- What’s your biggest challenge?
- What’s your top priority?
We had interesting chats with people from a range of sectors and roles and responsibilities. Given the conference we were attending, it was not unexpected that the responses were very much in line with the main themes of the presentations and the Q&As.
Biggest challenges
Attitudes to change and the need for change management to underline that people are at the heart of every project. It seems ludicrous to say that we need to remember this fact, but there’s one thing engaging with people at the beginning of a project, it’s another thing to involve them throughout and support them during (and beyond) a transition.
Creating spaces people want to work in could go hand in hand with time & money, from experience we have shown, enjoyable and functional spaces can be created for minimal capital outlay. Sometimes what’s needed is being able to see what you have to work with, and it helps to clear out what you don’t need and that might take time.
Often assets are not worth the investment in either time or money however, and one of the responses listed energy efficiency & asset management. Achieving net zero with a varied estate can be a challenge, but there are clear principles laid out, especially in the public sector, for determining what needs to go, what should be retained, and where investment should be focused.
While the conference focused on learning places one of the comments mentioned a varied approach to educational delivery. Just as no one size fits all when it comes to the physical environment (even allowing for opportunities for standardisation in school design as proposed in one of the conference sessions), when it comes to delivery of education as part of the Curriculum for Excellence or in tertiary education, optimum outcomes are delivered when every effort is made to tailor the learner journey. Referring to an earlier paragraph, this is not always easy due to budget and time constraints.
Attitude to change | Creating spaces people want to work in | Time & money | Energy efficiency & asset management | Varied approach to educational delivery
Top Priorities
One person’s challenge is another person’s opportunity. But with constraints covering budget, time, and the policy landscape, there must be a prioritisation of resources and efforts. Value for money given where we are fiscally, again must be a given. Design teams will always work on the client’s behalf with vendors and contractors to make budgets stretch as far as possible.
Of the responses received and discussions had at the stand, the top priority linked people and the physical environment, with inclusivity and meeting people’s needs being mentioned. Inclusive design (which we’ve often proposed is simply good design that considers and understands differing needs) was a theme of LPS 2025 and something that shouldn’t really be a nice to have but fundamental in every project. Meeting people’s needs doesn’t mean designing for the average; designing to accommodate those who have specific and often complex requirements, if managed correctly, can benefit all. Tied in with this idea of inclusivity is providing social value and here we need to remember the crucial role educational establishments (of every size and shape) play within their communities. They must also support the end users to live out their true values.
The reported biggest challenge focused on people, and similarly, one of the top priorities mentioned getting people to believe in change. We are not always the most rational, so data alone will not always convince people that change is needed, but data plus stories plus leadership can go some way towards showing the benefits (often in the longer term, sometimes immediate) of the change proposed.
Another response listed new technology – the conversation elaborating to say that technology should be an enabler (though we know from experience that without adequate training, technology can often be perceived as a barrier to those who lack confidence). What we would always say is that technology is rarely the solution but can be part of the solution. With budgets tight, new technology can sometimes slip down the priority list.
Value for money | Inclusivity | Meeting people’s needs | Providing social value | Getting people to believe in change | New technology
Final Thoughts
The challenges listed above are not new and not especially unexpected. The difference is perhaps that they need to be addressed with a greater degree of urgency. Supporting people being the top priority is always good to see (but often harder to solve).
