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The Ministry of Education and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia and the Centre for Effective Learning Environments held an international conference on “Sustainable School Buildings: From Concept to Reality”. The conference took place on 1-2 October, 2009 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Sustainable schools are high on the agenda of governments and society. Governments are placing the issue at centre stage in economic stimulus plans, and society is demanding more of education than just meeting short term needs of curricula.
Sustainable architecture extends beyond energy efficiency and green buildings. It incorporates the values of economic viability, social justice and ecological preservation in all stages of planning, design, construction and maintenance. Sustainable architecture is key to creating school facilities for the 21st century.
To create lasting spaces in schools demands an architecture that supports education, the school’s ideology and the changing needs of the individual. However, creating a sustainable architecture involves navigating a range of different challenges including conflicting policies and legislation, as well as the practical needs of the school, community and education in general.
Through presentations, discussions, school visits and an exhibition, the conference explored these challenges and how sustainable architecture is realised in school facilities; it also shared knowledge on good practices and innovative facilities.
The poster exhibition displayed school facilities that demonstrate characteristics of flexibility, use of natural and local materials, integration with the surrounding environment, engagement with the community, respect for cultural and natural heritage and use of didactic and sensory details in achieving sustainable architecture. Visit the conference website www.oecd.org/edu/facilities/sustainableschools for more information.
For more information, contact Alastair Blyth (alastair.blyth@oecd.org) or Christin Cave (christin.cave@oecd.org).
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