Educational Sessions

Sunday, October 25, 2015, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

A Story of Partnership for Advancing Next-Gen Learning Spaces

Cynthia Uline, Ph.D., ALEP, San Diego State University
Kate Mraw, LPA, Inc.
Julie Kramer, University of San Diego

Marina 6

This is a story about meaningful partnerships and why encouraging the design and construction of learner-centered schools through communication, research and training is so important. Through a case study on e3 Civic High School, a project based learning environment in downtown San Diego, the research and design team will highlight the process, the intentional design goals and the impact of learner-centered design features in this urban setting. Community partnerships between the City of San Diego, The SD Library Foundation and the San Diego Unified School District created an opportunity for a school to not only be co-located but truly integrated into the library and the culture of downtown San Diego. The influence of meaningful partnerships and community engagement in serving the students of San Diego started with a conversation and has become an innovation: students use the city to live, learn, and intern.

Learning Objectives:

Explore benefits of encouraging the design and construction of learner-centered schools through communication, research and training.
Realize the benefits of meaningful relationships from outside influences and how these can inspire a new type of learning environment.
Understand how research based design influences learning space.
Understand how co-location and co-mission creates opportunities for students outside of the learning environment.

1 LU

1 CE

Creating Healthier Environments for Teaching and Learning

Julie Walleisa, ALEP, DekkerPerichSabatini
Mimi Burns, DekkerPerrichSabatini
Andrea Hanson, DekkerPerichSabatini

Nautilus 4

How can schools that better support human health and wellbeing? How can design and operational changes help improve student and staff nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep patterns and performance? This workshop will use the framework of the WELL Building Standard and interactive group exercises to explore these questions. Facilitators will provide an introduction to the WELL standard, and focus on key WELL metrics that are linked to neurological/cognitive benefits and are not typically part of design/operational discussions. This includes standards relating to interior design (circadian lighting, color quality, healthy sunlight levels, and active furnishings), site design (exterior active design, connections to nature), architectural design (stair promotion, radiant comfort, beauty, biophilia) and lifestyle/operational issues (healthy sleep). This workshop will be facilitated by an architect, interior designer, and landscape architect with expertise in school/campus design and operations to provide varied perspectives and facilitate group exercises.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to describe the WELL building standard and several key WELL metrics related to interior design, site design, and architectural design.
Participants will be able to assess the appropriateness of various design strategies in meeting these metrics and promoting human health and wellbeing.
Participants will be able to communicate how the applied strategies have been linked by research to neurological/cognitive benefits.
Participants will be able to apply WELL building standard strategies to their own campus operations or campus design projects to promote health and wellbeing.

1 HSW

1 CE

Getting Inside the Outside – The Case (Study) for Outdoor Learning

Stephen Gastright, DoDEA
Kristie Pitts, DoDEA

Nautilus 5

Presentation

This session will be organized in two halves and from two perspectives – the client and the architect. The first half will be a line of inquiry into the five Ws of outdoor learning: Why, What, When, Who and How. Why should clients and designer consider adding or augmenting the outdoor learning program in new or existing facilities? When should you incorporate outdoor considerations into your design process? What types of spaces should we be building and what are the age level considerations for each of these spaces? Who should be involved in the development of the concepts and design development? How do we develop these spaces to be vital, relevant, and resilient over time? These questions will be explored using examples developed previously by the presenters to provoke reactions and discussion among educational facility design partners. The second half will present a recently completed design for Butner Elementary school at Ft Bragg in North Carolina. It will walk through the process the project team employed to create an impactful vision for the outdoor spaces and the specific spin off effects for this elementary school. One success factor of the presentation is demonstration of the importance of how the intangible construction of communication, understanding, and trust among the disparate stakeholder group leads to the greatest success in the tangible construction and use of the outdoor spaces themselves.

Learning Objectives:

Learn about the latest research supporting the benefits of outdoor learning
Learn about the latest examples and best practices in the design of outdoor learning spaces
Learn effective methods for engaging disparate stakeholders in a collborative, creative process
Engage in discussion about thinking creatively and executing enduring outdoor spaces

1 HSW

1 CE

Memes, Myths, and Motivation: Are We Focused on What Really Matters in School Planning and Design

Greg Monberg, AIA, MBA, LEED AP, BD+C, Fanning Howey

Nautilus 2

Question: What do the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Learning Pyramid have in common? Answer: None of them are backed by scientific evidence. Join Greg Monberg, director of design research for Fanning Howey, as he explores the memes and myths that lurk at the blurry edges of school planning and design. Be prepared to take apart the Learning Pyramid brick-by-brick, deconstruct the Right Brain / Left Brain fallacy, and put to bed the Mozart Effect. But this presentation isn’t just about debunking commonly-held beliefs. For every myth busted, we will identify research and data that points to factors that truly impact student performance in Next Generation learning environments. You are invited to join our Mythbusters team! Come enjoy a dispirited discussion and be prepared to provide your own thoughts on what is right, wrong, and just plain strange in the world of educational facilities planning and design. The research found in this presentation addresses building system and design issues that directly impact security of students and teachers, student performance, and educational outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

Identify myths and memes related to school planning and design that have no basis in scientific fact
Understand the origin of these concepts and learn how they have influenced planning and design theory
For every myth or meme busted, learn what research actually says about factors that influence student performance and learning
Be able to discuss and explain how the concepts presented impact school planning and design strategies for the future

1 HSW

1 CE

Sensory Education and the Outdoors: A Case Study of River Terrace Education Center in Washington, DC

Robin R. O’Hara, REFP, ROSE Planning and Design

Nautilus 1

River Terrace Education Center is a school for students aged 8-21 with Individualized Education Programs that have significant cognitive disabilities, and also may have mobility impairments and / or be medically fragile. This session will explore the design challenges and educational opportunities of taking an existing site and building, an addition, creation of a courtyard, exterior paths, hardscape, and careful attention to the educational needs of this special population of students, became the epitome of "the school as a learning tool", and stimulates the brains of all who learn, teach, and visit there. Welfare – Aspects of architecture that engender demonstrable positive emotional responses among, or enable equal access by, users of the buildings or sites.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the program, participants will be able to look for experiential outdoor student opportunities for all
to understand the value of providing accessible outdoor musical opportunities
to design accessible courtyard spaces that actually are used
to create safe outdoor journeys with educational points of interest within the confines of the school site

1 HSW

1 CE

What the Education Design Community Can Learn from the Military

Denise Breuning, AIA, ALEP, Woolpert
Nadja Turek, Woolpert

Nautilus 3

Presentation

What has designing buildings for soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen (and their children) taught an educational facility planner? What has an Air Force engineer learned upon entering the world of educational facility design? Get out of your foxhole and hear from designers who have a foot in both worlds – military and educational design – regarding what lessons carry over between the two worlds. For example, learn from the design of a military dining hall which must provide meals for 2600 trainees, who are dirty from the field, in a 90 minute window, three times a day. Or learn about creating outdoor military training spaces that can be utilized in any weather condition, and apply them to schools, where too often children (and their teachers) suffer through indoor recess. Hear some of the military’s myriad best-practices regarding passive design features that add security and resiliency to school buildings. And finally, hear how the military routinely achieves industry-leading, high-performance green buildings by choosing life-cycle cost effective energy and water saving strategies. The lessons learned will be demonstrated through several case studies including dormitories, dining halls, and K-12 schools. We’ll also share an award-winning design of an elementary school located on Fort Campbell, KY for the children of the soldiers stationed there. Features include nine adaptable learning neighborhoods which will allow for new pedagogies and multiple modalities of learning. Learn how the school employs sustainable features that also serve as teaching tools and discover critical design decisions that will be instrumental to the success of the student-centered facility. Get an OUTSIDE perspective – see how today’s most innovative approaches to education can incorporate military design ideas, resulting in a very creative, secure, resilient and energy efficient design solution. Time will be available during the interactive presentation for questions and discussion.

Learning Objectives:

Adapt military design ideas for security, resiliency, and efficiency into an educational facility design
Adapt military design ideas for speed of access, cleanliness, and outdoor environments into an educational facility design
Understand how the layout and design of a DoD elementary school facilitated 21st C learning pedagogies while incorporating sustainable features that can also teach students.
Learn from several case studies, the impact that military design best practices can have on the effectiveness of an educational facility.