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3. EDUCATION, SKILLS AND ADVOCACY
ENSURING THAT WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE SKILLS, TOOLS AND SUPPORT MECHANISMS TO TACKLE BARRIERS TO HIGH QUALITY DEVELOPMENT
Through our experience of policy delivery and policy review, it is clear that there are presently a number of barriers to high quality development which either result from poor availability of training and appropriately targeted information or are attitudinal in nature. We believe that we can move some way towards addressing quality issues by putting in place measures which will help to overcome these barriers.
We will develop a programme of action, part of which will focus on skills development and will include, for instance, design-related training programmes for planners. Using a similar approach to its current work with NHSScotland, the A+DS Enabling programme will be used to strengthen the skills and vision of other clients and developers. We will also use exemplars and case studies to demonstrate and communicate best practice.
We will explore opportunities for new partnerships with key built environment organisations such as, in particular, Homes for Scotland, to focus on key issues relating to housing design and layout.
BUILDING CAPACITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES
Scottish Ministers wish to enable the people of Scotland to be involved in decisions which affect them, and which impact upon their built environment. To support this aim, we wish to ensure that people have both the opportunities and the necessary skills to participate actively. We believe that community involvement can significantly benefit the quality of design outcomes, as the people that have a connection with or will use a building can provide important knowledge about how it can and should be used. We are currently modernising our planning system to promote early and broad-based engagement in the formulation of planning policy and decision-making because we believe that community engagement in the built environment needs to happen at the earliest stage possible, and has to be meaningful.
"Community" can signify many different things to different people; it may, for instance, mean a community of location, or a community of building users. Through our architecture policy and related programmes of work, we wish to build capacity within communities across Scotland, encouraging an active interest in local built environments and equipping people with basic skills and knowledge to become engaged in issues affecting them. It is our intention that the greatly increased focus on outreach within the new ACCESS to Architecture campaign will make a significant contribution to a culture of knowledge and confidence. We will identify and attempt to overcome barriers to engagement in the built environment, focusing on involving particular geographical communities, harder to reach demographic groups and communities with an interest in specific aspects of the built environment. Through our programme of exhibitions, we will continue to raise awareness and debate about architecture and the built environment.
BUILDING 'UP' CONNECTIONS
For young people, learning about the built environment can be a rich and inspiring experience; it provides opportunities to explore, understand and appreciate Scotland's past and present; it provides the knowledge to engage in debate about local and national issues; and it can raise aspirations for what we build now and in the future. Ultimately, we want to inspire young people to demand more from the buildings around them and to see the rich and a varied career opportunities that the built environment has to offer. Learning about the built environment also offers chances for young people to acquire new skills for life and work, allowing Scotland to grow our already rich base of talent, engaged in preserving, designing and constructing at home and abroad.
The built environment provides many opportunities to support curriculum learning. Early in policy implementation, we worked with Learning and Teaching Scotland ( LTS) to develop the 'Building Connections' document and CDROM, providing guidance for teachers on the use of the built environment to inform curriculum subjects and other national priorities for education. To follow up on this work, www.buildingconnections.co.uk was developed with The Lighthouse as a major resource for teachers and schoolchildren on the built environment. Building Connections brings together educational resources, ideas and case studies from organisations, individuals, schools and local authorities across Scotland, and all content is appropriate for the curriculum in Scottish schools.
Respondents to the consultation on policy showed strong continued support for working with young people to improve knowledge and raise aspirations. We believe that investment in young people will reap long-term rewards for Scotland's built environment and work in this area will, therefore, be an important aspect of the next phase of policy implementation.
In March 2007, The Lighthouse will host a 'Building Up Connections' Conference, bringing together a range of professionals with an interest in young people, learning and skills, and the built environment in Scotland. This is an opportunity to explore new approaches to engaging young people in the built environment, and we hope to use the conference as a catalyst to establish a more regular forum to bring together these professional interests.
In light of 'A Curriculum for Excellence', the ongoing review of the 3-18 curriculum in Scotland, it is our intention to update and enhance the materials available on the Building Connections website and work with partners to explore the best way of supporting and maintaining this resource in to the future. We will also work to improve awareness of the website and its associated materials, and will actively promote this resource with local authorities and the teaching profession.
DESIGNS ON MY LEARNING
The three-year 'Design for Learning: 21st Century Schools' project was initiated in 2003 to generate ideas for buildings that inspire and motivate teachers and pupils to maximise their individual and collective educational potential. The project, which is part of the Executive's Future Learning and Teaching ( FLaT) programme, brought together primary and secondary schoolchildren plus other key stakeholders in Scotland's school estates with architects, designers and other creative professionals to work on a number of live pilot projects linked to school design. Managed by The Lighthouse, the team worked with ten Councils across Scotland on different projects related to specific school sites. 'Design for Learning' has generated and implemented new ideas about the way in which we build, renovate and use school buildings in order to raise educational achievement, promote sustainable development and support a culture of lifelong learning within local communities. Sust. works very closely with these initiatives on matters such as training and the integration of sustainability into the National Programme and FLaT.
The 'Design for Learning' project has illustrated the powerful role that school users can play in the design process and has allowed a number of young people to acquire new skills which we hope, in the long run, will equip them to become better engaged in their wider built environment or perhaps even stimulate them to follow a career in this field. We are now building on this work to develop a 'Designs on My Learning' project over the next two years which will seek to effect wider involvement of young people in school design and encourage greater engagement of professionals in participatory processes. 'Designs on My Learning' guidance on involving young people in school design has been recently published and can be downloaded from The Lighthouse website. ( http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk/downloads/Flatdocument.pdf)
HIGHER EDUCATION
'At Home in the City' was a year long competition project in which senior students from the Strathclyde and Mackintosh Schools of Architecture addressed housing issues in the Gallowgate area of Glasgow. The project was managed by The Lighthouse as part of the National Programme and explored ways for Schools of Architecture to engage with local communities in their teaching programmes. We believe that such links with Higher Education are very important and intend to explore further possible relationships with University departments. RCAHMS is presently collaborating with Strathclyde University on a research studentship to study the New Town of Cumbernauld.
EMERGING TALENT
The quality of Scotland's built heritage reflects the strength and depth of our architects and designers over the centuries. We recognise, however, that we must support and promote both our students and our young practices to allow emerging talent to grow. We have looked for ways to work with the RIAS to support student work and have developed the ' SIX' Student Awards scheme mentioned above (Section 2), as a partnership between the RIAS and the National Programme. As well as continuing to fund the annual ' SIX' Awards scheme, we will focus on emerging talent as the key theme for the ACCESS to Architecture campaign in 2008-09.
RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE
In the past five years the Executive's Architecture Policy Unit has commissioned a number of benchmarking studies into the impact of the architecture policy.
In order to ensure a long-term strategic approach for Executive-funded research projects related to the built environment, APU will establish a new National Reference Group on research. The Group will aim to identify current research, evidence gaps and to steer the development of new Executive research. We envisage that this Group will include representatives from across Executive Departments together with the RIAS, A+DS, The Lighthouse and Sust.
We also believe that dissemination of existing research and knowledge is vitally important, and will explore ways in which research findings and good practice can be disseminated to a wider audience, debated and discussed. We envisage a strong role for A+DS in ensuring that key research messages are communicated to a range of audiences. This may involve working actively with professionals, collating and reviewing existing research and working with the media.
INCREASING DESIGN AWARENESS AND SKILLS
Respondents to the consultation highlighted the wide range of participants whose roles and behaviour impact upon the quality of our built environment, and encouraged us to work to ensure that everyone involved in decision-making has access to the right skills, information and support to make informed design choices. We believe that there is a need to substantially raise awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of good design and, through our work, we hope to encourage a culture in which design is not dismissed as an additional cost, but regarded, rather, as a process which improves outcomes. In addition, we need to ensure that decision-makers, architects, designers, planners and developers have access to high quality resources, support and advice.
We recognise that we must tailor our approach to suit the needs and interests of specific sectors. In recognition of the powerful impact that local authority action has on design outcomes, and thus the importance of this area as a priority, A+DS is currently working with the Executive and the Improvement Service for Scottish local government to develop a design training framework to be delivered to all local authority planning departments, aimed at raising design skills and awareness. The first training events will be held in early 2007. In addition, the Scottish Executive and A+DS are currently developing guidance for local authorities on master planning, aimed at raising awareness of the value of the process and building skills and confidence in using this tool.
Earlier in this section, we highlighted the important role that A+DS can play in developing, collating and disseminating research. We want this to inform the development of resources and guidance that can be shared with, and embedded in the practices of, key development participants such as planners, architects and housing developers. Respondents to the consultation emphasised the need to link research and guidance with practice, and the case studies woven through this document are an early reflection of these comments.
SUPPORTING BETTER DESIGN
We were encouraged to see wide support for the enabling work of A+DS in responses to the consultation. Whilst we remain strongly committed to the design review process carried out by A+DS, we envisage that early, supportive engagement in the design process will increasingly become the focus of the organisation's work. As indicated earlier, A+DS is working to deliver better design outcomes with publicly-funded projects such as schools, hospitals and regeneration programmes, and supporting public sector clients in the design process. Our vision is, in the future, to build upon this experience and to establish programmes of work with other sectors, such as private and social housing developers. In line with our aim to lead by example, we will communicate the benefits of good design widely within the Executive, encouraging other policy areas to seek advice and support from A+DS.
ADVOCATING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
The ultimate aim of the Sust. programme is to facilitate the mainstreaming of sustainable design in architecture and the public realm by empowering those involved in the design and delivery process with the knowledge and skills to make a difference. Sust. aims to identify and eradicate 'pressure points', where sustainable concerns are vulnerable in development processes, and thus to identify what needs to be addressed in order develop a new design process that has sustainability at its core. The programme engages key players, including clients, community groups and designers responsible for building projects, and has developed unique training, guidance and information to allow decision-makers to make informed choices about sustainable development. Sust. helps those involved to make the necessary adjustments to their work practices to accommodate change; in effect, to make sustainable development the norm rather than the exception.
HIGHLIGHTING GOOD DESIGN
The Executive is currently working with the Highland Council and others to develop proposals for a Highland Housing Fair. A design competition is also presently being run by the Scottish Executive in conjunction with Glasgow City Council. The aim of the design competition is to raise the profile of master planning and deliver the successful translation of policy into physical reality. The competition is a design, manage and build project for a new housing development on a brownfield site in central Glasgow. It is our hope that these initiatives will, between them, provide practical case studies of good design in both rural and urban housing. We believe that design competitions and initiatives like the Highland Housing Fair can inspire designers, developers and the public, and that they have the potential to substantially raise the expectations of all parties. We will encourage and support similar approaches in the future.
INFORMING OUR FUTURE
Changes to the built environment can have a lasting impact on the communities and people of Scotland, and we must consider the long term future needs of the country if we are to make the right design choices. As the national champion for good architecture, design and planning, A+DS has a central role in identifying the key challenges and opportunities for Scotland's built environment in the long term. The series of colloquia that A+DS has recently organised have successfully brought together a range of individuals and organisations involved in the built environment to discuss and develop dominant themes and we hope that this kind of approach can be further developed, resulting in frameworks for action. This could inform the work of individuals and, at a more strategic level, government policy influencing the way in which organisations develop their approaches to change in the built environment.
A+DS ENABLING
A key element in the programme of developing skills and awareness amongst clients and project teams will be the expansion of the A+DS Enabling programme. The programme is set against a context of major capital investment programmes in health and schools; major regeneration projects on the west coast of Scotland; key housing strategies focusing on procurement and mixed communities; and a culture change in planning, aspiring to a more creative and effective process. A+DS will, therefore, prioritise its work in the areas of healthcare, schools, regeneration and housing, and planning and urban design.
Tools for delivery: In order to deliver on its aims and objectives the Enabling programme uses a variety of tools and techniques, including, but not limited to:
- Design Audits - assisting partners to undertake audits of their current policy, practices and protocols for delivering design quality;
- Design Strategy - assisting partners to establish and communicate their design strategy;
- Strategic Overview Workshops - facilitating workshops to allow partners to consider, define and develop consistent and united design strategies;
- Project Enabling - enabling specific projects to provide hands-on advice and assistance to project, policy and development partners;
- Setting up Design Panels/Sub Groups - assisting in the establishment of regional or project-specific design panels or sub-groups;
- Design Networks - establishing and facilitating regular events amongst partners to share experiences, projects and best practice examples;
- Delivering Design Quality Workshops - facilitating workshops and delivering papers and presentations at conferences and seminars on the principles, value and tools for delivering well designed built environments;
- Guidance - producing guidance on best practice and case study examples on specific themes or built environment sectors; and
- Design Assessment - using the resources of the Enabling Panel; working with partners to evaluate proposals through the design development phase.
DESIRED OUTCOME OF EDUCATION, SKILLS AND ADVOCACY PROGRAMME
BETTER EQUIPPED CLIENTS AND COMMUNITIES
CASE STUDY
INCLUSION/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/LANDSCAPE/ART
THE HIDDEN GARDENS PROJECT, GLASGOW
What is paradise? What is missing from this place? What is specific to this place?
These questions opened the dialogue with the Pollokshields community on the Hidden Gardens project, and arose from research into the relationship between religion and landscape in different places and at different times. This innovative project has seen the transformation of a derelict industrial site on Glasgow's south side into a tranquil and inspirational landscaped public space. Hidden Gardens is the result of a two-year consultation and collaborative design process that involved the environmental arts charity, NVA, landscape architects City Design Co-operative, a team of international artists and the local community in Pollokshields.
The gardens embrace and merge ideas, rituals and forms from different cultures through the work of designers and artists. The starting point for the design programme, artworks and horticultural approach within the gardens was the celebration of diversity in nature and humanity, and the promotion of a deeper understanding of nature through international horticultural traditions. A number of integrated artworks appear throughout the project, including inscribed poems and texts, viewing devices into hidden worlds and a library of the woodland. The gardens also explore the idea of the movement of plants across continents, and ideas of provenance and displacement. Plants significant to different cultures and belief systems occur throughout the gardens and both native and exotic plants are used in a number of carefully orchestrated ways. Dialogue with the community informed the design, the choice of cultural references and the choice of plants.
The Hidden Gardens design incorporates references to the site's history, which is revealed in a number of ways. For instance, certain lines of trees and planting echo a 19th-century nursery layout that once existed on the site providing plants for famous parks and gardens around the world.
The overall effect of the project is a contemplative open space where the diverse communities of the city and visitors alike can find respite in a busy urban environment. Its particular power derives from the fact that the gardens could not be anywhere else - they have been developed very specifically in response to this site and this community.
DIALOGUE WITH THE COMMUNITY INFORMED THE DESIGN, THE CHOICEOF CULTURAL REFERENCES AND THE CHOICE OF PLANTS
CASE STUDY
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/ACCESS/ SUSTAINABILITY/REGENERATION
AQUALIBRIUM, CAMPBELTOWN
Following the closure of the existing recreational complex in 2000 due to structural instability, the provision of new amenities was viewed by Argyll & Bute Council to be of vital strategic importance to the regeneration of Campbeltown Town Centre and to draw new people, in particular professionals such as doctors and nurses, into the area.
After extensive consultation with the local community, the Council produced a brief for the new building which consisted of a 6 lane, 25 m competition swimming pool, a fitness studio, a library, a crèche, café facilities and associated offices. Eight-year-old Caitlin Ronald entered the competition to name the £7 million building, designed by Page and Park, which houses the town's swimming pool, library and gym along with a café, meeting rooms play areas and spaces for community use. As part of her entry, Caitlin explained that her title "Aqualibrium" was derived from aqua (water), libr (library), ium (gymnasium) and, appropriately, sounds like "equilibrium".
An important part of the brief was the requirement to make the building accessible to all of the community, and careful attention was given to the design of facilities for disabled people on all levels of the building. Although facilities for a disabled hoist have been incorporated within the swimming pool area, wheelchair-bound people can also access the pool directly via the floating floor which can be raised level with the pool surround and then submerged.
Wherever possible, materials chosen are recyclable and high levels of insulation are used throughout. The boiler is fuelled with local biomass, which not only provides an affordable, local, sustainable supply of heat to the building, but also supports a new local wood-chip industry. The sawmill at Auchencorvie near Campbeltown has been set up to provide wood-chip to other biomass boilers in the Kintyre region. It is hoped that the increased demand for wood-chip that the new boiler will create will help the establishment of this business and provide work within the region. The biomass boiler provides swimming pool, domestic hot water and space heating for the building, both fitting with the sustainable ethos of the building and ensuring low running costs. The estimated CO 2 saving for the facility resulting from the installation of the wood chip heating system is 333 tonnes per annum.
THE BOILER IS FUELLED WITH LOCAL BIOMASS WHICH NOT ONLY PROVIDES AN AFFORDABLE, LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY OF HEAT TO THE BUILDING
CASE STUDY
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
GIRVAN MASTERPLAN
In 2004, The Lighthouse National Programme and education teams together with Girvan Horizons and Sutherland Hussey Architects carried out a series of workshops and consultations with the Girvan community to produce a regeneration proposal for the town, seeking to raise awareness and aspirations for the future of the predominant sea front. This work became the foundation for a successful European grant application to further develop this work.
This process is a model for any town where there is a desire to raise awareness and aspiration for the future. In our new ACCESS to Architecture campaign we intend to place greater emphasis upon the development and dissemination of replicable approaches.
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