360°
Learning through buildings and places
Issue 23: Autumn 2010
Does beauty matter?
Take a picture, win a camera
Beautiful or ugly  you decide
Life after BSF  what next?
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Autumn spotlight°
Welcome to 360Ú  CABE s education
magazine.
04 News Great new public buildings
In this edition, we look at beauty. Almost everyone 06 Outside view
has a view about the buildings, parks and streets
BBC arts correspondent David Sillito
around them. Young people are no different  it s
offers a personal take on beauty
just that they may not yet have the confidence to
express themselves. Getting them to say what they
Centre pull-out poster
like  and dislike  about their environment is an
Park Hill Estate, Sheffield
important lesson.
Careers: Ever wanted to create something
beautiful where you live?
CABE s education work exists to help children
and young people think about the world around
08 Lesson ideas
them. Just as we nurture literacy and mathematical
ability, so we need to provide young people with
10 Education at the architecture centres
the skills to be visually literate about the built
environment so they can understand, enjoy and
11 Teaching and learning in action
shape it.
People and places
This might mean looking critically at their
12 CABE education resources
surroundings, considering what they like or dislike
and why. What impact does proportion, symmetry,
juxtaposition, contrast, scale or perspective have?
Or location, heritage or some other dimension?
On a personal note, a place I find beautiful is
St Pancras station. I remember catching trains
from the old station. It felt dismal and neglected.  Just as we nurture literacy
It was a depressing experience. Now it is truly
and mathematical ability,
uplifting to start or end a journey from the station
with the magnificent blue metal and glass arch
so we need to provide young
soaring 100 feet above you.
people with the skills to be
Having a greater knowledge of the built
environment will help children and young people
visually literate about the
to take advantage of opportunities to influence
and shape their surroundings in the future.
built environment so they
Reflecting on beauty and ugliness is an important
stage in developing these abilities.
can understand, enjoy and
shape it
Anne Diack
Head of education, CABE
360Ú Issue 23
© Steve Hall Photography
Take a photo,
win a camera
There are 35 official  areas of outstanding
natural beauty in England. But 90 per cent
of us live in towns and cities  and most
people rarely get out and visit them.
To focus attention on the quality of urban
areas, and to find out what people love
about where they live, CABE is asking
people to tell us about the places that they
see as  areas of outstanding urban beauty
in a photography competition. This offers
a great opportunity for young people living
in towns and cities to say what they love
about the places near where they live and
use photography to express themselves.
The competition offers children and
young people an excellent opportunity to  CABE is asking people
share their ideas about beauty and images
to tell us about the places
from where they live. Going out and finding
urban beauty could make a great lesson.
they love in a photography
Details of the photography competition
competition. This offers
are at www.cabe.org.uk/competition
The closing date for entries is Monday
a great opportunity for
18 October.
young people to express
Earlier this year, CABE asked residents of
Sheffield what they thought. Many were
themselves
surprised to be asked, but they had a lot to
say on the subject. Most agreed that beauty
exists in Sheffield itself  the distinctive mills,
workshops and canals, as well as the new
squares, offices and public buildings built
in the city over the last 10 years. Several of
those places feature in this issue of 360Ú.
So if you re looking for inspiration, watch
these films made in Sheffield, and hear real
people talking about beauty in their city.
www.cabe.org.uk/competition/sheffield
360°
03
News°
Great new
buildings on show
A children s centre in south
west London is among the
shortlisted schemes for the
2010 Prime Minister s Better
Public Building Award.
The welcoming Lowther Children s
Centre (right) is a single-storey Chamberlain sixth
space for foundation learning form college won in 2009,
that combines energy efficiency and in 2006 the prize went
with bold design. It s become a to the City of London academy
local landmark and community (pictured below). Other winners
hub  and highlights how good have included the Dalby Forest
design can support learning. Visitors Centre in Yorkshire,
the Royal Alexandra Children s
In all, 22 great buildings have Hospital in Brighton and Tate
 There s a good chance been shortlisted for the CABE- Modern in London.
backed award. There s a good
you ll be near enough
chance you ll be near enough
to visit one of these
to visit one of these incredible
incredible buildings
buildings. Visit www.betterpublic
building.org.uk for more details.
Education buildings have done
well in recent years. Joseph
The 2010 shortlist includes a
visitor centre at the summit of
Snowdon (below left), and New
Stobhill, a stunning new hospital
for Glasgow (above left).
To find out more, visit www.
betterpublicbuilding.org.uk
04 360Ú Issue 23
360Ú Issue 23
BSF stops  so what s next?
The announcement by become the only realistic
education secretary Michael option for the majority of
Gove that the Building schools. Yet just as with a
Schools for the Future (BSF) new build, design quality can
programme would be ending make the difference between
means that more than 700 a successful refurbishment
secondary schools around and an expensive failure.
the country are now looking
at alternatives to new build.
 CABE is advising anyone
looking at refurbishment,
This announcement in July
Fun times and
highlighting examples of
signals a new policy direction,
serious lessons
curtailing previous plans to successful projects
renew or rebuild every secondary
school in the country by 2020. A new film telling the story
Refurbishment is likely to New online advice from CABE of one school s efforts to
points out the most common become more sustainable has
pitfalls of school refurbishment been released by CABE.
and offers examples of projects
that have been completed The film focuses on Boltons Church
successfully. It gives school of England School in Cumbria, and
building clients an overview shows how teachers and pupils
of the renewal process and got involved in Green Day 2010.
explains how refurbishment This initiative helps to make schools
need not be second best. sustainable and inspires pupils and
teachers to learn about climate
CABE can help anyone change and how it relates to the
involved in designing a new buildings and spaces around them.
school, at www.cabe.org.uk/
schools Specific advice on Pupils at Boltons Church conducted
refurbishment is available at a sustainability audit of the school
www.cabe.org.uk/schools/ and produced cardboard bricks
refurbishment containing their wishes of how they
wanted their school to be in future.
Across Britain, around 250,000
young people took part in this
year s Green Day, in more than
1,000 schools. Eight out of 10
schools told us that their teachers
Have you used a CABE and pupils would be more hands
education resource as the on in future in helping their school
basis for a project or lesson to become more sustainable.
with young people? Would you
like to see them included here You can view the film, and see
or on our website? If so please photo stories and vox pops from
email [e-mail] Green Day, on our website,
www.cabe.org.uk/greenday
It also has information about
Green Day 2011.
360Ú Issue 23 05
Left © Charlotte Wood Photography
Far left © Andy McGregor
Below left © Ray Hole Architects
Below © Apollo Education
Outside view°
It matters if
it s beautiful
David Sillito, arts correspondent
at the BBC, has been reporting on
architecture and how it affects people
for almost 20 years. He answers the
question: does beauty matter?
Circle Bath is a new hospital a place for civilised encounters. leaking temporary classrooms.
designed by Foster and A fountain where the jets You could feel the chatter and
Partners. Inside, it feels like a of water grew in size when cheekiness rising as we walked
hotel. There is a nice view, good traffic increased. towards them.
coffee and comfortable seats.
It does not feel like a hospital: Cars slowed down, drivers It s taken me a while (about 15
it is far too hospitable. The man became more courteous, years of filmmaking) to realise
next to me asked where the accident rates fell. Beauty why beauty matters.
waiting room was. He was told demanded respect.
he was sitting in it.
Christ s College School in
I asked the surgeons who Guildford is a Stirling Prize-
owned the building  why waste nominated example of a new
money on making something school building. Is it beautiful?
look nice? What possible use It is, actually, rather austere
is a beautiful hospital?  The and formal. The decoration is
patients turn up on time, said devoid of the bright colours
one.  It relaxes them: they need of many modern schools, and
less anaesthetic, said another. the finishing with its exposed
brickwork is far from most
The answers, as you can see, people s view of pretty or
were remarkably hard headed. beautiful. It is, though, calm,
Beauty was business. grown up and seems to exude
a sense of serious purpose.
In Holland I met a traffic
engineer, Hans Monderman. What is the biggest effect the
He wanted to make towns new school building has had,
safer, so he took out all the I asked.  The pupils are better
safety features. The barriers, behaved, came the reply.
the pedestrian crossings, the I wasn t expecting that.
traffic lights and even the kerbs
 all went. What he replaced Talking to the pupils, there was
it with was a street design that a sense that this was a place
was prettier. It looked like an that demanded a certain way of
old-fashioned market square, behaving. It is not a style they
would, perhaps, choose for their
Things of beauty: the new building bedrooms, but that is the point.
for Christ s College in Guildford
(top and centre) encourages good
When I was at school we all
behaviour, while Circle Bath (opposite)
assumed that the less important
relaxes its patients.
lessons took place in the
06
Buildings are usually places for
people to do things. If beauty lifts
our spirits, makes us smile and
removes some of the aggravation,
then we will almost certainly do
these things more successfully.
But, more than that, if something
has been made beautiful, it
obviously matters to someone
and the people allowed to use
it obviously must also matter.
 The uglier it is, the stronger
But what is beauty, and who
the message:  you don t
decides? The cliché is that
deserve beauty; what you
beauty lies only in the eye of
do is not worth very much 
the beholder. I disagree.
Beauty is about proportion,
shape and detail, but more So why does beauty matter?
than anything it is about care. There has been some interesting
Tastes in decoration may vary research into spelling mistakes
but they are a code we begin in emails. The number of
to understand from a young mistakes increased if the
age. The pupils in Guildford sender thought they were more
took school more seriously important than the recipient.
because the building was not a Grammar and spelling has
plaything, nor did it show signs become a way of measuring
of neglect. Everyone has some respect in an organisation.
understanding of craftsmanship, In a choice between a beautiful
detail and proportion, even if handwritten letter or a misspelt
they cannot put it in to words. email, the words are only part
We may not all love the style of the message.
of St Paul s Cathedral or the
Gherkin, but it is obvious that The same thing applies to
someone has put effort in to it: beauty in buildings. It s a way
they wanted it to be beautiful; of communicating what we think
they cared about the people of the people in the building
who use it. and what they do. The uglier it
 If something has been is, the stronger the message:
Towns, then, become puzzles.  you don t deserve beauty; what
made beautiful, it obviously
Why did someone make that you do is not worth very much .
matters to someone and
church beautiful? Why did Perhaps this is why people
the people allowed to use it
someone design something cheer when bad buildings are
obviously must also matter
that way? Who decided that demolished. That contempt for
those people deserved that who they are and what they do
environment? is being blown up.
360Ú Issue 23 07
Far left © DSDHA
Left © Dennis Gilbert
Right © Nigel Young/Foster + Partners
Lesson ideas°
 I hate this
building&
it s so ugly
Getting pupils to express strong
opinions is an excellent way into a
whole range of subjects. Why not
try some of these lesson ideas
and activities to bring beauty into
the classroom&
Does beauty really matter to reflect on what they find For more detailed, curriculum-
people? Research for CABE beautiful or ugly, and why, linked lesson plans, visit
has just come back with a will help them to become www.cabeurl.com/ee
resounding yes. more confident and influence
what happens around them.
A national survey, conducted  Ask your class to think about
by Ipsos MORI, produced Unpacking beauty
a beautiful place or space 
compelling findings. A large To introduce the topic, ask
perhaps somewhere they ve
majority  eight out of 10  your class to think about a
visited, or seen on TV, in a
think everyone should be able to place they like or hate  perhaps
magazine or online
experience beauty on a regular somewhere they ve visited,
basis. Only 18 per cent think or seen on TV, in a magazine or
that beauty matters less if you online. Write down the students
are poor. Even fewer, 12 per choices. Ask students to present
cent are too busy to take any their  place to the rest of the
notice of beauty. class, or divide them into smaller
groups to discuss the reasons
Getting young people to talk behind choices.
about beauty can be a great
starting point for getting them Group the responses and see
involved in shaping the look if any patterns emerge. Did the
and feel of places where they class choose places in urban
live. This all points to a great or rural areas? Was there a
opportunity for lessons in and beautiful place that divided
out of the classroom  urging opinion, or that all of the
children and young people to class agreed upon?
Discuss these outcomes
with the class before moving
 Eight out of 10 people think on to the activities below.
everyone should be able to
experience beauty regularly
 and just 18 per cent think
beauty matters less if you
are poor
08
 What s beautiful in your local environment?
Why do people respect certain areas but
not others?
History Art and design
 How and why do places  Explore traditionally beautiful
change? What impact can works of art. What do they make
national and international you feel when you look at them?
events have on a place?  Focus on the poster from this
 Focus on a local building issue of 360Ú. Design a piece
or place. Search for old of public art to bring beauty to a
photos, videos or paintings place or space near your school.
of it. Examine these sources
and chart the evolution of the Citizenship
area on a timeline. Have any  What s beautiful in your
major events meant this place local environment? What is
has become more popular? worth saving or regenerating?
Is it seen as worth preserving? Why do people respect some
Or is it perceived as ugly areas but not others?
and neglected? Why? Who in your local
 Explore the issues and area is
reasons behind why buildings
and places change.
Consider the impact that Investigate famous
past events have had on places which employ this,
your area. like the Parthenon in Greece.
 Which buildings are seen as
beautiful? Is this because of the
way they have been designed?
Find a photo of the Taj Mahal
in India. How many lines of
symmetry can you spot? Why do
people find symmetrical buildings
and shapes beautiful?
responsible for keeping
places beautiful? Geography
 Ask students to discuss  Looking outdoors, which
vandalism and graffiti. Are places in your local area do you
there differences between enjoy? What features make them
the two? Discuss respect beautiful? Is it ponds and wildlife,
English and responsibility. or more urban areas? Are they
 Pick an example of writing polluted or clean?
you find beautiful and one you Maths  Conduct your own survey to
find ugly. It could be the words  Assess some of the findings identify an outdoor space that
in a book or a song, or a piece from our survey (available at needs an injection of beauty.
of dialogue in a film. What makes www.cabe.org.uk/people- How could this be achieved?
beautiful language? What makes and-places) and conduct Use the poster from this issue
something sound ugly? a questionnaire on beauty. of 360Ú as inspiration.
 Review the most beautiful Record the results using a
place you have ever seen line of best fit or a bar chart. To read the Ipsos MORI research,
in the style of a travel blog.  Investigate the impact of watch a short film and find out
Describe why it had an impact maths on buildings. Visit www. more about CABE s people and
or think how you might engagingplaces.org.uk and places project, visit www.cabe.
persuade others to visit. search for  the Golden Ratio . org.uk/people-and-places
360Ú Issue 23 09
Top left © Urban Exposure Above © Joe D Miles Left © David Burton/Alamy
Education at the architecture centres°
Laying down the
green challenge
Open City, London, is offering
all primary school students in
the UK the chance to enter a
green school design challenge
this autumn.
West Yorkshire
The CABE-sponsored  my
connections green school design challenge
runs between September and
A consultation programme for December. Primary schools are
three West Yorkshire schools invited to create designs for eco-
facing amalgamation has asked friendly schools, supporting in-
local people what facilities class explorations of eco-design
they think are needed for and architecture and offering an
modern teaching and learning. excellent way to introduce design
The Connect 3 programme into the curriculum.
was devised and delivered by
Beam, Wakefield. School council All participating teachers will
members, teachers, parents receive a copy of a  my green
Free lessons
and governors took part in a school eco-design resource
for teachers
structured programme of site and will be supported by Open
visits, design workshops and City. Whether you spend a day,
Do you want to learn more about events, with a team of creative a week or a half-term on your
delivering built environment architects, looking in particular investigations, the resource will
education as part of the curriculum, at the facilities and the design help you to plan creative, hands-
and about developing stronger of the school. on activities linked to subjects
links and partnerships with schools across the curriculum.
and professionals in your area? A short film highlighting
The Solent Centre for Architecture stakeholders views was screened Winning entries will be
+ Design specialises in delivering at an event where ideas for the celebrated at an awards event
high-quality opportunities for school were presented. Local in December. For more details
teachers, professionals and young people were invited to comment on entering contact Ros Croker
people. It offers four one-day on and add ideas. Local authority on 020 7383 5722 or rcroker@
courses: buildings for learning, representatives then led a open-city.org.uk
landscapes for learning, learning discussion.
through sustainability, and learning
through public art and placemaking. Beam has produced a summary The Architecture Centre
that will inform the final design
Network co-ordinates,
With a diverse audience of brief for the amalgamated school.
supports and advances
professionals, artists and teachers, For more information please visit
the work of architecture
each course offers opportunities www.beam.uk.net or call
and built environment
for collaboration and networking. 01924 215 550.
centres.
These CABE-sponsored courses
are free to teachers, with good rates
For details of your local
available for other professionals.
architecture and built
To book, contact Val or Mark at
environment centre,
the Solent Centre for Architecture
as well as news, activities,
+ Design on 023 8028 3053, or
events and programmes
visit www.solentcentre.org.uk/
in your region, go to
education/teacher-training
www.architecturecentre.net
10
Above © A&M Photography Left © Valeria Carullo
Teaching and learning in action°
People
and places
The Old Royal Naval College
at Greenwich is one of
London s greatest buildings.
It inspired year 3 students
at the local Wingfield Primary
School to design a stunning
collaborative artwork.
Setting sail Inspiring beauty Future forecast
Wingfield teacher Rachel The students first task was The project helped the young
Vikentiou was interested in to understand this fascinating people involved to understand
how art can change or improve set of buildings. What did they the impact that they can have
an  ugly space. Jo Hall from mean to the people who lived on their own estate in south
The Greenwich Foundation and worked there? Why did they London. They began to understand
was looking for a group of pupils care so much about the way they how works of art are important
to design a new artwork inspired looked? How could the students not only in the development of
by the Old Royal Naval College. findings influence their own local beautiful places, but also depend
Through the Engaging Places area and the way that it looks? upon these places for their own
network, a partnership was In school, work spanned subjects creation. The beautiful work that
forged and, in the spring of 2010, including, history, art and design, the young people first saw and
they set sail on a fascinating geography, maths and science. then created was inspired by the
project. beauty of the places around them.
Visits to the college followed,
The College has been used for where students heard stories
many different purposes over the about the buildings and
years. As the use of the space the people who lived there. Project aims and impact
changed, so did its occupants. Sketchbooks were soon filled
Most tried to make the buildings with observational drawings The teachers wanted to
more beautiful. With this in and rubbings. By summer 2010 increase students :
mind, the Wingfield pupils set the pieces were completed and · learning enjoyment
about exploring the site, using exhibited, to rave reviews, in · observation skills
sketching, storytelling and the Discover Greenwich Centre, · sense of responsibility for
treasure hunts to unpack the rich a stone s throw from the college the world around them
histories bound up in the place. and artwork which had inspired · confidence and presentation
the students artwork. skills.
The students learnt by:
· thinking about beauty and
creating work inspired by
a local landmark
· investigating their local area
· visiting a historic building and
exploring it in a variety of ways
· understanding the role they
could play in shaping their
community.
360Ú Issue 23 11
Above © Sarah Porter/CABE
Left © Christopher Grote
CABE helps schools design the campus and teach the curriculum
We offer expert advice to schools rebuilding or refurbishing their buildings
or grounds. And we deliver resources and programmes that help teachers
use the built environment to inspire learning about any subject at every age.
Sign up online to CABE s network of teachers and other professionals. You ll get
free copies of 360Ú magazine mailed to you direct and have access to all of our
education resources. www.cabe.org.uk/360
CABE education resources
My space, my base, my place Engaging Places Green Day
This new resource is designed Supporting teaching and Green Day is an event that
for teachers to guide key stage 3 learning through buildings and helps to make schools more
pupils through a classroom project places. The website is packed sustainable. It will inspire pupils
that explores the built and natural with ideas and information to and colleagues in your school to
environment, and our relationships help you, including case studies, learn about climate change and
with these. The guide includes lesson plans, venues to visit how it relates to the buildings
three worksheets that can be and teaching resources for and spaces around them. More
used for in-class activities or all ages. You can also sign than 1,000 schools took part
home learning. Each activity helps up for our newsletter online at in this year s Green Day. To find
pupils to think about where they www.engagingplaces.org.uk out more and download free
live, learn and play. The project teaching resources, visit
presents cross-curricular learning www.cabe.org.uk/greenday
opportunities that draw links
across subjects and help pupils
understand the world around
them. To order a copy please
email [e-mail]
We want to hear about your
favourite place and what
young people can learn
from it. Send your ideas to
[e-mail]
CABE is supported by
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Cover image: Liverpool One © David Millington Photography Ltd
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