EDUCATION : DESIGNING FOR LEARNING, DESIGNING FOR ALL

Photo credit: Nook

I’ve been doing a deep dive recently (as you do when you arrive in a new country!) as to what is happening in the education space. It’s encouraging to see the focus that the Scottish Government has placed on the Schools Infrastructure Investment Program, with a key goal of reducing child poverty.

This is a generational transformation (it reminds me a little of the transformation of the Building Education Revolution in Australia in 2010, where the government spent around $2Bn on education space reform). Through the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), funds are being used to create “A-Grade" environments.

As we move toward the goal of inclusive, world-class facilities, we have to ask:

Is a school truly "high-performance" if it is only designed for the neurotypical ear?

The Intersection of LEIP and Neurodiversity

LEIP isn't just a bricks-and-mortar program; it’s an outcomes-based investment. One of its core pillars is Inclusion. With roughly 1 in 10 learners identified as neurodivergent—including those with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing sensitivities—the physical infrastructure must do more than just house teaching activities; it must create inclusive environments which support learners.

For a neurodivergent student, a poorly designed classroom isn’t just distracting—it’s a barrier to the curriculum. High ambient noise levels and long reverberation times can trigger "sensory overload," leading to fatigue, anxiety, and a total breakdown in information retention. It can also lead to behavioural issues, which impacts teaching staff as well.

The Acoustic Challenge: Beyond the "Average" Learner

In Scottish school design, Building Bulletin 93 (BB93) is often used as our guide. While it provides an excellent baseline, neurodiverse design requires a more in-depth view, based on the individual learners.

Three key areas that are critical to the success of the space for neurodivergent learners are:

• Reverberation Time (RT): Large, open-plan learning hubs or large volume spaces can create difficult learning environments if not treated right. Highly reverberant or echoey spaces create a chaotic wall of sound. Whilst this is an impediment for all learners, for students who cannot "filter" background noise, reducing RT through high-performance absorption isn't just a "nice to have"—it’s a cognitive necessity.

• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: To follow speech in a space, a neurodivergent student often needs the "Signal" (the voice) to be significantly higher than the "Noise" (HVAC, chatter, outside traffic).

• Sustainable design: As we push for sustainable, low-carbon materials like Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Passivhaus standards, it cannot be at the expense of other services, like acoustics. Balancing carbon goals with acoustic comfort is a necessity, and things like openable windows or ventilation paths must be cognisant of sound transfer.

Designing "Quiet Spaces" into the Infrastructure

The investment programme highlights the need for flexible "breakout" spaces. From an acoustic perspective, these shouldn't be an afterthought. Acoustic refuges can provide the necessary circuit breaker for neurodivergent learners to get respite from the traditional learning environment. What’s more, these can also be retrofitted into an existing space if budgets are tight and space reconfiguration is difficult.

These can be formed from:

• Small, highly absorbent pods or nooks

• Spaces with a noise floor below 30 dBA

• Environments where the "visual noise" is low, and the "acoustic clarity" is high

We need to start integrating acoustics into the design from the get-go, rather than doing a "compliance check" at the end of a project. If we are serious about the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children, then acoustic experts must be at the table during the initial massing and material selection phases.

By delivering spaces with clarity, we aren't just meeting an investment metric—we are ensuring that every child in Scotland, regardless of how their brain processes sound, has equitable and inclusive environments.

If you are interested in knowing more about acoustics in education spaces, please reach out at info@acousticdesigncollective.com.

PS: Keep an eye out for a publication Design for Learning: An Interdisciplinary Approach to School Learning Environments to be published by Emerald later this year which looks at the holistic design of schools.

PPS: Credit for the pictures go to NOOK – at the recent Workspace Design Show in London, these booths were a saviour for escaping the bustle of the show to take a call, and get a quiet resting space – I was super impressed with how they reduced the sound, and it was a relief to get a moment or two in one of them – these would be a great addition to school spaces for low budget refurbishments.