Quantitative techniques in the preparation of a brief for a school design—a case study

The paper follows the preparation of a brief for the design of a school in an English county. Mathematical techniques were made available to help in determining an appropriate schedule of room sizes and to carry out appraisals of alternative proposed outline designs. For various reasons the project was not successful. The author was present, as an independent observer, at the meetings of the working party which was set up to prepare the design brief. The case study is written from a viewpoint which is independent of the viewpoints both of the research unit which developed and presented the mathematical techniques, and of the architect and the local authority which sought to use the techniques.