Designing Schools for Connection, Not Just Construction
At the 2025 Learning Environments Australia conference held in Brisbane, my colleague Theresa Bower and I had the privilege of sharing our work on embedding community voices—especially those of students and First Nations peoples—into school masterplanning from the outset.
We were grateful to be part of a program shaped by the leadership of Katarina Dracopolis and Julie Saunders. From place-based resilience to questions of access, ethics, wellbeing and climate urgency, their program challenged us to think beyond buildings and ask: What do we truly value in learning environments?
Across keynotes, panels and conversations, one message stood out—schools must be designed as anchors for community life. As Kerstin Thompson noted, schools are not just places to learn. They are places to vote, to gather in crisis, to receive care. They’re public, civic, and deeply social spaces. Design must support that role. Here are some ways we can make that happen:
1. It Takes a Village—So Design for One Anne Hollonds, Australia’s Children’s Commissioner, made a powerful case: students don’t just need a place to attend—they need a place to belong. That means designing spaces that support trust, relationships, and daily care—not just curriculum. She asked: what would it look like if schools were service hubs? They could be integrated with health, mental health and family supports, all in one place. This would also help to reduce the burden on teachers.
2. Spaces Should Reflect How People Live and Learn The academic panel—Associate Professor Kelly Greenop, Dyirbal gumbilbara bama researcher Carroll Go-Sam, Professor Kelly Matthews and Torres Strait Islander woman Cassandra Diamond—highlighted the importance of designing with the real experiences of students and staff in mind. That means quieter areas to retreat, open zones for collaboration, spaces to connect with mentors or Elders, and buildings that reflect culture, history and Country. We were reminded that every space is built on Country, whether we acknowledge it or not. As outlined in Campuses on Countries, good design makes that connection visible, respectful, and enduring.
3. Let’s Talk to the People Who Use the Space One of the strongest messages of the conference was also the simplest: we must listen. Students, teachers, families—all experience school differently. Yet their insights are often missing from the design brief, or only heard too late. Projects like the Mayfield study reminded us that a single snapshot in time won’t capture how schools really work. We need ongoing dialogue, feedback loops, and room for iteration.
4. The Future Demands a Human Response From Simon Kuestenmacher’s demographic insights to Mark Pesce’s provocations about AI and assessment, the message was clear: rapid change is here, but our response must be deeply human. That means learning spaces that foster creativity, adaptability, collaboration and care. The best school designs of the future will not be about tech—they’ll be about people.
Theresa and I continue to advocate for processes that place students, educators, families and First Nations communities at the centre of school design—not just as stakeholders, but as co-authors of a continuing brief. Because the future of education isn't just about technology, policy, or buildings—it's about relationships, respect, and responsibility. If schools are the heart of our communities, then every design must work towards that goal. We're looking forward to continuing these conversations—with those ready to reach into the future and work differently.