You don't need to leave it to expensive design companies to begin to visualise your school design ideas as now you can use Google Sketchup to explore the ideas for yourself - if you have the time that is!
With so many new school designs ending up with updated versions of what existed before maybe tools such as Sketchup provides an ideal opportunity for those involved to consider all sorts of alternative design ideas.
Google now hosts a School 2.0 Design collection of 3D models and there is an open invitation for designers to add their own designs. If this were to take off we could see a valuable resource of ideas to consider and modify to meet a range of different needs. The current set of 13 models have all been added by Fred Bartels whose other designs using Sketchup are fascinating to explore. The design he has come up with is wacky to say the least as the school is designed in the shape of a leaf. I would guess most architects would either throw their hands up in horror or rub them together thinking what they might charge for such a building. This said, the use of software like Sketchup makes it possible to explore ideas, discuss the use of space and how the association between different subjects may be incorporated into the designs.
The 13 models developed by Fred can be found a the The Google 3D Warehouse of School 2.0 Designs and the Sketchup software is free to download.
It would be good to think that students and their teachers might become involved in a dynamic dialogue about the school of the future - hopefully before the steamroller of a formal design activity involving the private sector begins.
With so many new school designs ending up with updated versions of what existed before maybe tools such as Sketchup provides an ideal opportunity for those involved to consider all sorts of alternative design ideas.
Google now hosts a School 2.0 Design collection of 3D models and there is an open invitation for designers to add their own designs. If this were to take off we could see a valuable resource of ideas to consider and modify to meet a range of different needs. The current set of 13 models have all been added by Fred Bartels whose other designs using Sketchup are fascinating to explore. The design he has come up with is wacky to say the least as the school is designed in the shape of a leaf. I would guess most architects would either throw their hands up in horror or rub them together thinking what they might charge for such a building. This said, the use of software like Sketchup makes it possible to explore ideas, discuss the use of space and how the association between different subjects may be incorporated into the designs.
The 13 models developed by Fred can be found a the The Google 3D Warehouse of School 2.0 Designs and the Sketchup software is free to download.
It would be good to think that students and their teachers might become involved in a dynamic dialogue about the school of the future - hopefully before the steamroller of a formal design activity involving the private sector begins.
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