Article: Understanding school design processes Journal: Journal of Design Research (JDR) 2014 Vol.12 No.4 pp.280 - 307 Abstract: This paper presents the results of an investigation of the design process of school buildings in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The study was based on structured interviews with the architects who in the last decade designed schools for the local school building agency - Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Educação (FDE). Guiding principles for the questionnaire were extracted from the literature on high-performance school design processes. The results show that the design process is primarily influenced by the agency FDE. This process was compared to recommendations found in the literature. Some opportunities for change could be identified and the characterisation indicates the need for better assessment tools and access to technical information directly applicable to design issues. The results showed a predisposition for change by professionals. New building projects are opportunities to question the status quo. The characterisation of the local design process and understanding the positive attitude of its architects in detail is seen here as an important, however small, step to bring about improvements in education as a whole in the conditions described. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Understanding school design processes

Authors: Doris Catharine Cornelie Knatz Kowaltowski; Marcella Savioli Deliberador

Addresses: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Design, University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Avenida Albert Einstein, 951 – CidadeUniversitária 'ZeferinoVaz', Caixa, 6021, CEP: 13083-852 – Campinas – SP, Brazil ' School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Design, University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Avenida Albert Einstein, 951 – CidadeUniversitária 'ZeferinoVaz', Caixa, 6021, CEP: 13083-852 – Campinas – SP, Brazil

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an investigation of the design process of school buildings in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The study was based on structured interviews with the architects who in the last decade designed schools for the local school building agency - Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Educação (FDE). Guiding principles for the questionnaire were extracted from the literature on high-performance school design processes. The results show that the design process is primarily influenced by the agency FDE. This process was compared to recommendations found in the literature. Some opportunities for change could be identified and the characterisation indicates the need for better assessment tools and access to technical information directly applicable to design issues. The results showed a predisposition for change by professionals. New building projects are opportunities to question the status quo. The characterisation of the local design process and understanding the positive attitude of its architects in detail is seen here as an important, however small, step to bring about improvements in education as a whole in the conditions described.

Keywords: architectural design process; design practice; school design proccess; school buildings; design methods; Brazil; educational improvement.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2014.065844

Journal of Design Research, 2014 Vol.12 No.4, pp.280 - 307

Received: 12 Nov 2013
Accepted: 03 Apr 2014
Published online: 17 Dec 2014 *

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Title: Understanding school design processes

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