A week ago last Wednesday, I spent a very pleasurable and interesting 30 minutes at the presentation by Masters' students from Sheffield University Architecture Department, of a design for a new facility for Paces Sheffield "to create one of the leading purpose-built conductive education centres in the country." (Andrew Sutton's Facebook post "Something of wider significance at Paces Sheffield" has some useful links.)
The students had clearly put a lot of work into their proposed design and presentation. The 3-D viewer which provided a 360°panorama was great fun. They certainly deserved all the congratulations they received - including, I understand, an individual 'thank you' card, handmade by the clients of Paces' adults' day group. The whole exercise and the consultations that are part of it, seem to me at least, to have been thoroughly worthwhile.
It will be interesting to see where the process goes next. Will there be further opportunities for the findings to be fed back to all who contributed, for instance? Andrew asks another question "Will they now share publicly with other people in Conductive Education the resulting vision...?" Inevitably, such a bold move would raise more questions and such an ambition invites further contributions. I've been mulling over three questions in the 10 days or so since.
My first question is rather more of an observation - or maybe lack of observation on my part: how is the resulting design environmentally sustainable and energy efficient? That's not a question presuming a technical answer - for instance the Passivhaus standard and methodology - but that and more: "It is intended to be a 'centre of excellence' [where] the idea of excellence needs to find expression in the way our building and grounds are physically developed and used. Therefore, it is intended to use architects, artists and designers of high repute to ensure that the environment, within and without the building, will inspire the minds of those who use it." (Paces' first leaflet. 1997.)
My second question is how is the resulting design "conductive"? How would spaces "purpose-built" for conductive education differ from those for other purposes? Is it even a meaningful question to ask, how is a design 'conductive'? In a similar sort of way, I recall the good people at SAHK some years ago describing their 'conductive' management structure. Was that ever a meaningful question? I for one thought it was a notion certainly worth exploring. So how is the design for Paces Sheffield's new facility 'conductive' and how might others from around the world contribute to and learn from Paces' design? The students were given a briefing on conductive education. Conductive education is nothing if it is not radical, even disruptive. How should that radical, disruptive essence translate into design? Is the notion of radical, disruptive design even meaningful?
My third question concerns continuing conductive education services for adults, both young and older. I have already written something about continuing conductive education services "Designing Companionable Spaces For Adult Continuing Conductive Education". I more or less concluded that "Designing companionable spaces for adult continuing conductive education is a challenge to our imagination." Putting the same thought negatively: adult continuing education is not just "big school". So my third question is what are the design characteristics of spaces for adult continuing conductive education as distinct from those for children? I suggested that "What’s needed are spaces designed to be fluid and flexible, to be shared and inclusive" and that the resultant design should take account of "the whole site – indoors and outdoors; movement and access, in and around it" and of "the site in its landscape – physically and socially".
With this third question in mind, two characteristics of the resultant design as presented stand out: the adults' rooms (i) are attached as a continuation of the Paces School and children's spaces and (ii) are detached entirely from the main building on the Paces Campus site, not even with sheltered walkways nor linking corridors, with its public cafe, community spaces and other organisations delivering activities and services for adults with disabilities and the wider community.
Where is the Bowling Alley? No. That wasn't intended as a practical suggestion, even when asked at the first consultation meeting with Paces' adult services clients and their families. Nor was 'Where is the Brewery?" nor even "Where is the cafe staffed by adults with disabilities? The Bowling Alley question was a metaphor, a symbol, standing for the question about what continuing adult conductive education spaces were actually for. For inclusion? Citizenship? Life-long learning? Micro-enterprise? Dancing? Gardening and growing plants? Exercise? Fun? With other people and not just those with disabilities? Not just 'big school'.
Paces' commitment "to create one of the leading purpose-built conductive education centres in the country" offers an opportunity to open out imaginations and invite contributions, to draw on experiences from anyone, anywhere in the world. How might that be encouraged?
-------------------------
A New Home for Paces. A Vision for the Future of Paces. Take a look. An impressive pice of work. Some excellent graphics.