Kraus-Anderson’s Post

Perkins Eastman and Drexel University's School of Education’s research study, “Addressing a Multi-Billion Dollar Challenge,” is highlighted in the latest story from Building Design+Construction Media. Funded by the The American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows #LatrobePrize and J+J Flooring, the study evaluated more than two dozen schools, both modernized and non-modernized, across school districts in Washington, DC, (District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)) and Baltimore (Baltimore City Public Schools). After measuring the #indoorenvironmentalquality and the design, layout, and ambiance of each building’s interior and exterior, as well as interviewing people who use the schools and community members, the research team found that modernized schools outperformed non-modernized schools to the significant benefit of students, teachers, and staff in almost every category. “Tackling the nation’s inadequate school facilities is a critical step toward supporting equitable education and community resilience,” says Principal Sean O'Donnell FAIA LEED AP, co-principal investigator of the study. “Our research suggests that modernized schools can make a marked difference in terms of educating our children, enhancing the lives of teachers and administrators, and better engaging with the surrounding communities.” In essence, “modernized schools look toward a better future for all.” Learn more about the report on BD+C: https://lnkd.in/e6ai5fRE. Read more insights and download the free report here: https://lnkd.in/evFcjZYs. #SchoolDesign #PerkinsEastman #HumanByDesign #EducationDesign #Sustainabilty #Education #Design #Architecture

The US public schools educate more than 49.4 million children across the country, and the average age of a public school in the US is 49 years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Furthermore, the annual shortfall in maintenance and improvements for those buildings is $85 billion, according to a 2021 report titled The State of Our Schools. Check out this excellent study conducted by Drexel University's School of Education along with Perkins Eastman. “Tackling the nation’s inadequate school facilities is a critical step toward supporting equitable education and community resilience,” says Principal Sean O'Donnell FAIA LEED AP , co-principal investigator of the study. “Our research suggests that modernized schools can make a marked difference in terms of educating our children, enhancing the lives of teachers and administrators, and better engaging with the surrounding communities.” In essence, “modernized schools look toward a better future for all.” Thanks to Building Design+Construction Media for the feature. #PerkinsEastman #HumanByDesign #DrexelUniversity #Education #BetterTestScores #HigherGraducationRates #Design #Sustainability #Architecture #K12Education #EducationDesign

Those designing and building facilities in the K-12 sector consider all the aspects of a modern school facility and what it takes to modernize older buildings so they are safe and secure while allowing for innovation.

Those designing and building facilities in the K-12 sector consider all the aspects of a modern school facility and what it takes to modernize older buildings so they are safe and secure while allowing for innovation.

One of the issues with our political system is the lack of true long term thinking. Even with a majority. Whilst it's great news for schools that yesterdays budget included £1.4 billion investment, I echo the author's opinion in this article - Edward Edgerton's - that too much emphasis is currently being placed on schools building condition and not enough on school design. Do you have memories of school where you couldn't find a quiet space? I do. I was a quiet and shy child and would have loved to go to the library at break time to re-regulate my nervous system. In all these years I still see a bias towards the extroverted personality and a lack of understanding that a variety of environmental settings and choices might enhance educational and personal development outcomes. "A report on primary schools in England, conducted by researchers from the University of Salford in 2015, showed that well-designed classrooms can boost children’s academic performance in reading, writing and maths. A few aspects were of particular importance. They included naturalness (the light, temperature and air quality), individualisation (classrooms with varied floor plan shapes and breakout spaces, along with elements that pupils can personalise such as coat pegs) and stimulation (appropriate levels of complexity in use of colour and wall displays)." There are many environmental psychologists and interior designers in the UK that could advise this new government on their building programme. A programme that includes designed to boost learning outcomes as well as physical safety. Let's hope that when they put this work out to tender the design process is seen as important and is not short changed/ value engineered out. https://lnkd.in/ex6YjRD3

It was great to have been guest editor of the latest issue of Planning Learning Spaces with this issuing focussing on involving learners in the design process. This issue includes some fantastic contributions including Andrés Jaque's Reggio School in Madrid, MATT+FIONA's latest collaborations, and my article on our Edith Neville Primary in London and how user engagement played a key part of the design process. 'The idea of listening is core to this edition of Planning Learning Spaces: listening to learners, listening to educators, and successfully processing the experiences of building users and communities into new designs that support improvements to learning. The work in this edition demonstrates that the process of design, as with education itself, is in continual evolution and one size does not fit all. By listening and responding with a collaborative approach to school design we progress architecture and the achievements of educators and learners alike. Involving teachers and pupils in the design process means they have a voice in the creation of their new learning spaces and an understanding that they have a say in how their environments are created and run. Today, this voice is more important than ever. The recent emergence of the inadequacy of many of the UK’s school buildings, both historic (the identification of the extensive impact of RAAC) and new (the fiasco of the collapse of the Caledonian Modular school building), brings to the fore the need for a considered approach to school commissioning and procurement. We need an approach that listens to the building users and local communities, the educators and the pupils, gives them a voice in the design process and provides them with developments that support their specific educational needs.'

Colleges and universities have changed drastically in recent years, pivoting to serve ever-changing bodies of students who are taking diverse approaches to higher education. Reimagining college spaces is essential as many of these institutional changes address the educational and economic needs of learners. Learn more in our recent blog: https://lnkd.in/gv9XtKc8 #MiEN #HigherEducation #HigherEd #CollegeSpaces

WTF do we mean by "care" in the architectural profession? (or perhaps any profession) Kate Hislop talks about: - learning in and about the Field (care for land and place) - learning in groups (care for others) - get students and teachers *doing* things together - facilitate online access (a remote living 18 year old is 8x more likely to succeed in their first year of University if they don't have to relocate) - care relates also to attention, precision and attention. So, the institution must be *very clear* what is assessible and what is required. Removing ambiguity is HUGE for student wellbeing. #wellbeingforarchitects #university #architectureschool

From an overcrowded challenge to a sustainable, forward-thinking solution, the transformation of Parkway School District’s McKelvey Primary Center (Parkway Schools) makes for an inspiring case study of collaboration for high performance design. Functional multi-purpose spaces were a priority for the District and our detailed evaluation of existing facilities and programmatic requirements helped them apply this vision. Four additional classrooms and three additional special education classrooms were added to the original project, including a future-proof design to accommodate expansion. In our shared mission to improve academic performance, we agreed on measures to improve comfort for end users of the building like students, faculty and staff, alongside conserving energy and reducing life-cycle costs. We also made sure that project met the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings whenever possible on the existing building and as a minimum requirement on all new additions. #fgma #pk12 #elementaryschools #ParkwayProud #StLArchitecture #StLSchools #WeBuildCommunity

Ever wondered what happens to school buildings when they outlive their original purpose? Instead of letting them become obsolete, there?s a creative solution that not only preserves history but also breathes new life into these structures - adaptive reuse. In our blog post, "Beyond Obsolescence: Creative Strategies for Adaptive Reuse of School Buildings," our incredible Project Manager, Hannah Terrell shares an innovative approaches to transforming outdated educational facilities into vibrant, functional spaces. To learn more, head over to https://lnkd.in/erqYfN4n...