All of the buildings or places are in the public domain – you can go and see them any time. Some are also visitor centres, so you could arrange to go inside, but there may be a charge.

Most of the buildings have been the subject of arc learning projects for schools and community.

"Experiencing a building and exploring inside and out is the only way of fully understanding how a design is realised as a living architecture. Experiential visits are an essential tool for schools and professionals to better understand how buildings work, or simply a great way for the public to enjoy exploring a place".
Gillian Dyson –Head of Learning

If you would like a study visit for pupils, community or professionals to these or other buildings and places, with accompanying activities please register your interest with the Head of arc Learning. We can liaise with the project Architect or another relevant professional to show you around and answer questions. We can also provide guidance on related classroom projects and curriculum links.

Contact: (gillian@arc-online.co.uk).

Teacher's Note

This is an online resource for you to use with pupils as part of a longer-term project and as a means of enriching their learning process. It provides clear information around which a visit can be planned or even as a support to pupils responding to a design brief.

You will find information on the commissioning and design process, sustainability features, relationships to landscape or engineering facts. You can compare 2 or more buildings on screen and cross reference their ‘stats’. The pages can be downloaded as PDF handouts for classroom use or site visits, and include high resolution images or web links for printing or interactive display.

Below are some suggestions in how this clever resource can be used:

KS2 (primary level)

Design + Technology – looking at materials used in buildings + how buildings are constructed.

Art + Design - as inspiration for artwork, including colour, form, shape and space.

Geography – learning about sustainable ways of living and improving our environment.

Science – investigating energy and properties of materials.

History - what was on the site before? (this is especially relevant in the Whitby Abbey Visitors Centre).

Citizenship - why we have the buildings we have – do they affect us? (feelings, how we use them, crime, relationships with other people).

Maths - how much it costs to build/run a building, how maths is used when creating a building

Music - the sounds of a building – actually some remarkable things to discover!

KS3 + 4 (secondary level)

Design + Technology - ideal for looking at materials and their properties, construction (inc. historical methods), force, strength, safety, reliability, cost. Designing and making in different contexts could be considered (ie. venues often have education rooms, or using a nearby library or even school!)

Art + Design - researching different types of materials and art + architecture in context, discovering what is meant by 'sympathetic design'.

Geography – as part of looking at settlements, environmental and resource issues and enables pupils to carry out fieldwork investigations outside the classroom.

Construction & Engineering - Link to vocational and 'real life' construction and architecture.

Case studies for project work into sustainability, materials, regeneration, construction process.