A ground-breaking POE study highlights design strategies that enhance inclusivity in education

Written By Louise Crozier

A new post occupancy evaluation study of Mancel College GLA Building 1 – conducted by Giarola Architects in partnership with Griffiths University – provides important insights about the design and delivery of inclusive teaching and learning spaces. These findings can be applied to enhance outcomes for students of all abilities, in both specialised and general education settings.

The recently completed Mancel College GLA Building 1 is a pioneering project in the realm of educational architecture. It was conceptualised and brought to life by Giarola Architects in collaboration with our long-standing client, Language Disorder Australia.

The project aimed to support the unique educational needs of students with Language Disorder, ranging from Prep to Grade 12, and we conducted extensive research prior to developing the school’s new masterplan and Building 1.

Unfortunately, our initial research investigations revealed significant evidence gaps around how to best address the diverse needs of students with Language Disorder and Autism (which often co-occur) in the design of new teaching and learning spaces.

To overcome these gaps, we compiled all of the publicly available data about key factors and variables that have been proven to support learning and wellbeing outcomes for children with Language Disorder and Autism, and then applied them in a hierarchical way to our design for the new classrooms at Mancel College Building 1.

Based on our findings, each classroom comprises a main teaching space, a quiet breakout space, a balcony for small group work, and large outdoor learning areas for class activities. These layouts – enriched by carefully considered lighting and acoustics – create an environment conducive to positive learning outcomes. 

These evidence-based design solutions have been rigorously tested, to inform future projects.

Once the project was completed and students, teachers, allied health professionals and other staff had moved into Building 1, we tested our theories and their application, to determine whether they produced the desired learning outcomes.

We partnered with Kate Simpson – an Associate Professor at Griffith University, Autism Centre of Excellence – to develop a new Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) survey, and this enabled us to better understand the impact of our formalised design strategies on student engagement, and learning and well-being, in the new classrooms and the adjacent spaces.

General learning classroom at Mancel College

General learning classroom. Photographer: Highshots Photography.

From this ground-breaking Post Occupancy Evaluation research, we identified three important findings:

1. Teaching spaces should be flexible and adaptable

The Mancel College pedagogy called for larger-than-usual, flexible and adaptable classrooms, with direct connections with courtyards and the internal walkway and outdoor learning areas.

We provided a series of breakout spaces that are attached to each classroom, and the POE found that these were beneficial for both staff and students, as they provided dedicated spaces for sensory regulation and/or the delivery of small group activities.

2. Outdoor connections enhance indoor learning spaces

Every classroom opens up to vibrant outdoor learning spaces, and these foster an interactive and adaptive learning experience which connects students and staff with the adjacent bushland setting.

This enables the curriculum to take advantage of integrated sustainable practices and also nurtures students’ connections with nature.

3. Safety is of the highest importance

The safety of both staff and students in all areas of the new classrooms and building was paramount in the design strategy.

To this end, we prioritised line of sight, passive supervision and access control, and also gave due consideration to the judicious use of colours, materials and finishes, to allow staff and students to feel safe and ‘at home’.

Outdoor learning area at Mancel College

Outdoor learning area. Photographer: Highshots Photgraphy.

How will we apply these findings in future projects?

These ground-breaking POE findings into the design of spaces that nurture and support students with Language Disorder and Autism will inform all of our future projects at Giarola Architects.

As well enhancing outcomes in specialised learning settings, these research findings can be applied in mainstream classrooms settings, to enhance inclusivity and improve outcomes for all students, regardless of their ability or individual learning needs.

In addition, we’re sharing our findings as widely as possible so that others can also plug the evidence gaps we discovered in our initial review of existing literature.

In September 2024, architect Ray Giarola and academic Kate Simpson jointly presented these POE research findings at the Australian Association of Special Education Conference in Perth.

It’s our fervent hope that by sharing this knowledge with the design and education communities, other architects, designers, schools and education providers will benefit from applying our key findings, as they design and develop new education projects.

And we’re optimistic that together we can build on this knowledge through more rigorous testing in future, so that students and educators everywhere can continue to make significant advances to achieve equitable and inclusive education goals.

Would you like to partner with us to deliver your next project?

Giarola Architects has developed extensive expertise in the design and delivery of inclusive and innovative education settings for more than 30 years.

Thanks to our long-standing collaboration with specialist school clients – including Language Disorder Australia and Autism Queensland – we’ve developed and refined our unique skills around the delivery of educational environments that allow all students of all abilities to flourish academically and socially.

If you’d like to talk to us about how you can enhance inclusivity at your school by design, we invite you to explore our services, including:

  • Our Inclusive Education Evaluation service (email us here to find out more)

  • Our Signature Vision Process (email us here to find out more)

Or call our studio on 07 3878 3330 to find out more about how we can collaborate to bring your vision to life.

Featured project:

Mancel College – GLA Building 1

 
Louise Crozier http://louisecrozier.com/
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