o’donnellbrown develops prototype for outdoor community classroom in glasgow

glasgow-based practice o’donnellbrown has designed and built a prototype for a 24 sqm outdoor community classroom that offers an adaptable, demountable learning environment for schools and community groups. the project comprises an accessible, simple kit of parts, including a timber skeletal frame and plywood modules that may provide seating, shelving, worktops or even presentation surfaces. the entirely self-initiated project has been developed in parallel with the practice’s ongoing community and educational projects, as a resource to explore connections between people, places and learning.all images © ross campbell

o’donnellbrown‘s outdoor community classroom is intended to promote and support creative and independent learning in a healthy, versatile and fun environment. it has been designed in line with the curriculum for excellence and the national improvement framework, to facilitate inclusive learning and mental wellbeing. its rhythmic geometry and form are driven by an aspiration to produce an accessible and demountable kit of parts which at its core is architecturally engaging, yet distilled to its purest functional form.

‘using our self-initiated projects to pursue societal issues is important to us and we believe that the community classroom can help raise expectations for what an outdoor learning environment can be,’ said jennifer o’donnell, director at o’donnellbrown.

the kit comes complete with an easy-to-follow manual. standard structural timber section sizes provide a skeletal frame, forming the basis for plywood modules to be placed and reconfigured to suit a diverse variety of activities and inhabitants. driven by a shared commitment to community engagement and learner-led activity, o’donnellbrown worked closely with the national children’s charity barnardo’s works to identify young people to build the prototype with. other sponsors and stakeholders, including the rias and saint-gobain, have also been integral to the project, sharing the architects’ vision and aspirations.

‘we were delighted to be part of the community classroom – one of our project workers and a small team of young people volunteered to help build the classroom,’ notes tommy mcdade of barnardo’s works. ‘the experience helped the young people understand more about the value of teamwork and effective communications, while also gaining insight into working in this sector. this has helped them to further develop their job prospects and career ambitions.’