The environmental design of school buildings in Greece and its impact on children with disabilities

School of Applied Arts & Culture, dept. of Interior Architecture, University of West Attica, Greece

Abstract

The research investigates the relation between the School’s Build Environment, in terms of Sustainability, and the effect on disabled child’s physical and mental wellbeing. Primary and secondary methods were adopted from a variety of sources, including literature reviews, questionnaire surveys, interviews, case studies and non-participant observation in Special Schools.

As the disabled child spends most of its daily time in the School’s learning environment, it is inevitable that this affects not only its ability on learning, but also its health in terms of physical and mental well- being ^[1]. The main results of the research confirm this strong relationship.

Survey in all types of Schools (Special Schools, integration classes in General Schools) found that 89% of children affected, in terms of access to the external natural environment (schoolyards, gardens), big openings (windows, skylights), natural light, ventilation, and activities related to child’s interaction with nature. The comparison between Schools which adopted sustainable bio-friendly design with those who didn’t, indicated a difference in children’s behavior (changes of mood, levels of depression, stress, lack of concentration, appetite, distraction, social interaction, etc).

Action is required towards the sustainable design of educational environments, adopting a new perspective in Design Practice, involving in the process a multi-disciplinary team of experts, like Educationalists, Psychologists, Environmental experts, OT’s, Architects & Designers specialized in Sustainability. In this way, a sustainable School building can act as a source of knowledge for the disabled child, facilitating active interaction with nature, contributing to its overall wellbeing ^[2].