Dollar Academy Futures Institute, FIDA Scottish school building photos, Scotland education design
Futures Institute at Dollar Academy, Scotland
Planning granted for first of its kind eco-education building in Scotland, UK.
8 August 2023
Architect: Grimshaw
Location: Clackmannanshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
Dollar Academy receives planning approval for its sustainable Futures Institute building
Artist’s impression of the Future Institutes building:
Futures Institute at Dollar Academy News
Dollar Academy has been granted planning permission from Clackmannanshire Council to build its pioneering Futures Institute, designed to provide a physical home for the school’s progressive educational programme, the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy (FIDA).
The domed building, which will sit just inside the main entrance to the school, has been designed with a focus on sustainability, embodying the core principles of the FIDA initiative.
Launched in May 2021 in collaboration with leading figures from industry and education, FIDA has placed Dollar Academy at the forefront of educational innovation in Scotland. To date, the initiative has offered over 550 young people across the country the opportunity to learn in a different way, by undertaking courses that are built on three core principles:
• learners are required to design a solution to a real-world problem;
• each course is rooted in one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals;
• all content is co-created with experts from industry and/ or universities.
The building will allow FIDA’s existing offering, which primarily runs online and during weekends and school holidays, to develop and expand. In addition to Dollar Academy pupils, young people from schools across Scotland will also have access to the Futures Institute, free of charge.
The sector-leading facility, designed to support the innovative teaching and learning practices inherent in FIDA courses, will provide a space for students to think, design, collaborate, make, prototype, test, present and perform; providing a connected and coherent learning experience.
Designed by world-renowned architect Andrew Whalley OBE, Chairman of international architecture practice Grimshaw, the Futures Institute building will deliver sector-leading teaching and learning environments, including maker spaces, a digital prototyping suite, a science lab and creative art spaces which will facilitate interdisciplinary learning. Key advisors to the Scottish Government on the reform of Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Association have cited the need for more interdisciplinary learning in schools that focusses on real world challenges in collaboration with industry and academia. As such, the Futures Institute is well placed to play a pivotal role in the future of Scottish education.
Andrew Whalley OBE:
The design seeks to minimise embodied carbon through efficient, economic structural form and material selection. The use of concrete is minimised and the building’s enclosing walls are constructed with a glue laminated timber frame infilled with locally sourced stone in gabion frames. The overall enclosure is fabricated from a lightweight, glue laminated geodesic dome that is clad both with the latest generation of ETFE pillows and solid insulated panels with integrated photovoltaic panels. This roof can maximize passive solar gain throughout the year with full ventilation capabilities for summer.
Grimshaw is a recognised pioneer of sustainable architecture and design, delivering projects including the Eden Project in Cornwall and most recently Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion as part of Expo Dubai 2020 – a net zero building integrating technology and nature to demonstrate a future regenerative environment.
Ian Munro, Rector at Dollar Academy, said: “We are delighted that the Futures Institute has now received planning permission, marking another significant milestone for this ambitious project. The building will create a sector-leading teaching and learning space, where young people can work together and design solutions to real world problems in an inspiring environment. It is our hope that learners throughout Scotland will have the chance to undertake FIDA courses during their time at school.”
Andrew Whalley OBE, Chairman of GRIMSHAW Architects said: “The Futures Institute building is an exemplar of sustainable architecture. The design aspects go beyond energy generation and integrating quality of light and natural ventilation; this building considers biodiversity, and its place in the broader landscape. The Futures Institute will empower and inspire the next generation to tackle the global problems, such as climate change, we now all face.”
With the majority of funding for the project now in place through investment and donations, it is hoped construction will begin shortly.
To find out more about the Futures Institute building at Dollar Academy, visit https://dollaracademy.org.uk/hub
About FIDA
FIDA was launched in May 2021 to tackle three fundamental challenges in education – providing equitable access and closing the poverty related attainment gap; finding compelling alternatives to traditional teaching and exam systems; and addressing sustainability. The initiative provides young people across Scotland with unique opportunities to undertake real-world challenges founded on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. These take the form of workshops, skills-based courses, design challenges and competitions, all of which are offered either in person and/ or via an online platform to enable the widest possible participation.
For more information about FIDA, please visit https://fida.world
Ian Munro, Rector of Dollar Academy:
About Ian Munro
Mr Ian Munro became the fourteenth Rector of Dollar Academy when he arrived in 2019. Prior to this, he held leadership positions at George Heriot’s (his alma mater), Gordonstoun and Shiplake College. He became the youngest serving Rector of an HMC school in the world when he was appointed by Kelvinside Academy, where he gained a reputation for innovation and imaginative educational development.
Ian attended the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a BSc in Zoology and a PGCE. He holds an MEd (Master of Education) from the University of Cambridge and studied at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Ian is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and sits on the advisory board of the NuVu Innovation School.
Previously on e-architect:
30 June 2022
Design: Grimshaw, Architects
Location: Clackmannanshire, Central Scotland, UK
Grimshaw-designed Futures Institute at the Dollar Academy set to transform education and will be Scotland’s first Living Building
Futures Institute at Dollar Academy Building News
30th of June 2022 – International architecture practice, Grimshaw has revealed designs for the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy (FIDA) in Scotland, UK, a permanent home for the Institute which will be delivered to receive the country’s first Living Building certification.
FIDA was launched in May 2021 to tackle three fundamental challenges in education – providing equitable access and closing the poverty related attainment gap; finding compelling alternatives to traditional teaching and exam systems; and addressing sustainability. The initiative provides young people across Scotland with unique opportunities to undertake real-world challenges founded on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. These take the form of workshops, skills-based courses, design challenges and competitions, all of which are offered either in person and/ or via an online platform to enable the widest possible participation.
“Dollar Academy has always promoted the transformative power of education, and this idea is at the very heart of FIDA,” says Ian Munro, Rector at Dollar Academy, “ FIDA’s free online provision and in-person workshops have allowed us to further develop our existing bursary provision in a modern and scalable way to children across the country, and beyond.”
Situated at the southern end of the Dollar Academy campus, FIDA occupies a site within view of the 1819 Grade A historic building by Playfair from which the school grew. Accessed by a network of pathways and botanical gardens reinstated from a previous nineteenth century plan, the Institute’s biophilic form lies immersed in a working landscape. Heavily planted terraces, berms ponds and swales support the building’s water and waste needs, providing an invaluable educational resource and an inspirational recreational environment.
The building has been designed at every step to meet the criteria set out in the Living Building Challenge set forth by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), imagining a building that is beautiful and efficient, but in balance with our planet and its population. The design approach seeks to minimise embodied carbon through efficient, economic structural form and careful material selection. The only use of concrete is in the foundation.
The buildings enclosing walls are constructed with a glue laminated timber frame infilled with locally sourced stone in gabion frames. The overall enclosure is fabricated from a lightweight, glue laminated geodesic dome that is clad both with the latest generation of insulated ETFE pillows and solid insulated panes with photovoltaic panels. This roof can maximize passive solar gain throughout the year with full ventilation capabilities for summer.
Flooded with natural light, the interior is meant to capture the sense of being in a highly tempered outdoor space. The ground floor is centred on a large open space for projects and performances and is linked to the first floor by stepped auditorium seating constructed from timber. Workshops and laboratories line the perimeter with glazing providing transparency and openness. The first floor is constructed from cross-laminated timber with space for traditional and experimental gardens. A flexible, partitioned classroom structure spans the open void offering a multi-use landscaped roof terrace.
“Dollar Academy has a long history of encouraging students to explore the arts which of course fuels the imagination and creative problem solving,” said Andrew Whalley, Chairman of Grimshaw and Dollar Academy alum. “It’s now leading the way with a paradigm shift in learning, to be shared as an open platform resource. Such an initiative requires an equally fresh approach to its future centre, with an architecture that will support team working, collaboration and exploring new creative sustainable solutions that will empower and inspire the next generation to tackle the planetary problems we now all face.”
Professor Ken Muir, who was commissioned by Scottish Government to provide a report on education reform, said, “FIDA’s bold approach to education places the student experience at the centre, providing critical opportunities to engage with industry and stakeholders beyond the classroom. This aligns closely with some of the recommendations I made in my report to Scottish Government on a future vision for Scottish education and I am highly impressed with what the initiative aims to do.”
FIDA is also set to be a driver for the local economy and has established a new partnership with Scotland’s International Environment Centre, Clacks Council and Stirling University. With these partners, FIDA is exploring how a sustainable business accelerator could take the ideas generated by young people and turn them into reality, fostering entrepreneurism and empowerment.
Lead architect: Grimshaw
Engineering: Buro Happold
About Grimshaw
Grimshaw is an international architectural practice delivering buildings, infrastructure and places that are underpinned by the principles of humane, enduring, sustainable design. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Dubai, Melbourne and Sydney, Grimshaw employs over 600 staff. The practice’s international portfolio covers all major sectors and has been honoured with over 200 international design awards.
https://grimshaw.global
About Dollar Academy
As the world’s oldest co-educational day and boarding school, Dollar Academy has been developing its pupils for over 200 years. Located in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, the school is home to around 1,350 pupils aged 5-18.
Dollar is recognised as one of Scotland’s leading independent schools and has a very sound reputation amongst the UK’s top universities. The school offers the widest range of academic subjects in Scotland, and around 120 co-curricular activities, ensuring every child finds something to interest them.
https://www.dollaracademy.org.uk/
About the International Living Future Institute (ILFI)
The International Living Future Institute is premised on the belief that providing a compelling vision for the future is a fundamental requirement for reconciling humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Our beautiful planet is capable of supporting vast diverse ecosystems, allowing human communities to thrive, and we are capable as a species of living in balance with ecosystems and in balance with each other.
At ILFI, we envision a future where our planet and humanity are thriving, and we work towards that future every day. We refer to this future as the Living Future. Our mission is a society that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative.
Futures Institute at Dollar Academy building design by Grimshaw Architects, UK
Previously on e-architect:
1 Nov 2016
The Westwater Building at Dollar Academy
Design: Page Park Architects
Location: Clackmannanshire, Central Scotland
Facility: Modern Languages and Economics Departments
The Westwater Building Dollar Academy
This modest pavilion teaching building for Dollar Academy, nestles into the site at the foot of the Ochil Hills alongside the impressive principle school building, designed by William Henry Playfair. It forms a component of Dollar Academy’s new ‘Teaching L’ which edges the all weather hockey pitch, conceived as an open ‘quad’ at the heart of the campus.
The Westwater Building Dollar Academy images / information received from Page Park Architects 011116
Page Park Architects on e-architect
Dollar Academy Scotland – background
Address: Dollar Academy, 1 Academy Pl, Dollar FK14 7DU, Scotland
Phone: 01259 742511
Architecture in Scotland
Scottish Architecture Designs – chronological list
New Paisley Grammar School Community Campus
render courtesy of Renfrewshire Council
Paisley Grammar School Community Campus Design
Bob Dylan Scottish Highland Estate, Nethy Bridge, Cairngorms National Park, the Scottish Highlands
photo courtesy Knight Frank
Bob Dylan Scottish Highland Estate
Website: The Westwater Building Dollar Academy by Page Park Architects
Comments / photos for the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy page welcome
