ABSTRACT
New budgets, timescales and engagement processes have significantly affected the role of every discipline involved in designing and raising an educational building. Funding has increased the importance of fittings, furniture and equipment (FFE) within each project. FFE design and selection was a discipline that fell under the radar, seemingly having much less influence on the final design. Education is an ever-changing landscape and that brings its own challenges in how we design spaces that are flexible enough for the long term. Good interior design can be a quick and effective way of helping users to manage new situations, for example when relocating, downsizing or expanding, or when they need to adapt or change how a space is used. The design team for any school project should be friendly, straight talking and approachable, able to demystify the process and provide jargon-free communications. Building Information is an industry term used by many, understood by few and used effectively by even less.
