St Mary’s Infant School – Jessop and Cook Architects

Research demonstrates that incorporating key principles of Biophilic design can make dramatic improvements to educations spaces, improving experiences for children, students and staff alike. In fact studies suggest that children can learn 20% to 25% faster when taught in spaces using natural light.

Whilst education establishments can be vast and complicated spaces, I wanted to share this great and relatively simple scheme at St Mary’s infant school in Oxfordshire, England. It demonstrates many beneficial Biophilic features including plentiful natural light from roof lights, views out onto nature, natural materials textures and colours plus safe and sheltered interior and exterior play spaces.

There are 2 sections to the building, each has the same pitched roof profile but they have been offset to create more opportunities for natural light to enter both parts of the building. Integrated acoustic ceiling panelling creates a healthy balanced aural environment – essential for the health and well being of staff members who need to maintain focus and for children to be able to hear clearly during lessons.

The threshold between the interior of the classroom and the outdoors has been blurred – improving the perception of access to nature. At a time when the opportunity for children to experience the outdoors is decreasing, these experiences can be extremely beneficial. Within learning environments, there is evidence that accessing nature can improve focus and behaviour whilst enabling mental restoration, all of which can improve both children and staff’s cognitive functions, therefore their ability to learn and thrive.

St Marys is a small and well contained example of how biophilic design can be beneficially incorporated into educational spaces. Have you had experience of it in other ways or scales of learning spaces, or even experienced the benefit yourself? I’m intrigued to hear others experiences.

Human Spaces (2016) By Jessop and Cook Architects. Resources - Case Studies - 'St Mary's Infant School' [online] Available from: http://humanspaces.com/case-studies/st-marys-infant-school-jessop-and-cook-architects/ [Access date 02/04/2016]

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I add this research into my work as it make me inspire in some way, but also because of the shape of it. Shape of this school is similar to my shape of my pavilions. When I was designing my pavilions I want it to be very simple in shape but also in shape that everyone knows. In England pitched roofs are very common in architecture, every street in my town looks nearly the same with nearly the same houses, it is some kind of culture of this country, and something that make this place unique, and this was my one inspiration to use pitched roof in my design. 

Another reason that I chose this shape of my pavilion was because on my site there is much of modern architecture mixed with old one, and there are nearly all building with flat roof. One Guildhall Square is very new square from 2010, and now on the site new modern complex is appear, so my pavilion in the middle will make nice contrast but in the same way will match with everything else around. 

I also add this research into my design as it is about biophilic design, which I also have tried to add into my pavilion. While working on my projects I tried to use as many natural features as I can add to the temporary pavilion as I want it to be beneficial for people.