Britain Won't Bend in Ban on Curvaceous Schools

The UK's Department for Education is banning curved walls, glazed walls, internal partitions, and a host of other design elements and materials in an attempt to keep a lid on costs for its five-year $4 billion school-building program.

2 minute read

October 4, 2012, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Robert Booth reports on the design templates unveiled this week for 261 replacement school buildings to be constructed over the next five years. As Booth notes, "[t]he templates tell architects new schools should have "no curves or
'faceted' curves, corners should be square, ceilings should be left
bare and buildings should be clad in nothing more expensive than render
or metal panels above head height. As much repetition as possible should
be used to keep costs down."

The announcement has sparked outrage from architects. "It is extraordinarily over-prescriptive and it shows an extreme lack of
trust in the architectural and construction professions to deliver
schools to budget," says Peter Clegg, a partner at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Columnist Steve Rose takes aim at the "secret trauma" that must be afflicting education secretary Michael Gove:

"Gove clearly has issues with architecture. Last year he told a free-schools conference, 'We won't be getting Richard Rogers to design your school. We won't be
getting any award-winning architects to design it, because no one in
this room is here to make architects richer.' Never mind what works for
children or teachers. Or the fact that architects, especially
award-winning ones, are generally quite good at designing buildings. Or
the fact that the day before this outburst, Gove had been praising Hackney's Mossbourne Community Academydesigned by, er, Richard Rogers."

"So now he's literally putting things straight," says Rose. "Perhaps this is the first
step towards a square new coalition utopia – a world entirely designed
by Lego, Rubik, Mondrian and David Chipperfield. Although that sounds a bit colourful. Perhaps colour should go too. Who needs it, after all?"

Monday, October 1, 2012 in The Guardian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight