The combined impact of school design and procurement on student wellbeing and educational outcomes

• Published in: Facilities (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) Vol. 40; no. 7/8; pp. 533 - 550
• Main Authors: Rolfe, Annie, Franz, Jill, Bridge, Adrian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 07.04.2022; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: 21st century; Design; Education; Government agencies; Infrastructure; Learning; Methodology; Procurement; Public private partnerships; School buildings; School environment; Schools; Students; Teachers; United Kingdom > UK; Australia; School design; Facility performance; Educational outcomes; Case studies; School procurement; Student well-being
• ISSN: 0263-2772; 1758-7131
• DOI: 10.1108/F-08-2021-0071

Purpose Despite growing evidence of the impact of school facilities on wellbeing and educational outcomes, no attention has been given to understanding this impact in relation to the interrelationship of design and procurement and their combined effect. This paper aims to address this gap by presenting the outcomes of a study of the design/procurement relationship pre-opening and post-opening of schools. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative case study methodology enabled in-depth exploration of six Australian Government schools procured through “public private partnerships” (PPP) or “design & construct” (D&C) and “design, bid, build” (DBB). Data collected through interviews with architects, education department officers, school principals and teachers were analysed thematically using techniques aligned with grounded theory methodology. Findings The paper reports three key findings: pre-opening of schools, budget impacts design similarly for procurement across PPP and (D&C/DBB) case schools; pre-opening of schools, prescriptive design impacts procurement similarly across PPPs and D&C/DBB schools; post-opening of schools, procurement impacts design and school operation in different ways across PPP and D&C/DBB schools. These findings point to a fundamental finding that it is design and procurement together that impacts well-being and educational outcomes as experienced by principals and teachers. Practical implications This research may be of practical value for education departments, architects, facility managers, school principals and teachers. Originality/value This paper provides original evidence of the relationship between procurement and design and their combined impact on student well-being and educational outcomes.