Educational Sessions

Saturday, October 24, 2015, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Educational Facilities Planning: Thinking Outside

Jomay Liao, LPA, Inc.
Patricia Neely, Anaheim Union High School District
Karen Schauer, Galt Joint Union Elementary School District

Nautilus 4

With deteriorating school campuses and limited funding, it really does take some thinking outside of the box to find ways to make the biggest impact to school facilities and students. In addition, it has become more important that Districts utilize facilities master plans as road maps to focus on priorities, educate the community, build stakeholder consensus and strive to provide facilities that support programs that will give their students the opportunities to succeed in the world. In this presentation, we will compare and contrast two different sized Districts with similar end goals and how the facilities master plan process led to different approaches on what to focus on to improve existing facilities. Anaheim Union High School District has 18 school sites serving 31,000 students in the five surrounding cities that come from five feeder elementary districts. The District embarked in a Facilities Master Plan process in October 2013 that went to final Board adoption in July 2014, and recently passed a $249M bond in the November 2014 bond election. Galt Joint Union Elementary School District has 7 school sites serving 3,800 students in the City of Galt. In 2012, the District was selected as one of sixteen districts in the nation to reform public education as a Race to the Top District. The District is currently at the midpoint of their Facilities Master Plan process and will go to their Board for final adoption in June.

Learning Objectives:

Learn the significance of a Facilities Master Plan process
See different approaches to Master Plan strategies
Understand different District challenges in Facilities Master Planning
Discover different approaches to facility solutions

1 LU

1 CE

Get Out! Benefits and Opportunities of Outdoor Learning

Boris Srdar, NAC|Architecture
Lauren Scranton, NAC|Architecture
Christine Benita, Seattle School District

Marina 6

This session explores the benefits of taking teaching and learning beyond the traditional classroom and school site. We examine this approach and the benefits thereof through three distinct lenses: education researcher, teacher and architect. Education Researcher: Lauren Scranton, a graduate of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and current NAC│Architecture education thought leader, presents the findings of her investigation into the effects of outdoor learning on students’ academic achievement and overall growth as a student and a child. Research findings will cover a wide spectrum of cultural and educational outcomes including, but not limited to, environmental literacy; responsible citizenship; experiential and integrated learning experiences; why play is essential to brain health, and how this relates to outdoor learning. Teacher: We continue our examination by adding a secondary lens, the perspective of Christine Benita, environmental science educator. Scranton’s suggested best practices are juxtaposed with the experience of an educator and school program coordinator who has spent the last 6 years developing a pioneering K-8 school’s E-STEM curriculum with a particular focus on the environment and sustainability. Discussion will illuminate conclusions from both the research and educator’s experience, and touches on architectural implications and possibilities. Architect: Our exploration concludes with the analysis of case studies from around the world. NAC design leader Boris Srdar, FAIA examines a variety of examples for outdoor learning on school sites and beyond. Attendees will learn about the multitude of outdoor learning practices and be inspired to develop their own innovative sites and building designs for the future.

Learning Objectives:

Identify and access relevant research on the effects of outdoor learning on student growth and performance
Evaluate the relationship between current teaching practices and the most promising research findings
Analyze the tenants of a STEM-focused school in a dense urban setting and the ways it can extend learning beyond the traditional school site
Using the case studies presented, participants should be able to begin to develop a personal strategy for implementing outdoor learning opportunities at their own institution

1 LU

1 CE

How Principles of Great Public Spaces Can be Applied to Schools: An Examination of the Role the Commons Plays in Enriching Student Experience and Providing a Community Center for the Family

Brian Carter, AIA, LEED AP. ALEP, Integrus Architecture

Nautilus 5

A school is composed of a variety of spaces, both public and private, supporting human habitation and growth – all interconnected to create a whole much larger than the sum of its parts. The richest layers of experience occur within spaces allowing a wide range of formal and informal interaction. The spaces traditionally thought of as “public” areas have been the library, the school cafeteria, and the playground, yet these areas have usually been isolated, tightly programmed, and limited in their ability to adapt to changing activities. When designing a school Commons, we ask ourselves, how do we unleash the potential in these spaces – allowing them to function both for specifically programmed tasks and for a multitude of equally valuable informal activities? Commons can be designed to accommodate use by members of the local community and can be zoned jointly or independently to accommodate functions of different sizes and nature. Their placement and organization reinforces the relationship between learning and socialization by creating a flex zone between them that blurs the separation of their uses. Finishes and furnishings in the commons area are designed to be attractive and comfortable for both students and adults.

Learning Objectives:

Designing spaces that work for all types of student social behavior
Paying attention to the common area edges and connecting to other parts of the school
Ways to create connections for outdoor learning and socialization
Unleashing the potential for your Commons space to become a Community asset

1 HSW

1 CE

Neuromorphic Schools? Is This a Possibility?

Irene Nigaglioni, AIA, ALEP, PBK Architects Inc
Darrell Pearson, PBK Architects Inc

Nautilus 2

Neuromorphic architecture is what happens iis architectural design takes on the traits of the brain...therefore giving a building a brain. Is this possible in schools? This session will share the research as conducted by the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, as well as the recent research document published by the Council for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research and it’s relationship to learning. Is there a link? Can a building be designed to have a brain, and as such, can it impact how students learn? What are the sensory triggers that can help students learn, and staff perform better? Do curved walls make a difference, or do wide open spaces allow for more personal interpretation? This session will analyze the research and provide findings and possible interpretations.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the neuroscience behind architecture
Understand the relationship between the built environment and learning
Awareness of published research in neuroscience's impact on architecture
Understanding on how architecture impacts learning

1 HSW

1 CE

The Summit Success Story: Examining How an Open Plan School Actually Delivers 21st Century Learning

Brianne Smith, RB+B Architects Inc.

Nautilus 1

Inspired by the concept “School in the Landscape of Nature, Village in the Landscape of School”, Summit Elementary School is a fascinating example of how school design and curriculum development in conjunction with a high level of community involvement can transform the way students learn and interact. During design, the theme of Convergence – Historic, Panoramic, Atmospheric, Communal, Instructional and Cultural – gave purpose to the removal of walls and the formation of vibrant spaces that promote educational collaboration. Located in Casper, WY, this open plan school has been so successful in a school-of-choice district that it has been filled to capacity from the day it opened, and parental demand has encouraged the district to build a second of similar design. This presentation from the prime architect and the school principal discusses the ongoing analysis of how this unique building supports the dynamic learning opportunities at Summit Elementary and offers guidance to those looking to develop similar projects.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the Summit Elementary School design process, curriculum, and sustainable features.
Define criteria for developing a successful and sustainable open plan 21st Century School, including acoustics, daylight, and shared resources.
Analyze the existing school to verify design and educational goals have been met.
Identify ‘lessons learned’ in an open plan design for use in future designs.

1 LU

1 CE

Who Influences Who? The Idea Exchange Between Professional and Educational Environments

Keith Hempel, LPA, Inc.
Kari Kikuta, LPA, Inc.
Kate Mraw, LPA, Inc.

Nautilus 3

Presentation

Where might you find a playful slide, gathering space for lectures, colorful artwork installations, and places for focused work? The latest corporate interior of a technology business, as well as your local school! As educators have long realized that one size does not fit all, and distinct zones within the learning environment can increase student achievement through accommodating varying learning modalities, learning styles, and places for play that nurture creativity; the corporate world is catching up. Similarly, educational spaces are looking to workplace design for inspiration and ideal settings to better prepare students for the real world by exploring career-technical education, real-world scenarios, and partnerships with business and higher education institutions. We will examine the similarities between a variety of educational and corporate settings in an interactive panel discussion involving corporate and educational designers and planners, exploring how universal “human-centered” design can be for all ages and how the built environment can inspire life-long learners. Participants will be introduced to the design-thinking process for educators, as well as current research on the brain and how individuals learn and work best differently, in addition to having sensory preferences or processing disorders that should be addressed for the welfare of all building occupants. Creativity is important in our changing economy, and we will explore how environment affects our subconscious and can aid or inhibit creative thinking.

Learning Objectives:

Develop awareness of current research on diverse learning/thinking preferences and sensory issues
Become familiar with the maker movement, how hands-on problem-solving is helping to build skills within our communities
Recognize the 4 types of spaces needed to foster creativity, both indoors and out
Compare / Contrast the learning and working environment, building an understanding of universal human-centered design

1 LU

1 CE

Learning in Motion – Strategies for Active Friendly Schools by Design

Dina Sorenson, VMDO
Dr. James F. Sallis, Family Medicine and Public Health
Jeri Brittin, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health

Nautilus 3

Across the country, health is a growing priority reflected in the planning and design of cities, neighborhoods, streets, buildings and school settings. UC San Diego’s Active Living Research and New York City’s Active Design Guidelines have been at the forefront of a globally recognized need to build evidence about how to design 21st c. communities that promote physical activity and movement by design. Health-promoting strategies continue to drive policy and planning initiatives, and they have been successfully replicated in projects across the country, from rural Virginia to suburban Seattle. These health-focused projects respond to the needs of diverse, multi-generational communities, with a particular emphasis on lower-income, children of color and older adults. The reasoning is clear: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past 30 years childhood obesity has more than doubled in children, and quadrupled in adolescents. Coincidentally, we know that students need to move – to learn. Broad consensus among innovative educators and planners is to rethink, reimagine and redesign education; from policy to physical environment in order to support the diverse ways that students learn. As such, schools are pivotal community resources and a central part of each family and child’s daily life already mandated and positioned to help form social norms and default behaviors such as those related to health behaviors. With more evidence emerging about how a school’s physical learning environment impacts learning, community and benefits the long-term health and wellbeing of students and community, schools are an ideal focus for the many synergies between Active-Friendly design objectives [for childhood obesity prevention] and those of cutting-edge innovations in education. Our goal, as an interdisciplinary research and design team, is to share and put into practice research that can promote daily physical activity for children, youth and families in schools at multiple scales. We will examine the co-benefits of designing school communities for active living, describe the science behind the launch of the Physical Activity Design Guidelines for School Architecture and showcase examples of award-winning design strategies across 10 design domains needed to transform learning and health in schools.

Learning Objectives:

Articulate the concept of Active-Friendly design and become familiar with resources and tools to support attendees’ own planning efforts.
Apply Active-Friendly design strategies at multiple scales (from land use/neighborhood to schoolyard/building to interiors).
Recognize Active-Friendly design synergies between sustainable design frameworks and universal design
Identify how Active-Friendly planning and programming innovations can be integrated with design processes