Applying lessons

But it certainly didn't inspire or add to the learning experience of the inmates, sorry, pupils. Many children around the UK still occupy school buildings like this, or worse in some cases.

Such surroundings have teachers and their young students facing grey walls with poor daylighting, inflexible teaching spaces and few communal areas. You wouldn't want to work there, never mind be motivated to expand your mind.

This problem has now been recognised. The government has committed not only to improving education with more school buildings, but also better ones.

The latest school designs embrace natural daylighting, space, air – and they acknowledge that information and communication technology are a central part of the curriculum.

Engineers should be proud to be involved in constructing buildings which aim to inspire their occupants to better things. Results from Bexley Business Academy (covered in this issue of BSj) show that students in a run down part of London are already bettering previous academic results. The building can't take all the credit – but it has certainly been a key part of this improvement.

Wouldn't it be great if all buildings could have this effect on their occupants? Perhaps the efforts taken with schools show what can be done – and that this is a lesson we should apply more often.

After all, if young people are taught in well designed and constructed surroundings, why would they want to work in offices which are shoddy in their design and execution?

If we are raising the expectations of a generation in this way, we should ensure that the same thought and spirit of excellence is applied to the buildings they will eventually work in.