Global Insights: Education Systems and Architectural Innovation

Understanding the British School System

The British education system features both public schools (often private, fee-paying institutions) and state schools (publicly funded). State schools are typically comprehensive, though some separate into secondary modern schools (more vocational) and grammar schools (more academically focused).

Most schools have a uniform, fostering a sense of identity and school pride. Students can be chosen as prefects, a role that, while not always highly emphasized, often includes responsibilities. Most schools also appoint a Head Boy and Head Girl who attend school meetings and deliver a speech at the end of the year.

Schools are typically divided into:

• Junior Schools (ages 7-11)
• Senior Schools (ages 11-18)

The final two years of Senior School are known as Sixth Form, divided into Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth, during which students often have the option to wear their own clothes.

The Spanish Education System

Children in Spain generally start school around the same age. Compulsory education begins at age 6 and continues until ages 15-16, after which students can choose between a university preparatory path or a vocational path. Before compulsory schooling, children in Spain typically attend "Escuela Infantil" (nursery school) from ages 3-6.

In Spain, there are three main types of schools:

• Public schools
• "Colegios Concertados" (private schools subsidized by the state)
• Fully private schools

Alejandro Aravena: Community-Centric Architecture

The global challenge of urbanization is to improve the quality of life for people in cities. Architect Alejandro Aravena's firm, Elemental, faced a challenge to build 100 houses for 100 families in the city center, which necessitated innovative solutions.

Aravena explores how designers can contribute to sustainability. For instance, he designed an office building where natural light and strong relationships between colleagues were prioritized. This was achieved by eliminating central stairs, allowing occupants to see and interact with their company's activities, fostering better relationships. This approach taps into a primitive human sense of community and connection.

Iwan Baan: Ingenious Homes in Unexpected Places

What is truly fascinating is what happens when architects and planners leave, and these spaces are appropriated by people. Photographer Iwan Baan documents how people devise all sorts of ingenious solutions in response to the needs that arise from living in unfinished structures.

For example, in one such building, residents literally built up their living spaces with their own hands. Families live there, creating a vibrant "city within a building," complete with schools and shops.