By Lindsey Coulter��

The Catholic University of America’s newly completed Conway School of Nursing marks a milestone in the university’s mission to address the national nursing shortage. Designed by RAMSA (Robert A.M. Stern Architects) in collaboration with Ayers Saint Gross, and constructed by Clark Construction, the more than 102,000-square-foot facility represents a cornerstone of the university’s campus master plan and embodies the Conway School of Nursing ethos: “Where High Tech Meets High Touch.”��

A Gateway Campus Hub��

The Conway School of Nursing will not only support the university’s goal of doubling enrollment in the nursing program over the next five to seven years, but it also��establishes��a new campus gateway for all students and visitors. The stately building replaces a former parking lot with a transformative academic hub that aligns with the university’s historic architecture while introducing advanced learning and sustainability features. Positioned at a prominent and highly visible site on the urban campus, the building was designed to be a new landmark, featuring a tower element that serves as both a visual and a symbolic entryway.��

Additionally, the building’s site plan and landscape design by Michael Vergason Landscape Architects and Ayers Saint Gross reinforce a cohesive campus framework. In addition to the tower feature, the exterior is defined by a cascading stair that links an upper-level student commons to the Trinity Fountain below and a north quadrangle framed by the John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library, Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies and McCort-Ward Hall.��

On the third floor, a terrace shaded by a timber pergola offers sweeping views across campus, including vistas of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to the west.��

Collegiate Gothic Design and Contextual Integration��

The Conway School of Nursing appropriately matches the scale and massing of neighboring buildings while embracing the Collegiate Gothic style that defines the Catholic University campus. The facility was designed to blend seamlessly with the university’s aesthetic of stone, clay roof��tiles��and bronze light fixtures.��

The building’s facade��showcases��a creative use of reclaimed granite, which was salvaged from Philadelphia’s Transfiguration of Our Lord Church, built in 1924 and demolished in 2009.����

RAMSA developed a cost-effective precast panel system that integrated the salvaged stone into the modern building envelope. Each stone was split to create a flat face and then was adhered to custom precast concrete panels, producing a durable, modular cladding system that preserves the look of traditional hand-laid masonry. This technique transforms��the salvaged, century-old masonry into a durable, modular cladding system.��

“It was cool to see details that came from the old church — like the holes that were drilled into the stone for flagpoles,” said Tony McConnell, Senior Associate with RAMSA, who led the precast effort. “We chose to keep all those elements, so that as you walk around the building, you see these little follies you��wouldn’t��expect on a brand-new facility. It feels authentic.”����

To achieve an even higher level of authenticity and articulation, RAMSA also incorporated CNC-milled molds and rubber casting to replicate intricate stone patterns.����

“Detailing is challenging, but we detail our buildings to the nth degree,” McConnell said. “We want our traditional buildings to look like��they’ve��been there for 100 years, and they need to fit into the context next to them. Poorly articulated details are a dead giveaway. Historically, precast��doesn’t��like those details — it wants flat, simple things — but��we’re��seeing that it can do much more.”��

The panels were then finished with traditional mortar, preserving the appearance of hand-laid stonework while��benefiting��from the efficiency, structural integrity and ease of installation offered by facade��panelization. This cost-effective fabrication and installation approach improved weather tightness and energy efficiency.��

The precast method had the��additional��benefit of making the project easier to complete on a tight urban site. As the busy main road in front of the building��couldn’t��be shut down for any extended period, using precast significantly��expedited��the construction schedule and improved safety and efficiency.����

“With precast, we don’t have people climbing up and down scaffolding,” McConnell added. “Anytime we can reduce scaffolding, job sites are safer places.”��

The creative reuse of existing materials also helped the facility achieve LEED Gold certification (it is also targeting WELL Silver), thanks to the incorporation of green roofs, stormwater management��systems��and bioretention facilities.��

Learn more about how the building blends tradition and technology while centering wellness (and fulfilling a vision that was first��established��in Catholic University’s 2012 campus master plan) in the ��

Learn More

Project Name: The Catholic University of America Conway School of Nursing��

Area: 102,000 gross square feet��

Construction Cost: $62 million��

Architects: Ayers Saint Gross in collaboration with RAMSA (Robert A.M. Stern Architects)��

Landscape Architect: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects����

Structural Engineer: Simpson��Gumpertz��& Heger��

MEP Engineer: Burdette, Koehler, Murphy & Associates��

Civil Engineer: Rummel, Klepper & Kahl��

Traffic Engineering: VHB��

Cost Estimating:��Forella��Group��

AV/IT/Security: Convergent Technologies Design Group����

Code Consulting: GHD��

General Contractor: Clark Construction Group��

Precast Subcontractor: High Concrete Group��

The post Catholic University of America’s Conway School of Nursing Offers Cutting-Edge Education While Honoring the Campus’ Historic Context appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post Catholic University of America’s Conway School of Nursing Offers Cutting-Edge Education While Honoring the Campus’ Historic Context appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

By Lindsey Coulter��

A 58,000-square-foot expansion at P.S. 87 in the Wakefield section of the Bronx is reshaping both the school’s footprint and its long-term performance. Designed by RKTB Architects for the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA), the project delivers 17 new classrooms for grades preK-5, eight special education classrooms, art and music studios, a guidance suite, and expanded administrative and medical offices.��

But the intervention extends well beyond added square footage. The project reframes the campus around universal accessibility, all-electric building��systems��and a contemporary gymnasium-auditorium, while modernizing circulation and shared spaces within the existing 1930s structure.��

“More than an expansion, our work to address P.S. 87 is a modernization effort,” said Albert Aronov, AIA, principal at RKTB and head of the firm’s academic studio. “Now the school is equipped with elevators and new restrooms that can accommodate students,��faculty��and staff with the widest range of accessibility needs. We also introduced central air conditioning and heating for the addition, as well as��a state-of-the-art��combined gymnasium-auditorium.”��

The result is a unified campus designed to meet contemporary pedagogical, performance and community expectations.��

Phasing Construction on an Active Campus��

Delivering a major addition��on��a fully occupied elementary school site in a dense residential neighborhood required precise phasing and operational coordination. Limiting disruption to instructional time — while��maintaining��life-safety and code compliance — was a central priority.��

“The biggest challenge was to complete the construction within the shortest possible timeline, in order to limit the disruptions to the work of teachers and students and any inconvenience to neighbors in this primarily residential neighborhood of Bronx, NY,” Aronov said. “We worked closely with the New York City School Construction Authority on a solution that combines a steel frame with concrete insulated panels. This approach is atypical for SCA, but they recognized its value not only because it shortened the construction timeline significantly but also because of the resulting high-performing building envelope with superior thermal performance, efficiency, and durability.”��

RKTB coordinated closely with SCA’s construction management team, school��leadership��and the Department of School Facilities to map daily circulation patterns and��identify��sensitive zones.��

“Working on an active, fully occupied school facility with a goal of uninterrupted operations requires an approach centered on safety, continuity, and careful planning,” Aronov said. “When existing exits or corridors had to be temporarily closed, the design team prepared temporary egress plans that maintain full code compliance and ensure safe, intuitive movement throughout the school during each construction phase.”��

The strategy allowed the campus to function continuously while major structural and��systems��work��proceeded.��

A Contemporary System Within a Neighborhood Context��

While the structural system and envelope represent a contemporary departure from typical SCA practice, the addition was carefully calibrated to��harmonize with��the surrounding low-rise houses and apartment buildings.��

“School buildings are the heart of the communities they serve, often used not only for instruction but for other community uses as well, so the aesthetics and interplay with neighboring properties matters a lot,” Aronov said. “To harmonize with the architectural context of houses and low-rise apartment buildings, the design solution applies a varied façade of blue, dark grey, and traditional clay red brick veneer, with setbacks to break up the massing and modulate the building profile.”��

Brick veneer integrated into precast insulated panels creates visual continuity while enhancing envelope performance. Continuous floor levels��connect��the addition and original building, reinforcing a seamless interior experience for students and staff.��

Site improvements further extend the school’s community presence. A rebuilt schoolyard includes a turf field and running track, basketball court, early childhood��playground��and public sitting area. A metal canopy and flagpole mark the new main entrance at street level.��

Universal Accessibility as a Design Framework��

The modernization��addressed��accessibility comprehensively, extending improvements beyond code minimums.��

“Opportunities to improve accessibility were identified both in the addition and in the existing building, which dates back to the 1930s, long before accessible was a design consideration,” Aronov said. “First, the fully accessible street-level entrance to the expansion became the new main entrance to the entire school. Then our design ensures that the addition and existing building are connected seamlessly on every floor, creating a unified interior that anyone can access using the new elevator on the expansion side.”��

New fully accessible boys,��girls��and unisex restrooms were inserted on every floor at the junction of the new and existing structures. Specialized classrooms created from former office space were designed for full accessibility, and drinking fountains and other legacy elements were upgraded.��

The gymnasium-auditorium and cafeteria — supported by��a state-of-the-art��commercial kitchen — were also designed as inclusive, shared environments capable of supporting assemblies,��performances��and community events.��

Performance Standards and All-Electric Operations��

Performance goals were shaped by SCA’s Green Schools Guide, a framework widely regarded as comparable in rigor to LEED for Schools. The concrete insulated panel façade, brick��veneer��and high-efficiency glazing contribute to a high-performing building envelope��optimized��for durability and thermal efficiency.��

“SCA’s requirements for energy-efficiency and environmental sustainability are among the most stringent of any school district in the country,” Aronov said. “Designed and built for all-electric operation,��eliminating��the need for increased fossil fuel use, the addition features a dedicated central heating and cooling system. Overall, the design ensures operations and energy costs are as low as possible.”��

The all-electric strategy positions the school to adapt to future decarbonization goals while providing consistent thermal comfort.��

Maximizing Space on Constrained Urban Sites��

Urban campuses in New York City offer little margin for horizontal expansion, placing a premium on circulation efficiency and program stacking.��

“In New York City, space is always at a premium,” Aronov said. “For school additions, which are generally between 50,000 and��60,000 square feet��in size, we consider the floor plans very carefully to ensure efficient circulation for foot traffic as well as safe and efficient operations overall.”��

The P.S. 87 project builds on RKTB’s prior work at P.S. 19 in the Bronx and informs ongoing efforts at P.S. 116 in Queens, where sustainability features such as rooftop solar panels and a vegetated green roof are planned.��

At P.S. 87, the combination of expanded capacity, enhanced accessibility and improved performance��demonstrates��how targeted additions can extend the life and relevance of legacy school buildings — without compromising daily operations or community identity.��

Project Info

• Architect:�� RKTB Architects��
• Client + CM: New York City School Construction Authority��
• GC: TECHNICO��
• MEP: Shenoy Engineering��
• SE: Thornton��Thomasetti��
• Civil: Leonard J Strandberg & Associates��
• Environmental: STV Inc.��

The post Facility of the Month: A Contemporary Addition Reimagines New York’s P.S. 87 appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post Facility of the Month: A Contemporary Addition Reimagines New York’s P.S. 87 appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

By Lindsey Coulter

Principal Larry Natividad, Ed.D., describes the new $225-million Compton High School as breathtaking, calling it a project that redefines the community. More than that, the sprawling new campus is part of a broader shift in how people think about the city of Compton, Calif., and its residents.

“For too long, perceptions of Compton have been shaped by outdated narratives … that fail to reflect the strength, resilience and brilliance of our community,” Natividad said. “The new Compton High School stands as a bold statement: The future of Compton is bright, innovative and full of promise.”

The beautiful new 223,650-square-foot campus—brought to life by DLR Group, Swinerton Building Company and project management firm Cumming—was featured as the Facility of the Month in the as an example not only of innovative design and construction, but also progress and possibility.

�Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l spoke with Natividad to understand how the project has helped to rewrite the community’s narrative and create a renewed sense of pride and hope among students and educators.

SCN: How have students responded to the facility?

Natividad: The response from our scholars has been one of awe, excitement and renewed hope. Many students express that it finally feels like they are in a place that honors who they are and who they have the potential to become. The new Compton High School offers a world-class learning environment that rivals top-tier facilities anywhere in the world, and our scholars are inspired by the message that they are worthy of excellence.

Compton High School is more than just a building; it’s a symbol of what vision, perseverance, and community collaboration can achieve. In this environment, our scholars can flourish, not just academically, but emotionally and socially. We’ve seen a rise in student engagement, pride, and a deeper sense of belonging.

At the same time, this transformation brings a new level of visibility and accountability. Some students have shared that it feels like “all eyes are on us,” and that can be overwhelming. That’s why we are committed to a systems-based approach that ensures timely support, open communication, and inclusive problem-solving so every student feels heard and supported through this transition.

SCN: How has the new facility changed the educator experience?

Natividad: This is not just a change in location. It’s a transformation in how we educate, inspire, and lead. The transition from traditional classrooms to shared learning studios represents a significant mindset shift in public education. These flexible, collaborative spaces are designed to promote innovation and maximize instructional impact. With this shift comes the opportunity and responsibility for educators to rethink how space is used to support student achievement.

As we move forward, we are laser focused on academic results. Our goal is continuous improvement, with targeted outcomes that include increasing our [California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress] and math test scores in the upcoming year. We are also prioritizing growth in science performance, ensuring a well-rounded academic foundation for all students. We are also mindful that our focus is also to support and enhance the educational attainment for our special education scholars, foster and homeless youth, our English language learners.

SCN: What is your favorite aspect of the design?

Natividad: The open-air feel of the building, especially in the Academic Building, where the majority of our learning studios are located. The high ceilings and spacious walkways create an environment that feels expansive, inviting, and modern. The learning studios themselves are designed as just-in-time classrooms, where educators no longer “own” a space individually, but collaborate and share rooms to maximize the building’s capacity and serve more scholars efficiently and effectively.

I also appreciate the thoughtful use of natural lighting. It creates a bright, comfortable atmosphere that encourages breathing room for both thought and creativity. It truly feels like a place built for learning and growth.

The Dr. Dre Performing Arts Center is another standout feature of our campus. With 901 seats, it is designed to host world-class performances and elevate our scholars’ experiences in the arts. Our new gymnasium, which accommodates 903 spectators, marks a major step forward in rebuilding our championship athletic program. Combined with our half Olympic-sized pool, home to our inaugural aquatics program, we are proudly positioning Compton High School to develop scholar-athletes who can become

Olympians, professionals and leaders in the global sports industry.

In addition, our state-of-the-art stadium seats 2,099 spectators and will be the proud home of our Tarbabe football program this fall.

SCN: How does the new campus build a sense of safety and community?

Natividad: Safety is our number one priority. A secure and disciplined environment is the foundation of a vibrant learning community; one where scholars can thrive and pursue their futures with confidence. Our campus is equipped with more than163 cameras and state-of-the-art surveillance tools that monitor activity 24/7. This technology allows us to trace movement from multiple angles and investigate potential threats swiftly and effectively.

A safe campus isn’t just about protection; it’s about creating the conditions where students and staff feel supported, valued and empowered to succeed. Our new Compton High School embodies that vision. Through intentional investment in our scholars and facilities, we are building a strong sense of community and belonging. Our students know they deserve the very best educational experience in the world. With access to modern learning studios, student conference rooms, and global connectivity through live-streaming classrooms that reflect real-world industry settings, our scholars are immersed in an environment that boldly tells them that their education matters.

The post New $225 Million Compton High School Redefines Outdated Narratives appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post New $225 Million Compton High School Redefines Outdated Narratives appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

Klein��Cain High School, which made its debut in Houston last August, was long in the making.

Its story begins in 2008 when the Klein Independent School District realized it needed a new 9-12 high school (its fifth) to address the demographic growth within the community. At that time, the district did a selection process through a design competition that was won by locally headquartered PBK Architects. But then the recession hit, demographic growth plateaued and the project was shelved until 2012.

While oftentimes pausing a major project like this can pose a challenge, this time it worked out in the school district’s favor, according to Ian Powell, partner with PBK Architects. During that time, a major shift in the ways teaching and learning occurred was happening, as schools moved away from instructional-based learning to more independent learning methods that require more flexible, open spaces.

The project came to fruition in February 2015 when construction broke ground, with locally based Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc. serving as the construction manager at-risk. The result: A school that combines flexibility and transparency for next-generation learning while simultaneously addressing school security needs and prepping the complex for natural disasters just like Hurricane Harvey that hit five days after its opening.

Collaboration Is Key

One of the district’s criteria in the original design competition was to create a facility that reflected the heritage of the community, paying homage to the German immigrants who settled here in the mid-1850s. As such, the exterior of the building reflects traditional German architecture, with the��steeply pitched��gable metal roof at��the entry,��the subdivided exterior��window��configuration, the patterning of��exterior brick masonry and��the��use of cast stone, according to Powell.

While that exterior element stayed the same between the 2008 and 2012 timeframe, the district wanted to do something completely different with the interiors when the project was greenlit again in 2012. “The district staff decided to make the inside much more transparent, open, collaborative and connected,” Powell said. “The school building is divided into six smaller learning communities (SLCs) that each have more transparency to classrooms and more openness.”

Each of the SLCs consist of about 20 to 24 classrooms, two collaboration spaces, a decentralized administrative/counseling suite and other support spaces, according to Powell. Classrooms are grouped��around a larger open space that is centrally located within each SLC, and a linear, flexible space for smaller groups��is located at the��end of each SLC��adjacent a circulation path. These spaces provide opportunity for teacher-dependent��and independent��activities, and are��equally beneficial for��study and��project-based activities that foster interaction and��collaborative efforts within��student��teams.

The design of the classrooms equally takes on a more collaborative approach using an L-shaped layout. “One of the concepts that the Klein administrators wanted to break the mold of was the traditional classroom, by changing the ‘box’ to more of an L-shaped classroom so that there are different zones in the classroom,” Powell said. “Teacher-dependent and teacher-independent instruction can occur as well as differentiated instruction (that involves all different kinds of instruction, not just the degrees of teacher dependency).”

That means students can use the space however they see fit, whether that be working collaboratively in groups, with or without a teacher’s participation, or working independently. Moveable glass partitions open up into the adjacent collaboration spaces for even greater flexibility. The majority of classrooms feature exterior windows that bring natural daylight into the space, while every classroom includes high transom windows that look onto adjacent circulation spaces. Both uses of windows help reduce the need for artificial lighting.

The high school teaching staff was a product of this environment, according to Powell. In fact, the school selected teaching staff that could accommodate the varying types of instructional settings, addressing any initial concerns as to if this classroom type and style would fit the nature of the individuals doing the instruction.

“They even did a post-occupancy survey, and greater than 75 percent were more pleased with this instructional space than the previous box-shaped space they had been in before,” Powell said.

Yet another example of the open design is the Learning Commons (or modern-day library), with a majority of its front being transparent and even having front walls that open up into the main corridor, dubbed “Main Street,” according to Powell. High ceilings and varied lighting adds to the open feel. And even private group study areas, such as the Think Tank, are lined with glass walls for better transparency.

Because the school district is very familiar with using data in decision-making, the design team surveyed both students and teachers at the four other high schools in the district early on in the design process. “They reinforced the choice to be intentional with the [design elements], including the transparency, openness, configuration of the classrooms, natural light in most of the classrooms and even the fronting of the Learning Commons right off the main circulation corridor,” Powell said. “All of these were thoughts we had, but the feedback we got was positive from both teachers and students.”

Of course, security was also top of mind for the new school. The main entrance features a safety vestibule, which has hardware that locks down if or when there is some form of a human threat. The school also has surveillance. While school district administrators are invested in designing schools that are more open and inviting, they have some provisioning related to safety and security that balances the need for the entrance to feel warm and open but also be able to be zoned off at the event of an emergency, according to Powell. He added that he can’t share some of those provisions to ensure the security strategies at the school remain confidential.

To read the entire article, check out the May/June issue of .

The post Facility of the Month: Focusing on Flexibility appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post Facility of the Month: Focusing on Flexibility appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

Students participating in the Students in Academically Gifted Education (SAGE) program within the North Kansas City School District must have an IQ of 128 and above. Ever since the program’s inception in 1974, it has given these academically gifted students a curriculum that further develops their already advanced skills. Because programming was previously held at varying locations, the district’s approximately 950 SAGE students had been participating in the SAGE program at designated schools — until now.

The Northland Innovation Campus — often referred to as the SAGE Center — in Gladstone, Mo., (a suburb of Kansas City, Mo.) provides a truly innovative space that helps foster the exceptional skills of all 950 SAGE students that come to the facility from 26 schools on a one-day-a-week rotation. The facility pushes the boundaries of education design and serves as a permanent home for the 12 students in third, fourth and fifth grades who participate in the Program for Exceptionally Gifted Students (PEGS) and who have an IQ of at least 140.

“The goal of the SAGE Center was to bring students together so that they could be supported with their like peers, allowing them to talk on the same level and be challenged on their high-achieving levels,” said Dr. Danelle Marsden, principal of gifted programs at the SAGE Center. “Each of the kids is unique and has special needs, so we wanted to foster their uniqueness and develop their individuality. Many students struggle with figuring out where they belong and who they are as individuals, so we want them to work in a student-centered environment specifically designed to meet their needs.”

The SAGE Center’s curriculum uses a STEM approach, emphasizing math and science in a technology-rich space that allows students to research and create, while also supporting the students’ emotional needs by emphasizing individualized learning as well as how to work with others. Because some students are afraid to fail, the program also encourages the idea that “failure is an option” and can in fact stand for something else entirely such as “first attempt in learning,” Marsden said.

That student-centered approach set the stage for the entire project, which ended up mimicking the planning of a contemporary office space more than a traditional educational space. The studio-esque design features very few walls and no specified classrooms in an effort to prepare students for the real world, with a multipurpose hall, learning stairs, studios, outdoor classrooms, video production rooms and lab spaces replacing the traditional school layout.

From Flintstones to Jetsons

The SAGE Center was an interior fit-out project that essentially takes up 3.5 floors of a five-story building originally built as a blank slate. It’s a collaboration of several parties, including the city of Gladstone, North Kansas City School District and Northwest Missouri State, which happens to occupy the top floor of the building.

The project was accomplished in two phases. Completed in August 2016, the first phase included the K-5 portion of the project, for which Chicago-based Perkins+Will served as the design architect, locally based Hoefer Wysocki Architects served as the architect of record and locally based McCownGordon Construction served as the general contractor. The second phase was completed last summer by Hoefer Wysocki, which essentially used the same principles from the K-5 portion and applied it to a middle school portion. All said and done, the K-5 program takes up the first two floors with the middle school taking up floors three and half of the fourth floor.

“The driver of the project was the superintendent of the school district who has since moved on, but at the time, he wanted to do something really innovative and create a space that pushed people out of their boundaries and beyond their preconceived ideas of classrooms and what school space should be for these kids to be more in line with the progressive program,” said Julie Michiels, AIA, senior project designer, associate principal for Perkins+Will. “He wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a replication of what they were already doing but looked at creating something that will really be flexible enough to last for generations to come.”

To accommodate this “school of the future,” Michiels said the design team came up with a Flintstones-to-Jetsons analogy at the get-go, essentially asking the client to rank the project’s innovativeness on a scale that went from a “Flintstones”-era traditional design to a “Jetsons”-era future-thinking design. “At the beginning, we asked them to plot where they were, and they were closer to the Flintstones,” Michiels said. “We kept using that as a measure throughout the project, asking them if we were getting closer to the Jetsons.”

In the end, even the Jetsons themselves would have been impressed with the innovations involved in the center. For instance, the school wanted an open design — more similar to that of a contemporary office — that broke away from the traditional walling off of students in designated classrooms. Even the teachers opted to do away with assigned desks in an effort to allow for more observation and idea sharing.

Michiels said that the teachers and staff were excited that the design would allow kids to be more self-directed because these particular students need access to spaces and tools that are unavailable in a traditional classroom. That includes space for flying drones, teaching students coding skills,��a student-run green screen broadcast studio as well as a maker lab.

“It’s a very open-minded program,” Michiels said. “If teachers are giving instructions, they’re generally giving a framework to operate within, not necessarily saying that the students ‘have to do it’ this way, so we wanted the space to serve as a framework that could guide activities without being overly prescriptive about it.”

The Design

Two key design elements were flexibility and visual access. At SAGE, students only spend 5 percent of their time listening to lectures, while the rest of the time is split between doing project-based learning, collaborative group studies and independent studies — all of which require a wide range of learning environments. Wide stairwells create space for chance encounters, while an outdoor patio gives students the chance to learn in an open-air environment. Miniature grandstand seating, built-in nooks and flexible furniture only add to the flexibility.

The school also wanted to encourage curiosity in its students, so the design team used an open layout to create visual access for students to see what other students, older or younger, are doing as well as to see the trees and ravine outside, connecting them to nature. It also wanted the space itself to be a teaching tool, according to Michiels. “We wanted students to wonder what a material is or see something out the window that can be used in a science project,” she said. “We often questioned if we could frame things in a different way for the students that led us to creating a lot of flexibility and visual access.”

To read the entire article, check out the March/April issue of .

The post Facility of the Month: Pushing the Boundaries of Education Design appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post Facility of the Month: Pushing the Boundaries of Education Design appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Health will change the way nursing schools operate, with an innovative new education building for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis that begs students to ask questions, solve problems and simply practice what it’s like to care for people.

Completed this past summer and officially opened in October, the 70,000-square-foot Betty Irene Moore Hall is the ideal home to what is essentially a new school for the university. A $100 million donation from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the nation’s largest grant for nursing education, allowed the school to launch in 2009. And since launching, it has grown to include five different programs, with a student body of about 300 that will soon surpass 400 in the next few years. While borrowing space from the School of Medicine has served the nursing school well for the past decade, it was time for it to build its own space, according to Heather M. Young, founding dean of the nursing school.

San Francisco-based WRNS Studio teamed up with national construction firm McCarthy Building Companies Inc. under a design-build delivery methodology that helped the project stay on schedule and within its $38 million budget. Timothy Albiani, McCarthy’s project director for the project, emphasized that the delivery method was also rewarding in that the design-build team saw the project through from early programming to the final outcome of the top-rate educational building.

The school had a very clear vision for the project from the start. Young said that there were nearly 100 people involved, including several subcommittees to discuss everything from technology needs to facility issues. Together, faculty and staff created an 800-page specification document that guided the project through design and resulted in less than 1 percent change orders throughout the construction process.

“This project is really cutting edge,” Albiani added. “This whole building is about learning and the next wave of graduate students being educated to become better nurses and healthcare leaders. In fact, that’s the school’s entire purpose. Betty Irene Moore experienced treatment challenges during a hospital stay and made a personal commitment to expand nursing education to ensure nurses of the future had the most up-to-date training and skills. We really hit a home run, and we believe the School of Nursing got what they wanted to a tee. I think they asked for something they weren’t sure could be delivered, and with this building, they are able to push the envelope on progressive education further than they thought.”

In fact, Albiani thinks the school could change the approach to health education overall. “They’re changing the way a professional degree should be taught,” he said.

Nursing a New Education Approach

Veering away from the traditional lecture approach to education, the nursing school sought to engage students more actively from the get-go, and this new building only furthers that goal.

Specifically, the school wanted the capacity to do simulation, Young said. This ability to physically practice what it’s like to care for people is brought to life by either high-fidelity mannequins or patients who are live actors hired by the school to act as if they have a certain health condition. Students can get firsthand practice on clinical skills and bedside manner in a variety of simulation environments. They include the inpatient eight-bed “hospital ward,” task and anatomy skills labs, a 15-room primary care clinic and a one-bedroom apartment home health simulation suite that allows students to practice giving care in different residential spaces such as a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen. A lot of the practice is also recorded on video, so students can debrief and learn from what they see.

“It’s very different than lecturing because students get to use classroom time to have in-depth case discussions or practice in simulation,” Young emphasized. “The way [the building] is laid out is very different from a traditional education building.”

“[The building] probably doesn’t compare to many, if any, other nursing facilities,” said Kevin Black, McCarthy’s project manager for the project. “The larger classrooms are set up to be interactive with students engaging and interfacing with each other, while instructors move throughout the space; it doesn’t have the traditional podium up front with auditorium-style seating.”

Another thing that was really important to the university was that they wanted to use the circulation corridors efficiently. Edward Kim, WRNS project manager associate, emphasized the design team’s focus on “the third place.” Since students are no longer just commuting between the classroom and home, they need a “place” to study either individually or collaboratively with a group. Two of the main building program elements consist of active learning classrooms and skill or simulation labs. But equally as important to the university was the learning commons, the space between the classrooms and labs. The “learning commons” was programmed and designed to create a place where students can study and collaborate between classroom sessions.

“When talking about this ‘third place,’ we have conceptually identified it as ‘The Guts’ of the nursing school,” Kim said. “On the first, second and third floors, interconnected learning commons are treated with a bamboo wood wall that curves and bends to create different size alcoves for studying or collaborating. The third-floor learning commons has a window looking directly into the simulation lab, so there are even options to learn as a spectator while other classes are in session.”

The learning commons weaves throughout to continue both classroom and clinical learning. “Propeller tables” are strategically placed throughout these areas designed to encourage engaged learning and create an atmosphere where new ideas are discussed, debated and remembered.

“We wanted a place to invite people to connect, to spark the ability to have interesting conversations,” Young said. “All of our common spaces — corridors and lobbies — we wanted to be learning commons. So, the building was designed with places to sit and plug in a laptop and connect. It invites that kind of engagement; for instance, the walls are writable. We wanted a building that encouraged collaboration because we value that.”

To read the entire article, check out the January/February issue of .

The post Facility of the Month: UC Davis Rethinks Health Education appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post Facility of the Month: UC Davis Rethinks Health Education appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) in Lee’s Summit, Mo., isn’t just a building. It’s a program that’s changing the way students experience education and prepare themselves for the workplace.

The partnership between Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College and the University of Central Missouri (UCM) brings together high school and college students into one space, housing the MIC program, Summit Technology Academy (STA) and University of Central Missouri-Lee’s Summit, an off-site campus for UCM.

Students can start the MIC program their junior year of high school by attending STA, a program that offers students dual-credit classes that prepare them for careers in engineering, computer science, healthcare and multimedia. During the time it takes students to complete high school, they will have earned an associate’s degree from Metropolitan Community College, interned at a local business and then can finish their four-year bachelor’s degree from UCM just two years after they graduate high school.

The MIC program also integrates students into the community by requiring them to complete three years of paid internships with companies based in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Not only does this help alleviate the costs of education, but it also helps prepare students for the working world. In total, there are 500 metropolitan students in STA, 1,000 students in UCM and approximately 100 MIC students amongst them.

“The goal of the MIC is two-fold: to meet workforce demand for top technology-talented students and to eliminate massive college debt by reducing the time to degree completion,” said STA Principal Elaine Metcalf.

A new building for MIC was completed in time for the 2017-2018 school year. Before the new building was built, MIC was spread across two locations. Now, students have access to all the technologies they could want or dream up. In fact, the new campus was built with flexibility in mind to accommodate future technologies and curriculums.

“This building is designed to meet the needs of the Kansas City marketplace, and it’s always going to change,” said Kevin Greischar, AIA, principal for DLR Group. “As the marketplace and local industry evolve, so will this building. There are walls that are permanent, walls that are built for 10 years and ones that could come down tomorrow if need be.”

MIC held a grand-opening ceremony for its new home on Sept. 5. This debut date was also perfect timing to show off the new facility to attendees at the national EDspaces trade show, held in Kansas City, Mo., from Oct. 24-27, at which �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l was in attendance.

Problem Solving Is Key

From the outside, the 135,000-square-foot building features sleek aluminum sheathing and an industrial-style finish that matches the interior that is spread across two levels, featuring high ceilings and lots of windows to bring in natural light. The design was a collaboration between DLR Group as the architect of record and Gould Evans as design partner, with McCownGordon Construction serving as general contractor on the project. All three companies have offices in the Kansas City area.

The $30 million facility features 60 classrooms as well as shared spaces designed to welcome students from both STA and UCM as well as ones that are designated to specific programs: networking, engineering, medical, bio medical, graphics, hospitality and cybersecurity. Most of these spaces have moveable panels so that spaces can be combined or separated as needed. The furniture — most of which is on wheels — also encourages flexibility and movement.

“This building is probably the most specific we have been involved with, where the curriculum defined the physical space and adjacencies,” Greischar said. “The staff was already teaching in ways that a building like this would let them do but in a building that wasn’t designed for it. Instructors and learners will only flourish in this environment.”

The building was designed to have what Greischar called a “Main Street,” with neighborhoods that include a front and back porch that get a bit quieter as students make their way down the neighborhood corridor. Because the facility is designed to prepare students for the workforce, it really feels more like a Google- or Facebook-type tech office space than a college. The traditional high school environment is completely gone, with a more open concept so that classrooms are not closed off. Classrooms bleed into the hallways and vice versa allowing learning and teaching to occur everywhere.

“The real difference is that teachers give students a problem to solve, and then ask the students to solve it with the available tools,” Greischar said. “A big part of the educational experience at MIC involves collaboration and this idea that ‘you win as a team.’ The idea was to create an environment where students could go to solve problems instead of spaces where they could go to have their heads filled with lecture-style learning.”

Another aspect that Greischar said the design team had to consider was creating a space that encouraged a level of trust between parents and teachers that students could manage themselves and their own time, especially since some students at the school are only in high school and are working around college-age students. While the students typically work apart from one another, there are times when they work together, especially when MIC brings in a lecturer or other guest speaker.

One such space that truly deviates from the traditional high school setup is the upper-level lounge area with an outside terrace. It was originally conceived to be a library, but instead, it provides a place for students to plug-in and eat or chill out before starting their schoolwork.

“The new space promotes and facilitates very intentional ways to help students practice the professional skills that are needed to be successful in the workplace,” Metcalf said. “Also, the flexibility and openness of the design supports a changing curriculum of the next-generation workforce.”

To read the entire article, check out the November/December issue of .

The post Facility of the Month: A Dual-Purpose Campus appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post Facility of the Month: A Dual-Purpose Campus appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Riverside Community College District (RCCD) officially joined the Riverside community last summer when it opened a performing arts building and culinary arts school in downtown in time for the 2016-17 school year. Its new Coil School for the Arts (CSA) and Culinary Arts Academy and District Offices (CAADO) blend in with the city’s historic Centennial Plaza, which is also home to the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties that was rehabilitated in 2012.

The location of the two facilities provides more opportunities for RCCD students to engage with the community in a more hands-on approach that better trains them for the professional world. Irvine, Calif.-based LPA Inc. served as the architect on the project, while locally based Tilden-Coil Constructors Inc. served as the general contractor.

“The main goal was to design an educational and cultural hub at the heart of downtown Riverside,” said Franco Brown, associate/design director for LPA Inc. “By moving key programs such as the School of Music and the Culinary Arts Academy ‘off-campus,’ the district brought the arts to the local community while benefiting from the exposure and synergies created.”

“The development of a comprehensive block in downtown with programs that have patrons and members of the public allowed the college district to move these programs into the community spotlight,” added Chris Carlson, chief of staff and facilities development at RCCD. “Each facility is designed to advance the programs; the former locations were inadequate for the current and future program development to help students preparing for the workforce in these areas.”

Culinary Arts Academy & District Offices

At 60,000 square feet, CAADO was the larger portion of the project. It features a demonstration kitchen and a restaurant open to the public with a vegetated rooftop deck for special events and performances that give students practical experience while also allowing the community to host celebrations.

“The previously secluded Culinary Arts Academy has now taken a center-stage location in downtown Riverside,” Brown said. “The program offers students an education in the different specialties of the culinary arts (including ice carving) with the vital experience of a real-world restaurant. The new facility gives students the traditional hands-on approach complemented with distance learning and access to online archival material produced in the demonstration kitchen.”

Unlike most traditional culinary art facilities, the CAADO building takes advantage of its prominent location, with all of the kitchens and a bakery situated on the building perimeter, facing the street, according to Brown. In contrast, the demonstration kitchen was located in the center of the layout to control light and the digital technology for recording and broadcasting sessions. In fact, this space was designed to be more like a television set than a traditional classroom. Last but not least, the project is centered around a 120-seat restaurant located on the corner that is open to the public. A glass tower element serves as a beacon at nighttime and connects the restaurant to the rooftop deck.

“Using glass ‘portals,’ we let the activities inside be ‘displayed’ to pedestrians and people driving by,” Brown said.

Having these activities on display attracts community engagement, and specifically the demonstration kitchen and rooftop terrace allow the district to advance and change the curriculum in ways they were unable to before, according to Carlson. He added that another key part of the CAADO building is that it brings all the district’s offices into one location instead of keeping them in the four separate locations that previously housed them.

Coil School of the Arts

As the new home for the Riverside City College music program, the CSA building also takes the spotlight (pun intended) in the community with its 450-seat concert hall and performance stage, primarily driven by acoustics to achieve uncompromising sound quality, according to Brown. The building also includes classrooms, practice rooms, a choral room, band room, orchestra room, a piano lab and a high-technology recording studio.

“The concert hall itself was conceived as a music instrument, applying the same principle of the resonance chamber found in many string instruments to achieve a three-second reverberation time for choir performances,” Brown said. “Sound absorptive panels, mechanized perimeter drapery and a moveable stage cloud can all be configured to cater to the large variety of music genres offered by the school program.”

A combination of new and proven technology was used throughout the building, Brown added. The 33 practice rooms were physically isolated from the adjacent concert hall using hanging stud walls and a floating concrete slab to avoid any sound interference. For the concert hall, a latticework of LED lights creates what Brown called a “visual boundary” for the space while allowing the sound through. Even a digital menu of multiple light patterns was programmed in to give users the ability to select the right atmosphere for each performance.

Due to a code height limitation, the service space at catwalk level had to integrate the structural, mechanical, electrical, rigging, fire-suppressing and lighting systems in a constrained space, according to Brown. During the design development, LPA’s integrated design team used BIM software technology to achieve this complex system coordination, something that a decade ago would have been nearly impossible.

“Having a music performance hall, recording studio and triple the number of practice rooms is a game changer, and so is having a home for all performances versus moving from venue to venue,” said Carlson. “This has been a huge success for them, with community and professional engagement. The Riverside Philharmonic even moved its performance venue from the Fox Performing Arts Center to the Coil School for the Arts, providing more opportunities for students.”

To read the entire article, check out the September/October issue of .

The post Facility of the Month: Riverside Community College District Engages the Community at appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

The post Facility of the Month: Riverside Community College District Engages the Community at appeared first on �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.