Research in practice: Learning from the experience of Hazelwood School, EDINBURGH

Date: Tuesday, 7th October 2008
Time: 15.00-17.00 hrs
Venue: Hunter Lecture Theatre, Hunter Building, Edinburgh College of Art, 74 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9DF

Programme
15.00 Registration and refreshments
15.30 Welcome
15.35 Presentation
16.35 Questions and answers
17.00 Close

Abstract - RESEARCHING A SCHOOL TO DELIGHT THE SENSES

Hazelwood is a co-educational, inter-denominational school for children and young people aged from 2-19 years with sensory impairment and in some cases associated physical disability. The school capacity provides a maximum of 60 pupils with one to one teaching and support. It is a purpose built school designed to meet the requirements of pupils and is located in a beautiful wooded setting adjacent to Bellahouston Park on the south-west edge of the city of Glasgow.
The interior of the school has been aimed at maximising independence and providing the optimum learning environment. This ensures a secure and highly stimulating educational experience for all the pupils. The physical location provides a natural and easily accessible range of outdoor activities. The layout of  the classrooms enhances a sense of progression through the stages from pre 5 to senior school, where the life skills house is provided to equip them with some degree of independent living
The customised design of the school is the product of a research and development collaboration of parents, staff, associated agencies and the architects and design team as there was no adequate precedent.. In conjunction the architecture research unit ScotMARK the architects undertook a ‘Hindsight Review’ of the research process to reflect on how they might capture such experiential learning through future practice – and have joinTly published this for the benefit of a wider audience. The talk will be delivered by representatives of the architects and research unit and will focus on the process of briefing, researching, designing, constructing and delivering what is a unique school in Scotland, and the possible implications for how architects across the country can begin to capture such experiential knowledge.

Speakers

Professor Gordon Murray. PPRIAS, RIBA, RIAI, MCIArb.

Gordon Murray is a principal in gordon murray+alan dunlop-architects. Their work has been exhibited in London, at the Royal Scottish Academy and RIAS in Edinburgh, the Lighthouse in Glasgow, Rotterdam and Marseilles-as well as Landforms at the 2004 Venice Biennale. They are recognised for projects across Scotland, and more recently Europe, which are both thoughtful and thought provoking. In the ten years Gordon and Alan have been together the practice has won over twenty five national and international architecture awards.

He has taught in Schools of Architecture in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast where he is also External Examiner at the University of Ulster.
He was appointed Head of School and Professor in Architecture and Urban Design at University of Strathclyde in April 2007.
He was President of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland 2003-5 and is a Trustee of the Lighthouse-Scotland’s National Centre for Architecture, Design and the City. He is also on the board of Architects Professional Examination Authority Scotland.

Two volumes on the work of the practice are currently available-
 gm+ad: challenging contextualism  –2003; and  gm+ad: curious rationalism – 2006.

Professor Paul Jenkins MA(Arch), Dip (Arch) PhD ARB

Paul Jenkins trained initially as an architect at Edinburgh University and has worked during the past 35 years in Edinburgh, Glasgow and various African countries in, and with, a wide range of private sector, non-governmental, local & central government, international aid, community-based organisations and academic institutions. His cross-disciplinary work includes architecture, construction, housing, planning and urban studies – in practice, policy-making, teaching/training and research. More than 20 years of this has been in Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Angola, prior to his return to academia in the UK in 1996.

He has published widely on the changing relationship between the state, private sector and civil society in urban development (Carley, Jenkins & Smith, 2001, ”Urban development and civil society: the role of communities in sustainable cities”, Earthscan); the political economy and its effect on architecture and the built environment (Edwards & Jenkins, 2005, “Edinburgh: the making of a capital city”, Edinburgh University Press); the conceptualisation of planning and housing in the rapidly urbanising world (Jenkins, Smith & Wang, 2006, “Housing and Planning in the Rapidly Urbanising World”, Routledge); and widening social participation in planning (Hague & Jenkins, 2004, “Place identity, participation and planning”, Routledge) and architecture (Jenkins & Forsyth, forthcoming, “Architecture, participation and society”).

Paul Jenkins is Professor of Architecture & Human Settlements at the School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University, where he directs the Centre for Environment & Human Settlements (CEHS), and Coordinator of ScotMARK, the architecture research centre he founded at the School of Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art. ScotMARK started in 2005 as a research network of schools of architecture/built environment across Scotland but has evolved to become a key research institution with UK and international scope – undertaking research within and across academic, professional practice and wider social fields. For more information see:
http://www.scotmark.eca.ac.uk/;
http://www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/ResearchandBusiness/CEHS/index.htm?pane=3; and
http://www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/staffprofiles/J/PaulJenkins.htm

Booking

To book a place please book online, or phone CBE on 0141 273 1411, or send a message to cbeinfo@gcal.ac.uk.  You can also fax us on 0141 273 1418. When booking, please provide contact details (e.g. title, name, surname, organisation, address, town/city, postcode, telephone, fax, e-mail).

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