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Circulation routes should be clear to all (not just regular)
users.
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Privacy may be desirable in some parts of the school.
The
circulation pattern of a school is an important planning point
that must be got right early in the design stage. There should
be a clear circulation strategy covering all levels from access
to the buildings to local circulation between spaces.
As there will be more people using schools in the future who
are not familiar with the buildings, entrances should be clear
and welcoming. This should be achieved through architecture,
not just signage. School buildings and their surrounding environment
should be physically accessible to all potential users (see
Building Bulletins 91 and 94).
The number of entry points into the building will need to
be considered, particularly in a large school. Will there
be a single point of entry into the building(s) or will there
be a number of entrances according to the nature of the user
(e.g. pre-school, school pupils, business users and community
users)? The former may be easier to secure but the latter
may reduce congestion.
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Circulation
routes within the building(s) should be easy to follow, particularly
tothose parts of the school most likely to be used by those
unfamiliar with the building, such as a performance space. Routes
should be clear even without signs.
Legible routes are especially important to those who are visually
impaired or those SEN pupils for whom research shows that predictability
is important. Circulation should make efficient use of available
area and where appropriate there should be overlap between circulation
and social or study space.
Users should agree the extent to which areas of the school are
open to all. Openness needs to be balanced against security,
particularly if there are 0-5 year-olds on site (although security
concerns should not affect the function of the school). The
school may want to limit the number of people passing certain
rooms at various times during the day, particularly during examination
times. Routes can be designed to ensure some private areas for
school pupils such as spaces used for examinations or consultation
rooms. It may be useful to group spaces together that are most
often used after school hours to allow zoning of services and
better security. |
