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RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations for action have been generated where sufficient weight of evidence is considered to exist. Participants' comments are documented and collated according to recommendation type:
- Braes High School Actions recommended for Braes High School
- Future Projects Actions recommended for future school building projects
- Further Research Issues recommended to be the focus of further research
In addition, there are comments on features where no sufficient weight of evidence exists to justify a recommendation. These comments are grouped in the following category:
- Further Comments Comments raised by participant groups (without any recommendation)
Recommendations for Braes High School
Voids Braes High School
Bring light into corridors without physically linking spaces. Consider installing glass block floors or structural glazing (preferably fire rated) and removing the balustrades.
The architect was keen on light slots in the corridor, but they aren't very popular with some people who are worried about bags and students falling down. [Project Team]
The corridor light wells work for me in reducing monotony. [Project Team]
They are nice wide corridors. [Project Team]
It is a nice wide corridor. [Council]
Bright light comes all the way from the roof. [Council]
There is good lighting and nice pin boards. [Council]
Corridor light wells are not aligned with the skylights. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
The voids cause congestion. [S3]
A one-way system has been established on floors with voids so you have to go all the way around and up or down just to go to the next class. [S3]
The first floor corridor goes both ways because there are no voids. [S3]
There is plenty of light. [S3]
Voids do not bring light down. [S3]
Lights are on all day anyway. [S3
There is no point in them (voids). [S3]
The voids cause congestion. [S3]
The voids narrow corridors down. [Teachers Group 1]
Throughout the school, you have very expensive (fire) doors, but the corridors are linked. [Teachers Group 1]
If the children are lined up along both sides of the corridor there is nowhere for 300 kids to pass at the voids. [Teachers Group 1]
The voids are among the three worst features. [Teachers Group 1]
Level one corridor is better (than above) because it is wider, so there is a 2-way system. The others are one way so you have to go to the next level, even to get to the next class. [S2]
The level one corridor is fine, but the upper levels are too narrow. [S5]
It can get really warm on the top floor. Heat rises. It has to do with the voids. [S5]
The corridors being too narrow on level 2 and 3 is among the three worst features. [S5]
The voids are quite dangerous. [Teachers Group 2]
The voids take away from the width of the corridor. [Teachers Group 3]
Kids hang over the rails all the time. [Teachers Group 3]
The voids take a lot of room in the corridor. [Teachers Group 3]
It (height of voids) is scary. [Teachers Group 3]
Would it be possible to put gratings in? [Teachers Group 3]
You learn not to stand under voids. [Support Staff]
I don't like the design of the voids. [Support Staff]
Voids have the potential for more trouble. [Managers]
Doors Braes High School
Investigate possibilities to improve efficiency of circulation, ease operation (especially for disabled) and reduce maintenance costs of doors. Where doors have the sole purpose of fire protection, investigate whether stand-alone magnetic hold-open devices can be fitted.
Doors aren't held open. [Project Team]
Doors are the biggest maintenance problem and hold-openers make a big difference. [Project Team]
Wireless battery operated hold-openers can be retrofitted. [Project Team]
FM contractors are insisting on hold-openers. It is good for flow, to avoid banging and for supervision. [Project Team]
Doors are laminated. [Project Team]
The Education Authority is concerned about key suiting because, if a key is lost, it gives access to all doors. The Education Authority will have separate sets of keys or swipe cards for the next project. [Council]
You would expect push button door openers for disabled. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
All fire doors should be held open to reduce wear. [Teachers Group 1]
It is really difficult for wheelchair users. [Teachers Group 1]
The doors must have cost a lot in repairs. [Teachers Group 1]
It is an expensive door, but the jambs are not expensive. [Teachers Group 1]
Wheelchair users find it very hard to open the doors. [Teachers Group 1]
Some doors pull against the flow of traffic. [Teachers Group 2]
"Why can't they have magnetized hold-openers?" [Teachers Group 2]
Fire doors can be a nuisance for floor traffic, and both leaves don't open. [Teachers Group 3]
You are always juggling things and holding doors. [Teachers Group 3]
Having doors held open would reduce damage. [Teachers Group 3]
Classroom Storage Braes High School
Work with teachers to improve in-class storage provision in certain areas. Design any additional fitments necessary to suit materials used for teaching and learning.
It is supposed to operate with central storage. [Council]
The built-in storage is inadequate. [Teachers Group 1]
You need space to store pupil folders, staff folders, reference materials and books. [Teachers Group 1]
You can't fit A4 folders in the computer classroom cupboards (approx. 270mm deep). [Teachers Group 1]
Art has lockable cabinets; fantastic, but we need more. [Teachers Group 2]
The art room has only four drawers (approximately 390mm deep). We had to buy a lot of storage and use boxes. [Teachers Group 2]
Classroom storage shouldn't be low for heavy books. [Teachers Group 3]
Low cupboards are "stuffing cupboards". [Teachers Group 3]
You want cupboards at eye level and more of them. [Teachers Group 3]
The locks fall out. [Teachers Group 3]
Access to Toilets - Staff Braes High School
Review the number of toilets provided for staff, who all have to use them at class break times. Consider providing unisex toilets for staff.
There are 3 toilets for 80 staff in the teaching block. [Teachers Group 2]
There is a single staff toilet by the lift. There is a lack of toilets. You have to wait. [Teachers Group 3]
They are single sex so you have to wait more. [Teachers Group 3]
They are too far (from work areas). [Teachers Group 3]
Toilet Conditions Braes High School
Keep toilets clean and serviced especially at the start of the day and before lunchtime. Regularly check and ensure that water pressure, towels, dryers, soap, fixtures, fittings and services, etc are available.
They are really, really close together and fittings are rusty. [S3]
There is no toilet seat on that one. [S3]
There is only one tiny bin. [S3]
They should have paper towels. [S3]
At another school toilets were bigger and people took pride in them. [S3]
Social Space Braes High School
Use participatory briefing techniques to involve students and other stakeholders to examine the purposes of the social space and to develop a design brief to provide the necessary facilities. Consider using the existing space and/or other locations, taking account of aspects such as light, air, acoustic conditions, seating and size. Invite students to consider places for social interaction (outside schools) and discuss design issues and the behavourial codes there.
The floor blocks were painted because of chewing gum. [Project Team]
There are terrible acoustics. [Project Team]
It is crying out for a high slot window. One was designed. [Project Team]
It is not well co-ordinated. Vinyl would have been co-ordinated. [Project Team]
The social space is among the three worst aspects of the building. There is a lack of light, acoustic problems, lockers, finishes and a lack of art. [Project Team]
The social space was added (to the original design) for covered space during wet weather and it shows. It is far too small at about 230m 2 for 1100 students. [Council]
It is not a nice environment. [Council]
You can hear your echo. [Council]
There is nothing to soften the atmosphere. [Council]
The social space should be central because it would be supervised. [Council]
The social area is among the three worst aspects of the building. [Council]
The crowding is among the three worst features, especially in the social area and corridors. [S2]
We need benches, seats and more lockers. [S3]
The floor is coated. [Teachers Group 1]
It is very small for 1000 kids. [Teachers Group 1]
It is noisy and the sound resonates. [Teachers Group 1]
There should be a social area for older children and a separate one for younger ones. [Teachers Group 1]
The social space is quite small for the amount of students (here) on a wet day. [S2]
You are fighting to get through (the crowds) when it is raining. The poles block the passage through. [S2]
It is quite bright. [S2]
It gets quite hot when there are a lot of people. [S2]
All the sounds echo. [S2]
They should get lots of benches. [S5]
They should have more big windows. [S5]
They should have a junior and senior social area. [S6]
The social room is for 1000 students. [S6]
It would be better if seniors had their own area with lockers. [S6]
There is nowhere to sit. [S6]
They could extend the social area to the courtyard. [S6]
Lack of space, especially the social space is among the three worst features. [S6]
It should have a mural. [S4]
Lockers should be against the wall so you can see out the window. [S4]
It needs natural light, not artificial, which heats the place up and makes it even hotter. [S4]
It is quite small and gets crowded in the winter. [S4]
It would be nicer if the lockers were away from the windows because it would let light in. [S4]
There is a lot of noise from the social space. [Support Staff]
It is bright and airy. [Managers]
It is very noisy. [Managers]
It echoes like a swimming pool. [Managers]
It is not big enough for 1100 children. [Managers]
We would want seating, tables and chairs, which limit the space. [Managers]
Every area should be multi-purpose but I can't have parents here for the meeting tonight because there is a dreadful noise (reverberation). [Managers]
The space could be far more cleverly used. [Managers]
Lockers Braes High School
Refurbish existing lockers that are not currently in operation.
Provide sufficient lockers for the number of students who need them.
Locate lockers well clear of windows, so that the windows can bring light into the room.
Secure lockers to walls to avoid them toppling over.
Lockers were designed against the wall. [Project Team]
Lockers are damaged because the area is unsupervised. [Council]
There are 100 lockers for 1000 students. [S3]
We need lockers. We have PE every day. "You just leave stuff on top." [S3]
People put stuff on top of the lockers. [S3]
Lockers tip over. [S3]
You can get more lockers. [S2]
They need new lockers and better lockers. They get broken. It is a good idea, having lockers. [S5]
The lockers are well used. Seniors get first choice. [S6]
They could put all the lockers against the solid walls. [S6]
Young kids put stuff on top of the lockers and (sometimes) pull it down on top of you when you are getting things from your lockers. [S6]
All the children want lockers, which block the light. [Managers]
There is nowhere for 1100 lockers in a supervised space. [Managers]
Dining Hall / Assembly Braes High School
Initiate a project to provide comfortable, clean, convenient space(s) so dining can be a relaxed and pleasant experience.
Address stakeholder concerns about reverberation, light, crowding, ambience, conflict of use and thermal comfort.
The dining assembly combination means that they have to take the tables away, which is a hassle. [Project Team]
The acoustics aren't great. [Project Team]
It is a bit sterile. "Even if the (galvanised steel) ducts were painted." [Project Team]
The dining room is among the three worst aspects of the building. [Project Team]
It doesn't work well to combine assembly and dining [Council]
You can't all be accommodated. [Council]
Students have to queue so there is a management system with helpers and prefects so there are costs. [Council]
"If there were more servery points like a food court …" (the queues would be shorter). [Council]
Dual use of the assembly is among the three worst aspects of the building with the finish of the assembly and the blow pipes visible. [Council]
They should play music. [S3]
It is too hot. [S3]
Dining hall is cold. [Teachers Group 1]
Dining hall doesn't need this height. [Teachers Group 1]
"You have to sit squashed close to the table. It is easy to knock food off." [S2]
There are not enough tables and chairs. "Sometimes you can't get a seat." [S5]
Assembly is too small for lunch. We are really squashed and you can't get a seat. [S6]
The assembly hall is just too small for lunchtime. [Support Staff]
Vending Machines Braes High School
Move the vending machines to reduce congestion.
Vending machines in the dining hall are OK. [Council]
The vending machine queues block people coming out of the hub (servery). [S3]
They could move the vending machines back into the social space. [S3]
Vending machines are too close to the exit. They should go back to the social space. [S5]
Folk at the vending machines block folk coming out of the hub. [S6]
It is really annoying when you are trying to get out of the hub past people queuing for the vending machines. [S6]
The hub gets very crowded and vending queues block the passage of people coming out. [S4]
Perimeter Doors Braes High School
Ensure that the building security features are convenient and workable and operate them in accordance with the security plan.
Modify door hardware to ensure that locked doors cannot be entered.
They don't use the doors at the western courtyard (students participating in the Post Occupancy Evaluation demonstrated how to open the locked courtyard door from the outside). [S3]
Fire doors are left unlocked. [Council]
All doors should be locked. [Teachers Group 1]
Kids come in the (locked) exterior doors by the assembly area. They don't lock automatically. [Teachers Group 1]
People leave the fire doors open. We don't know if the sensors operate. [Teachers Group 1]
It needs more entrance and exit doors. There are several you can exit only. [S6]
They leave doors lapped so that they don't lock. [S6]
They never bring deliveries in the western doors. [S6]
There are only two entrances to the school. [S6]
The front door is good, but kids open the back door. It gets a lot of abuse with kids going to the shop. Kids can abuse the system. Passwords are changed. [Teachers Group 3]
There is not good access on the west side. [Support Staff]
There is a step at the end of the corridor by the English department and it is a disabled access door. [Support Staff]
Thermal Comfort Braes High School
Brief architects to give design priority to thermal comfort in support of learning, in preference to computers. Locate heat-generating equipment in naturally cooler parts of the school. For example, locate computer labs in north-facing rooms or basements while taking care of other considerations such as glare on screens.
The room is over the boiler. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
The school put in pigeonholes that block the heating system in the administration office. [Council]
Information Technology and Business classrooms are good because air conditioning is built in. [Council]
It is hard to concentrate (in the Modern Languages Class). [S3]
Computers get air conditioning, but people don't (in the Modern Languages Class). [S3]
It is really warm (in the Modern Languages Class); too warm. [S3]
The computer room has air conditioning. [S5]
Heating is not controllable and not responsive to weather conditions. It varies enormously in different spaces. [Teachers Group 1]
It is usually stuffy by the end of the day, especially in the English class above the boiler. [S5]
They need an air conditioner. It gets hot and stuffy after 10:00 and in the afternoons. [S5]
It gets really warm on the third floor. Heat rises. It gets really cold on the first floor in winter. [S5]
There is heat in graphic drawing. [S6]
Business has air conditioning, but design has more computers and no air conditioning. [S6]
Air conditioning in the computer room and business is good. Every class should have it. [S6]
Lack of air conditioning is among the three worst features. It is far too hot. [S6]
The front (South) acts as a heat trap. [Teachers Group 3]
The base can be very cold. [Teachers Group 3]
Room 111 and 213 are very cold. They have two outside walls. [Teachers Group 3]
It was good that the school could operate during the big snow. [Teachers Group 3]
It is too hot inside sometimes. We should have air conditioning. [S4]
There is air conditioning in the computer room; it is brilliant. Computers need air conditioning. [S4]
This is another room that needs air conditioning. You complain to the teacher who just gets moody. [S4]
Computer classes are quite good because of the ventilation and there are enough computers. [S4]
The server room gets quite hot. [Support Staff]
We open the door to the courtyard when the administration gets too hot. "We would have been better to have had top windows to allow the air (to circulate) without drafts." [Support Staff]
The heating and air conditioning is among the three worst features. "Parts are boiling, parts are freezing." [Managers]
Home Economics Ventilation Braes High School
Provide ventilation to the home economics room so students can use the cookers while maintaining comfortable and healthy air quality. Investigate installation of high and low-level openable windows to enable cross ventilation. Expel exhaust air to the exterior, not to other rooms. Ensure that noise emitted from any mechanical ventilation equipment does not interrupt verbal communications between teachers and students.
Cooking smells go all the way through the school. [S3]
Home economics should have air conditioning. The temperature reaches 80F. [Teachers Group 1]
Ventilation in the stairwells is very poor so the heat builds up.
It gets hot and smelly. "Obviously Home Ec. is cooking curry or something (the smell is obvious in the stairway)." [Teachers Group 2]
The window fans are very noisy. You can't hear the teacher. [S4]
It gets very hot and you can only open the windows one-inch. ''
It is hot when all the cookers are on. [S4]
It should have opening slots at the top. [S4]
Recreational Learning During Break Times Braes High School
Establish a project to work with stakeholders to create various comfortable, pleasant, interesting and fun spaces for students during break times. For example consider the student request for tiered seating for watching sport.
Engage the architect to design covered outdoor space(s) for use during mildly inclement weather.
There is no social space for the kids. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
They are just hanging about. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
When it is raining, we are stuck in the social room. [S3]
We need a sheltered place with a bit over the top. [S3]
"We need fresh air, cos we are stuck in there all day … just an awning … a tent …" [S3]
There are loads of spaces. We could use the exit by the fire alarm. [S3]
The lack of outdoor shelter is a problem. [S3]
The bus area is designated playground, but it is used as a driveway. Children are very poorly catered for. They have poor access to usable outdoor space. [Teachers Group 1]
There is no shelter for kids outside. [Teachers Group 1]
On mildly inclement days, a lot of kids could be outside. [Teachers Group 1]
They could cover the courtyard. [Teachers Group 1]
There is nothing to do. [S3]
There is no seating. [S3]
"What is there to do here (bus area)? They could have some seating." [S3]
They have all that area (sports fields) but we can't use it. [S3]
We could have seating at the sports fields. The hills are vacant. [S3]
We use the Astroturf for soccer and hockey. We would use it at lunchtime if we could. [S3]
We would like a tennis court. [S3]
We could put a climbing frame on the slope at the west end. [S3]
The western courtyard would be a nice place for seating. [S3]
Outside space not being used to its full potential is among the three worst features. [S3]
There is nowhere for them to go. [Teachers Group 2]
I imagine they can play football. [Teachers Group 2]
The road verge could be used. [Teachers Group 2]
The courtyard at the west end could be used. [Teachers Group 2]
Having no pupil area (outside the classrooms) is among the worst aspects of the school. [Teachers Group 2]
We would like benches, basketball nets, football goals. [S6]
Lack of space outside and on the stairs is among the three worst features. [Support Staff]
The kids stand at the front. [Managers]
There is a lack of accessible useful space for students. [Managers]
200-300 students congregate at the main entrance. It is intimidating. [Managers]
We are going to shut the gate (to keep vehicles off the bus area during school hours). [Managers]
The amount of area for pupils is really limited. [Managers]
Bicycle Storage Braes High School
Provide a bicycle storage facility designed and located to be convenient and secure for cyclists. Consider, for example, a locked cage with surveillance.
The bike rack is not used. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
The rack damages bikes and prevents security. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
"You are left with a front wheel chained to the rack." [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
The bike stand has been dumped. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
It is too low to hold your bike. [S3]
The bike rack should be against the wall. [Teachers Group 1]
You can't use them because there are no cameras. [Teachers Group 1]
I must have seen (only) three bikes. [Teachers Group 1]
It is not a good area for cycling. [Teachers Group 1]
Why aren't the bike racks along the wall? You have to climb over them. [Teachers Group 2]
"As you can see, they are not exceptionally well used." [Teachers Group 2]
In the morning the kids are all jumping over the bike racks. [Teachers Group 2]
Bike racks were in the way. [S6]
No one brings bikes. [Teachers Group 3]
Sports Fields Braes High School
Investigate options to minimize the ponding and mud reported to inhibit use of the fields.
There is no clear access between sports fields and changing. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
The sports fields are very, very wet on the rugby pitch. [Environmental Sustainability Designers]
It is nice landscaping. [Council]
Sports facilities are away from the school so there is no noise problem, but there are supervision problems. [Council]
There is no disabled people's access to the sports fields. [Council]
The tarmac path to the sports fields allows students to shake mud off their boots before they get back to the school buildings. [Council]
Why is there a lamppost in the middle of the field? [S3]
The playing fields are nice. [S3]
The fence only goes half way behind the goal. [S5]
They could have stands. [S6]
They don't use all the grass. There are loads more, past the pitches. [S6]
If you had stands, you would get people watching sports and you wouldn't have people generating complaints from the public. [S6]
A proper running track would be really good. [S6]
In winter the grass is really muddy when wet. [S6]
The pitches are among the best aspects of the school, although access to the Astroturf from the school is over mud. [S6]
Playing fields are fantastic in room and upkeep. They are good facilities. [Teachers Group 3]
The floodlights give good light except where they don't work in one corner. [S4]
The amount of space in the sports pitches is among the three best features. [S4]
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