Educational Institution Design

Education for a Better World

The Hearth has conceptualised a process, Educational Institution Design Thinking, that enables the creation of leading learning communities for the future. Schools and universities so designed are dynamic, adaptive, self-organising systems, not only capable but also inherently able to renew themselves, to grow and change.

Education Design

The Hearth develops a detailed Education Design that serves as a guiding document for the education philosophy, operational methodology and overall concept strategy that the founders of the school or the university are seeking. The Education Design keeps local and international market requirements and regulatory obligations in perspective. It ensures that the operations are in keeping with the guiding principles with which the institution was established.

Infrastructure Design

School and university buildings do not exist in a vacuum. The way that teachers are developed professionally, the curriculum, assessment and testing systems, parental engagement, expectations and entitlements all intermesh with the design. The Hearth provides detailed guidelines and conceptual ideas in the Infrastructure Design that guides architects, planners and the founding team in preparing institutional structures. This process ensures that the concepts of the Education Design, local market requirements and regulatory obligations are kept in perspective.

The Hearth’s experience has shown that the most effective institutions are those where the Infrastructure Design draws upon and leads from the Education Design. Designers we work with often remark on the enhanced effectiveness of their designs when these are aligned with the philosophy and operational requirements of institutions.