While discussing education, this particular quote by Albert Einstein always comes to mind: “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Education is a standard that sets people up. A country can be developed when its citizens are given the right education. Every developed country in the world has a certain value and process to offer to the world through education, and developing countries and underdeveloped countries are in the process of providing that reach.
Saskatchewan is a province in Western Canada. It is bordered to the west by Alberta and to the north by the Northwest Territories. The Ministry of Education has published the guidelines for places where people can access better education.
About the Standards
An average life of children is mostly spent in school, so the accessibility, flexibility, and mobility should be made comfortable enough for their health and minds. The addition of various useful elements gives them a space to celebrate, learn, and discover new things.
The Book Space Measurements Standard by Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, written by Maick Sohrab, which was effective from January 2013, is a book for providing guidance to all engineers, developers, and architects. It achieves this through precise definitions of key terms such as Gross Area, Usable Area, Major Vertical Penetrations, and Common Areas, and detailed instructions for measuring specific building components like stairways, extended windows, recessed entrances, and atrium. The inclusion of 34 illustrative figures, including detailed plans and sections of a sample school layout, enhances its practicality, with architectural measurement standards making complex concepts accessible even to those less familiar with all the elements.
Major Features
- The planning and delivery of public education services to students is the responsibility of boards of education.
- According to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, the facility area is used by the Ministry for two significant purposes:
- Allocation of funding for new or existing projects
- Determining the efficiency of utilization of the facility
In 1993, the Ministry developed the Facility Priority Index, which uses a school’s utilization. Utilization = Recognized Usable Area / Actual Usable Area X 100%
The various terms used in making a space are given in the book, and the basic definitions of the spaces are given below according to the book.
Finished Surface
- In this kind of surface, the inclusion of wall, ceiling, and floor area surface includes the glass but excludes the thickness of other surface materials.
- Some of the surface needs additional surfaces according to the design and drawings.
Gross Area
| Gross Floor Area: | Gross Living Area |
| It is the Total constructed area of a floor excluding the driveways, walkways,parkingarea, uncovered balconies, patio, etc
It is measured by measuring up to the outer edge (exterior) of permanent outer building structural walls on that floor |
It is the total constructed area of building including structural wall, vertical penetration, etc
Major vertical penetrations such as elevator shafts, flues, pipe shafts, vertical ducts and the like are included in the gross area. |
To measure it various techniques are applied and done thoroughly.
Usable Area
It is the area which is physically accessible and available for use and excludes areas like permanent outer walls, partitions,etc. It is measured by the areas of all enclosed spaces on that floor, defined by their inside finished surfaces.
Major Vertical Penetrations
Shall mean elevator shafts, flues (duct or passage for smoke, air, or gas, or the like), pipe shafts, vertical ducts, and the like, and their enclosing walls.
For Staircase Measurement
The book consists of specific definitions about measuring various areas, and reading it thoroughly has made it easier to navigate and tackle various elements in an easier way. Through the detailed illustrations, the visualization of the whole area, in addition to the detailed definition of the spaces. The balance in practicality through the education facility in Saskatchewan must consider these basics for the professionals who are working there in various disciplines.
The book consists of a few elements added, and to understand more in basic layman terms, also other areas, materials, and views can be added to make it more effective and also open to all the people who want to understand the major terms in designing and planning. From a reader’s perspective, the earlier assumption of various terms may confuse readers who aren’t planners, designers, or in any engineering fraternity. Hence, advancement can be done in the mentioned points.
As an Architect, it gives me a broader concept and its relevance to the existing world, and helps me in the spaces that play a major role in designing.
References:
- Sohrab, M. (2013). Space Measurement Standards.
- Surface Finish. (n.d.). Available at: https://ggn.dronacharya.info/MTech_ME/Downloads/QuestionBank/IIISem/AdvancedMeterologyCalibration/Unit-1/Surface_roughness_10052016.pdf [Accessed 25 Jul. 2025].
- Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Saskatchewan. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan.
- www.goodreads.com. (n.d.). A quote by Albert Einstein. [online] Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6137386-education-is-not-the-learning-of-facts-but-the-training
