delivering therapeutic residential care and education to children with additional support needs due to early years trauma and adversity, to design and deliver the Learning Hub, a new low-carbon vocational learning centre designed to expand Harmeny’s capacity to care for children over 14 years of age. 

 

When designing the Learning Hub, we considered four guiding factors aiding the structure of positive learning spaces; lighting, layout, interactivity and class size. Navigating these spatial and psychological factors in tandem needs to be a more prominent focus in education design today; we must prioritise built-environments that encourage more trusting, adaptable staff-pupil relationships and ultimately enhance productivity and social development during school hours. 

 

We know that immediate physical surroundings and personal wellbeing are paramount in designing successful education spaces; one of the most documented effects of exposure to nature is physical and psychological restoration. A study conducted in the United States confirmed that over a 12 month period, students in greener environments had superior working memory and attentiveness compared to those with lower “school greenness” status.  

 

Owing to these educational benefits of connection to green space, the new Harmeny Learning Hub features openings orchestrated to allow views through at high level to experience the tree canopies above, or to allow physical connections out into the extended learning areas created in the woodland, creating moments to learn, play and reflect. Equally, it is important to offer a chance for the children to break away from a particular activity should it become overwhelming.

 

Community is another important factor that contributes to the success of the wider learning environment at Harmeny and indeed at education centres across the United Kingdom. Diversity and flexibility within these learning spaces encourages the students’ participation in a broader range of subjects – play, learning, social development – and harnesses stronger bonds between other students and the staff. It is this sense of community which offers so much support in the development of the children and assisting staff in their role.

 

At the very core of the project is a desire to provide a safe place in which the children can explore, discover and reflect on their experiences in order to heal and develop skills that will support them into and throughout their adult life. The building acts to support them on this journey, a foundation that can be afforded to every child through consideration of the spaces and environments children learn in. 

 

Harmeny sets the tone for the future of education design, demonstrating how prioritising the wellbeing of students and staff can create a truly transformational learning environment.