Minister for Planning Ciarán Cuffe TD today opened the Irish Architecture Foundation's A Space for Learning exhibition.

The exhibition is a unique collaborative project between architects/architectural graduates and Transition Year students that aims to open up a new discussion on school building design, highlighting issues such as sustainability, light, shape and colour in educational spaces.

A Space for Learning is funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with additional funding from the Department of Education and Skills

I am delighted to be here this evening to open the A Space for Learning exhibition in the National College of Art and Design.  I congratulate the Irish Architecture Foundation and its partners on developing this innovative concept exploring the need for school buildings that reflect the real needs of students and teachers.

We all understand the power of good design to transform people’s lives and this project should assist in raising public awareness, from our formative years, of the value of architecture and broaden our understanding of how it shapes our built environment.

The Government shares the Irish Architecture Foundation’s belief that a key strategy to raising the standard of architecture in Ireland is through raising public awareness and developing a culture of stakeholder appreciation and understanding of design.  This exhibition is a valuable contribution to building that broader relationship between architecture and people.
   
This project has provided young people and architects with the opportunity to think deeply and creatively about how we use and share space – incidentally an important and very useful tool in the development of civic responsibility.

As an exemplar Architects-in-Schools project, A Space for Learning puts architects at the heart of a learning process, giving students the opportunity to experience the design process through a hands-on collaboration.  The element of participation is key to the success of the project.

The exhibition is the outcome of that collaboration and demonstrates the cultural and creative value of architecture, and some of the endless possibilities for designing inspiring spaces for learning and living.

As I emphasised to the audience at the Slow Architecture and Place exhibition event last weekend it is so important to explore the many different responses to the current challenges of our built environment and to never lose sight of the great excitement involved in planning and executing a building project and the potential for that project to bring happiness to all who engage with it.

Schools and places of learning in Ireland could not be more diverse in terms of building style and type, from the heritage buildings designed for use as a school, the iconic Boyd Barrett primary schools of the ‘50’s and 60’s, prefabs installed as ‘temporary’ solutions, the current Generic Repeat Design primary schools, new bespoke contemporary primary and post primary school buildings at Tullamore, Phibblestown, Laytown and Kill right up to the country’s first passive energy schools in Powerscourt and Moynalty.

The latest generation of school buildings creates a sense of place in their community, nurturing and fostering learning and participation during the school day and through community involvement outside of school hours.

They embody current principles of energy saving and renewable energy features, from appropriate orientation, to high levels of natural light and ventilation, increased insulation, water conservation, air tightness and IT technology.

It’s clear that the current process for developing these projects is open to new and innovative thinking and it is hoped that projects such as A Space for Learning will help inform the approach to projects currently in development and those likely to arise in the years ahead.

The 2010 allocation for the school building programme is €578.8m. As you will be aware from some news reports expenditure up to the end of October was €48m or 11% behind profile.  A number of issues have contributed to the softening of expenditure including; lower tender costs, contractors and/or consultants going out of business, difficulties/delays with contractors securing bonds for building projects and the downsizing of consultancy firms.

These difficulties are should not be downplayed but neither should they distract from the significant investment in the schools’ building and modernisation programme.  This level of funding, at a time of great pressure on public finances, is a sign of the Government’s commitment to investing in school infrastructure and will permit the continuation of the Government’s programme of sustained investment in primary and post primary schools.

The two main areas of investment in 2010 are the school building programme where there are currently 60 major school building projects under construction or recently completed and the summer works scheme which is providing grants to around 1,500 schools undertaking small to medium scale projects.  Around 1,800 schools will benefit from the new water conservation scheme which is aimed at helping schools to reduce their water consumption.

In addition to the traditional school building programme, the Department of Education and Skill’s Public Private Partnership programme has enabled the completion of 4 new post-primary schools in 2010 with a further 6 schools currently under construction.

I am advised that the Department of Education & Skills is currently looking at possible shifts to compensate for the softening of expenditure on schools capital within its overall capital budget.

The end of the building boom has left a built environment legacy with many challenges – while we have developed and constructed a range of high quality buildings, places and infrastructure such as those in the education sphere that will serve us into the next few decades, there has equally been a degree of inappropriate development.

Since entering Government my colleague Minister Gormley and myself have placed considerable emphasis on major reform of the Irish planning system.  The Planning & Development (Amendment) Act 2010 represents a major legislative reform of this system. 

Proper evidence-based forward planning is a critical part of the solution to our current difficulties.  We must not lose sight of the fact that solutions must be for the long-term.

The Government Policy on Architecture 2009-2015 provides the framework for architectural policy over the next 6 years.  An initial 20 policy priority actions have been identified to begin implementation in 2010 to 2012.  These actions deal with specific areas such as built environment research, public awareness, policy development in urban design, and sustainable development.

A key priority of 2010 is to progress 7 of the actions that I have identified as being particularly pertinent at the outset of implementation of the Policy.

A number of invitations to tender have recently issued to GPA Panel Members for work on a number of policy actions.

Since June of this year, direct grant aid has been allocated for specific projects that deliver on the objectives of the GPA. This initiative here today is very much complementary to the objectives of Actions 33, 34 and 36 of the Government Policy on Architecture.

I’m sure the educational and developmental experience of inputting to this exhibition will benefit all parties to the project.  This includes, of course, both of the principal funders - the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Department of Education and Skills.

The breadth and quality of the inputs to this exhibition is inspirational and I congratulate the architects and students on their achievements as a result of the commitment, creativity, and energy brought to the project.

To close I would just like to extend my best wishes to all involved with A Space for Learning and I understand that the exhibition will tour around the country, including a visit to Belfast, over the coming months. The event here today represents the end of one phase and the start of what I hope will be another successful phase to the project adding value to the public appreciation of our living spaces and places. 

Thank you.