Evidence-Based Design of Elementary and Secondary Schools: A Responsive Approach to Creating Learning Environments

Abstract

314 Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 22 No. 1 (Spring 2012) ISSN: 1546-2250 Evidence-Based Design of Elementary and Secondary Schools: A Responsive Approach to Creating Learning Environments Lippman, Peter C. (2010). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 337 pages. $85.00. ISBN 9780470289105. Evidence-Based Design of Elementary and Secondary Schools is a book written for design professionals that links research-based principles to theories, methods, and best practices for learning space design. It is intended to address the needs of 21st -century students and educators. The author, Peter Lippman, is a school design specialist. He worked as a senior architectural staff member at JCL Architecture in New York City and served as chair for the New York chapter of the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education. Lippman shares his thorough knowledge of programming, planning, and design for learning spaces through dense, scholarly writing that should prove valuable for design and educational professionals, as well as researchers interested in the relationship between pedagogy and the built form of educational environments. The scope and organization of this book also make it an excellent candidate for a course textbook in upper-level undergraduate or graduate architectural studies. Evidence-based design is an integrative process of designing that is transforming the way that architecture and related design disciplines are taught, practiced, and evaluated (Dickinson and Marsden 2009). While it has not yet been widely adopted by the design professions, evidence-based design has greatly influenced the field of healthcare design (Malkin 2008). This is due in part because the very definition of evidence-based design was evolved from evidence-based medicine (Hamilton and Watkins 2009). The Center for Health Design (CHD) defines evidence-based design as “the deliberate attempt to base building decisions on the best available research evidence with the goal of improving outcomes and of continuing to monitor the success or failure for subsequent 315 decision making” (Ulrich et al. 2004). Evidence-based design typically occurs during the pre-design phase, and again during postoccupancy evaluation and is distinguished from traditional architectural design by the use of multidisciplinary design teams and the application of scientific methods to the design process (Hamilton and Watkins 2009). Current thinking in the field emphasizes the collaborative and participatory nature of this process. Architects have long based their designs on some forms of evidence, such as building codes, historical precedents, personal experiences, “best practice” examples, and tacit knowledge (Dickinson and Marsden 2009; Hamilton and Watkins 2009; Schon 1983). Yet the profession has been lacking a research tradition based on empirical investigation. Lippman proposes to fill this gap with a “responsive” approach to design that is user-centric, sitespecific , and grounded in scientific qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. His book is organized into ten chapters that oscillate between detailed procedural descriptions about architectural practices, broad themes linking evidence from learning science to the formal organization of learning spaces and school buildings, and case examples of learning spaces and schools. The first three chapters provide readers with foundational knowledge and practical strategies for incorporating empirical evidence in the design of learning spaces. Chapter 1 situates evidence-based design within an historical overview of architectural theory and practice in the 20th century. Chapter 2 examines the relationship between learning environments and student-teacher behaviors and introduces Lippman’s responsive approach to design. He describes responsive design as being grounded in knowledge of historical precedents, current scholarly literature on learning theory, and an understanding of the role of technology in the learning process. A responsive approach also assumes that the learner is an active agent who acquires knowledge in an environment that stimulates inquiry and fosters social interaction. Chapter 3 provides an overview of data collection techniques and research methodologies and their application to architectural programming and commissioning phases. 316 Chapters 5, 6, and 7 address learning theories, knowledge acquisition, and pedagogy with respect to learning space design. Chapter 5 provides an overview of significant learning theories such as behaviorism, social constructivism, and multiple intelligences. Chapter 6 considers the role of information technology in knowledge acquisition and suggests that learning space definitions include alternative environments facilitated by the Internet and social media. Chapter 7 examines the Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and...