The book  Patios Silvestres (Wild courtyards. Recommendations for the design of outdoor spaces in schools) is the result of almost two years of work in a participatory process in which we have been involved together with Madrid City Council techniques, teachers from the following nursery schools: Luisa Fernanda, El Alba, Hiedra, Captain Grant’s nephews, Los Juncos , Sabina and El Lirón, and professionals from different fields.

Patios Silvestres has a double target, on one hand the educational communities of the schools to provide them with a broader vision and above all with tools that allow them not only to modify their own teaching spaces internally, but to demand and get involved in the design of them together with the public administration. And on the other hand, the municipal technicians of the Madrid City Council, in their different areas, with responsibility for the design, management, provision and maintenance of schools.

The guide is organized in 3 main axes

• The first is a theoretical framework, which addresses from a series of texts by expert voices, some of the challenges that education faces today. It also intends to serve as a conceptual, pedagogical and scientific pillar for the guide. Definitely a theoretical basis tu support the need not only of the transformation of actual education spaces but the of and adequate design before construction of the out door spaces in schools.

• The second addresses the legal framework, where we have try to unravel all the competencies of the diferent administration and the point where we belive the adaptation and modification of the law will be needed. We have focused on Madrid because it is the community where the participatory process has been carried out, but we believe that it can be extrapolated to other places.

• The third, and fundamental, are the concrete design proposals and recommendations for municipal technicians, a support to their work, so that they can focus on the key elements for the design of new schools and at the same time serve as inspiration for the adaptation or transformation of some of the existing ones.

You can download the spanish version trough this link Patios Silvestres.