Property

Although many schools still struggle with funding to update sports grounds, there is a shift towards harnessing technology to develop ground coverings and large indoor spaces with flooring that is easy on the body, and incredibly versatile.

Modern learning environments, flexible learning spaces or innovative learning environments (ILE); these are not buzz terms, but topics of considerable research and movement across both Australasia and the world.

Over recent years, the benefits that humans gain from contact with trees and nature have gained recognition. They call it biophilia, which seems a curious overstatement to me, with connotations of excess, but then everyone loves a new science word...

Most people have a rudimentary understanding of how light affects us, but the concept goes far deeper than just light and dark, daylight and the night sky.

There's more to floor safety than the ‘archetypal accident’; the slip or fall. Other factors relating Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and the chemical compounds found within the flooring must be considered.

Enormous power bills are the norm for schools, operating multiple rooms simultaneously with lights, climate control, audiovisual equipment, and computer labs.

50 years ago Wesley Imms’ classroom was a ship. The next year a spaceship. Those memories sparked his quest for learning spaces to fit the needs of 21st century schoolkids.

Swimming lessons are about to get a whole lot better for the children of St Lucy’s Primary School in Wahroonga. After the installation of a brand new solar and lithium-ion battery system during the holidays, the students will now enjoy their lessons in warm water all year round.

Children are inefficient listeners who require optimal acoustic conditions in order to hear and understand (Valentine, Halstead, McGunnigle, Dodd, Hellier, Wood & Simpson, 2002). They are neurologically undeveloped and lack experience to predict from context - especially younger students who are only starting to grasp the basics of comprehension.

‘Playground artist’ Günter Beltzig is 75 years old and probably still swinging from the monkey bars he designs. He has written books on playground design, and created play spaces all around Europe, working with Richter Spielgeräte GmbH, who designed play areas at Sydney’s Darling Harbour and Royal Park in Melbourne.