Putting education in its place: mapping the observations of Danish and English architects on 1950s school design.

During the years following the Second World War, there were efforts in several European countries to grasp the opportunity to re-imagine school created through the need to rebuild on a mass scale. This article examines in detail an episode in the exchange of knowledge between English and Danish architects and educators during a period of intensive activity. Through a micro-study of documents that have survived in archives in both countries, the study tour is revealed as a key agent of exchange and as such a mapping of sites of specific interest in two countries is discussed. The origins of English-Danish exchanges are explored in the context of the rise of the modernist movement and its relationship with progressive education. A prosopographical perspective is used to understand the complexities of the social and professional relationships underpinning these exchanges. This is pursued through a detailed discussion of the meetings and site visits made during the study tours in Denmark and England during 1954. Finally, the impact of the various exchanges is assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]