Guided by two research questions: 1) What emerges as important in the reciprocal relationship between the pedagogical and architectural spaces in the design of a new school? 2) What has a significant influence on the design process of school architecture? This paper examines the taken-for-granted in school architecture when a new school is envisioned and designed. Through observations of a design process, four themes are identified where the reciprocal relationship between the pedagogical and architectural spaces is present: location, learning, communication and previous experiences. To demonstrate the significant influence on the design process, four so-called transactants are identified: 1) the signal value, i.e. the non-verbal message that the pedagogical and architecture relation provide, 2) vibrant learning environment, i.e. the pedagogical actions that are made possible in the architectural space, 3) words as space signifies, i.e. how a word incorporates associated behaviours and actions and 4) tacit professional knowledge which is based on previous experiences and leads the person in evaluating the design. Various experiences, the use and societal concerns in school architecture are further discussed in relation to designing new schools.