The importance of stakeholders for school architecture: a game to support participatory processes

<p></p><p>Abstract In order to improve education many steps and actions are necessary. New schools have an impact on society and the buildings need to express environmental, social, technical and economical values. Several different stakeholders should be involved in the discussion of new educational models. The physical environment must be included in the debates and the design process of new schools should include educational specialists, design professionals and the school community. The methodological question here is how to make the participation of such a diverse group of people feasible. This article discusses different stakeholders that should be involved in a participatory design process at the briefing phase. The methodology used in this study is based on a literature review of architectural programming tools and design parameters for school buildings. A game was developed to function as a support tool. A focus group methodology was used to test the tool for briefing. The tool, similar to a deck of cards, is divided into fifteen suites, which represent essential topics related to school architecture. The application of this game structures the debate in the focus group. A simulation of that participatory process is described. The inclusion of the different stakeholders ensured that the different voices were heard and the results show that each stakeholder has his or her individual contribution to the debate. A participatory design process supported by this type of tool can aid in the development of ways to improve the quality of school buildings, as well as the quality of education as a whole by giving support to better learning environments.</p><p></p