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��

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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.��

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By Lindsey Coulter��

The Giddens School and Lake Washington Girls Middle School complex brings two independent schools together on a single urban campus, balancing shared resources with distinct identities in a tightly programmed, three-story building between Seattle’s Beacon Hill and Central District neighborhoods.��

Designed by Graham Baba Architects (architecture and interior design) in collaboration with Anjali Grant Design (educational consultant and collaborating architect), the campus is��located��on a constrained site with significant grade change, the 52,500-square-foot project was designed to support co-location without compromise. While Giddens serves a coeducational pre-K through fifth-grade population and Lake Washington Girls Middle School educates girls in grades six through eight, both schools share a pedagogical emphasis on inquiry-based learning,��flexibility��and community connection.��

From the outset, the design and construction process focused on how architecture could reinforce educational goals while responding to neighborhood scale, sustainability��priorities��and long-term adaptability.��

Planning a Shared but Distinct Educational Model��

Co-locating two independent schools offered operational efficiencies but required careful planning to preserve each school’s culture and daily rhythms.��Each school has its own entry sequence, circulation patterns and clustered academic spaces, while shared program areas are located at the center of the building.��

Giddens’ program includes 12 classrooms, early childhood and elementary playgrounds, and a��makerspace supporting science,��art��and social studies. Pre-K classrooms are grouped near the school’s entry, while elementary classrooms and administrative areas are stacked on two levels running east to west. The school serves approximately 240 students.��

Lake Washington Girls Middle School accommodates about 110 students. Its classrooms and administrative spaces are stacked above a dedicated entry and organized north to south. The two schools connect through shared spaces including a gym and performance hall, library,��commons��and dining areas.��

“The biggest challenge in terms of school identity was the entries,” the design team noted. Each entry needed to be welcoming and legible for families while��maintaining��a balanced presence on the site. Color,��materials��and subtle shifts in form were used to distinguish the schools without creating visual competition.��

Flexible Spaces Designed to Evolve��

Flexibility��guided��both spatial planning and interior detailing. Classrooms were designed to accommodate multiple age groups,��subjects��and teaching styles, with adaptability over time considered a core requirement.��

The project includes preschool classrooms with direct outdoor access and dedicated restrooms, elementary classrooms, middle school��classrooms,��and a range of specialty spaces for art, science,��STEAM��and performance. Operable walls—often clad in whiteboard material—allow rooms to expand or contract. Minimal built-ins,��high ceilings��with exposed structure and neutral finishes give teachers latitude to configure spaces as needed.��

Hallways incorporate interior windows into classrooms, visually connecting learning��spaces��and increasing access to daylight. Breakout areas at multiple scales support small-group instruction and informal collaboration.��

The gymnasium doubles as a performance space, with a stage and fold-out seating. An operable wall allows the stage to function daily as a music and theater classroom serving both schools.��

Responding to Neighborhood and Site Constraints��

The L-shaped building opens to the south, forming a protected outdoor play and gathering space that takes advantage of solar exposure. This configuration shields the campus from more industrial contexts to the north and east while creating a softer edge toward adjacent residential streets.��

Topography played a significant role in massing decisions. With approximately 20 feet of elevation change across the site, portions of the building read as two stories from the neighborhood side, while larger-volume spaces such as the gym, storage, mechanical��rooms��and some parking tuck beneath the main level.��

Outdoor space within the “L” functions as both a daily play area and an exterior performance venue. On the third level, Giddens occupies the west side of the floor, while Lake Washington Girls Middle School accesses a fenced rooftop playfield with expansive urban views.��

These strategies helped balance density with neighborhood compatibility while maximizing usable outdoor space on a small urban site.��

Sustainability as Curriculum��

Sustainable systems were intentionally made visible and accessible as teaching tools. A cistern and underground tank collect rainwater used to flush toilets, with signage in restrooms explaining the system. Solar panels form the entry canopy at Giddens and are supplemented by an��additional��rooftop array.��

Bio-retention gardens throughout the site filter stormwater, while a rain gauge connected to the cistern allows students to track water collection. Educational signage, developed pro bono by the design team, is displayed in shared areas such as the commons.��

Teachers have incorporated these systems into coursework and have invited architects to speak with students about environmental responsibility and building performance.��

Materials,��Health��and Long-Term Performance��

Material��selection��focused on durability, low��toxicity��and ease of maintenance. The team developed a sustainability matrix informed by��established��frameworks to��identify��strategies with the greatest impact.��

Flooring includes low- and zero-VOC materials such as linoleum,��rubber��and polished concrete. Casework is formaldehyde-free, and coatings throughout the building meet low-emissions standards. These decisions support indoor air quality and long-term resilience in high-use educational spaces.��

Lessons for Future Urban Campuses��

The project reinforced several strategies applicable to future urban K–8 and middle school campuses: early and ongoing engagement with teachers and students; advance scheduling for shared spaces; careful program stacking on tight sites; and deliberate planning of entries and circulation for multiple user groups.��

Equally important were generous daylighting, visual connections between spaces and flexible shared areas that encourage interaction while supporting separation when needed.��

Designed for adaptability and longevity, the campus reflects how thoughtful design and construction can support evolving educational models in dense urban contexts.��

Project Team

• Graham Baba Architects (architecture and interior design)
• Anjali Grant Design (educational consultant and collaborating architect)
• Costigan Integrated (project manager)
• Cascade Design Collaborative (landscape architect)
• KPFF (civil and structural engineer)
• GeoEngineers (geotechnical engineer)
• Heffron Transportation Inc. (traffic consultant)
• Ecotope (mechanical engineer)
• Rushing (electrical engineer)
• Exxel Pacific (general contractor)
• A3 Acoustics (acoustical consultant)
• Dark Light (lighting designer)
• JRS Engineering (building envelope consultant)
• Emerald Aire (mechanical contractor)
• Holaday-Parks (plumbing contractor)
• Johnson Electric (electrical contractor)

Materials & Products

• Wood siding: Kebony
• Metal siding: AEP Span (Mini-V-Beam and Prestige profiles)
• Windows: VPI Quality Windows (vinyl)
• Storefront: Arcadia
• Roofing: Soprema
• Gym flooring: Robbins Sports Surfaces Bio-Cushion Classic
• Tile: Daltile
• Carpeting: Shaw Contract

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Photo: After evaluating nearly 100 different properties, the team selected a portion of an existing mixed-use structure, with the school occupying three expansive podium levels. | Photo Credit (all): Here and Now Agency��

By Lindsey Coulter��

In the borough of Queens, New York, where land for new construction is scarce, growing schools often struggle to find the right space or structure to support modern teaching and learning. Leaders at Central Queens Academy (CQA) experienced similar challenges when searching for the growing school’s permanent home. Thanks to the partnership and ingenuity of architecture firm GLUCK+, however, for the first time in the school’s more than ten-year history, the entire CQA community is now united under one roof.��

The Search for a Site��

CQA opened in 2012 and for several years the middle school was located in small, temporary spaces as school leaders sought a facility to call home.������

“We knew that we were going to open our first elementary school in 2021, so our desire for a large, permanent school space increased even further,” said Ashish Kapadia, executive director of CQA and a parent of two CQA students.����

The GLUCK+ team, headed by architect Charlie Kaplan, LEED AP, principal, and Marisa Kolodny, associate, was tasked with finding an existing facility that could be adapted and redesigned as a home for education, while also providing a welcoming space for the community. Having worked with the school for more than a decade, the GLUCK+ team had a deep understanding of the school’s spatial needs and how the building needed to serve the mission.��

Together, the GLUCK+ team and school leaders evaluated nearly 100 different properties, eventually selecting a portion of an existing mixed-use structure that includes a community health facility as well as a residential tower, with the school occupying the building’s three expansive podium levels. The podium offers an impressive 83,000 square feet of space, enough to accommodate 50 classrooms and up to 900 students.��

Navigating Scale and Space��

The podium level’s massive 35,000-square-foot floor plate presented both a gift and a unique design challenge. To bring the space down to a more educational scale, the design team broke the space into smaller components, creating intimate, village-like spaces.����

“We wanted to make sure that the scale of the space wasn’t overwhelming for the students,” Kaplan said. “Developing smaller zones allowed us to create more personalized learning environments.”��

The building’s existing structural elements, including low ceilings in certain areas, also forced the team to get creative, developing a visually dynamic space that also reinforced CQA’s branding and mission.��

“We leaned into the low ceilings, lowering them even further in some spaces to create a more intimate, focused environment,” he added. “In the classrooms, we used color, particularly CQA’s signature orange, to highlight architectural features like the carved ceiling details. Instead of just painting the ceiling, we carved into it, using the orange color in these cut-out sections that drew the eye upward, making the space feel larger and more inviting.”����

Kaplan also reflects on the challenge of balancing architectural concepts with real-world constraints.����

“One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was solving difficult design problems with limited resources. It’s a reminder that sometimes, with creativity and ingenuity, you can achieve a lot with a little,” he said.����

The Concept of Villages and Commons��

A hallmark of CQA’s design is the concept of “villages” and “commons,” which emerged from the practical challenge of redesigning a building that was originally conceived as a commercial space.����

“When you have a floor plate that large, it’s inherently very deep, and parts of it don’t receive natural light,” Kaplan said. “In our test fit, we arranged classrooms around the perimeter, where there was glass, but the central area became a conundrum. What do we do with the ‘doughnut’ in the middle?”����

The solution came in the form of the Commons: central spaces designed to foster community, learning and interaction among students. The concept was shaped not only by the building’s physical constraints but also by the need to accommodate CQA’s diverse population.����

As CQA serves one of the most culturally diverse zip codes in the United States, with more than 30 languages spoken by the students alone, the Commons became a natural fit to bring these groups together in a shared space. The design also accommodates the school’s practice of allowing young scholars to step outside of their traditional classroom settings to learn in small groups. According to Kapadia, this method has led to a decrease in scholars falling behind academically.����

“We are able to do real science experiments in laboratory settings and offer four years of middle school STEM instruction, leading to higher scholar performance in math and science by the time they finish 8th grade,” Kapadia said. “For example, 24% of our 8th graders got into a specialized or selective high school in the spring of 2025 and over 75% of our eighth graders passed two high school Regents exams this year.”��

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At first it brought back memories of standing in front of a school board meeting reciting the old guideline, "10, 20 or 30 acres depending on the type of school – elementary, middle or high, plus one acre for every 100 students to be housed." This answer had always seemed to be overly simple and awkwardly incomplete. There always seemed to be a series of follow-up questions: Does that include a football practice field for the varsity? How many tennis courts are there? Does the marching band have its own practice area or do they have to use the student parking area? Do the teachers have a separate parking area? All of these normal reasonable questions were always left hanging with my overly simplified response.

This new handbook takes a different approach and according to the Guide’s co-author, Sue Robertson, REFP; "Chapter 7 – Conducting Site Evaluations and Selections identifies the ways in which the school site relates to the educational program, the importance of school siting in creating walkable neighborhoods, considerations for selecting a school site, and criteria for site evaluation."

"One of the most widely debated and costly issues in selecting a school site is the amount of acreage required. Creating Connections discusses an additive or functional approach to this issue. Using this approach, the educational program and functional requirements, such as size of the building’s footprint, number of parking spaces, amount of car drop off/pick up queuing, number of buses, number and size of play fields, etc., are used to determine the square footage required. These program and functional requirements are summed and a Net to Gross Factor (10%-30%) is applied to provide walkways and buffers between activity areas. This yields the total usable square footage that can be converted to usable acres by dividing by 43,560 square feet/acre. The actual site size may be larger, since the property may contain features such as easements, environmentally sensitive areas, and extreme slope changes that are non-usable areas."

To me, this functional approach is professionally more responsible. I reflected back to my years on the Board of the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International and the desire at that time to update the "Guide." My hat is off to the CEFPI Board, the staff and all who contributed to this success. In all significant publications, there is always a project champion. Co-author Nancy Myers, Ed.D., REFP, shared with me that Steve Young, immediate past president of CEFPI was "instrumental in ensuring that the direction of the new Guide would establish CEFPI as the planning organization. It was through his tenacity and can-do attitude that the new Guide became a hallmark piece for the organization."

Jim Brady AIA, REFP, is the executive director for the America’s Schoolhouse Council, which is dedicated to excellence in planning, building, and maintaining our nation’s schools. Jim resides in Austin, Texas, he can be reached via e-mail at JimBradyASC@aol.com.

For more information about Creating Connections: The CEFPI Guide for Educational Facility Planning, visit

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I later learned that the green-and-yellow color had marched right off the football field. After the district summer paint crew had finished painting the football stadium they took the initiative to spruce up the old school and surprise the principal upon his return from summer break. Surprise I am sure; had it not been district employees, a call to the police department may have been in order to report the vandalism.

To better understand the use of color and the impact of color in the school environment, I contacted Susan Einspahr ASID, president of Kingscott Associates Inc., a Kalamazoo, Mich., firm known for its expertise on color use.

"It’s always difficult to ensure color selections will remain untouched in a building after you have completed your work," explained Einspahr.

There are many instances of owners’ representatives making changes. At that ninth grade center, the painters were probably trying to promote school spirit by adding the school colors to the interior.

Einspahr suggests designers know a school’s colors and mascots so that they can be incorporated into the planning process initially.

What does color have to do with anything? Everything! Studies have found that color affects every student – from their mood to their appetite. Researchers have studied the impact of color on students since the early ’70s. A Canadian researcher, Dr. H. Wohlfarth, found he could lower the blood pressure of first graders by changing the wall color from beige to light blue.

Many studies have demonstrated the combined affect of lighting and color on students. A University of Nevada, Las Vegas, study showed that the combination of natural light, color and lighting levels greatly affect how students behave. Sinofsky & Knirck (1981) discovered that warm colors and bright lighting promote action and physiologically increased heart rate, muscular tension, blood pressure, and brain activity. Cool colors and low lighting levels result in the opposite: relaxation and even sleep. When students feel good about their surroundings, they take better care of them and behave better, which translates into less vandalism.

Many books and articles have been written discussing the age appropriateness of color. Young children prefer primary colors such as red, blue and yellow. As students grow, their color preferences expand to include tertiary colors like purple, orange, and green. Pinks, teals and neutrals such as browns also enter their color preferences. In high school, students experiment with colors from current fashion trends and rebellious colors like black and gray.

Color theorists and behaviorists focus on, among other things, how colors make you feel. Colors like blues and greens are cool, calming and serene. If you have a classroom with a southern exposure, using cool colors like greens and blues will help make the room feel less warm than using warm colors like yellow and orange.

The value of a color, or its lightness or darkness, affects how a color is perceived. For example, dark colors advance, while light colors recede. Therefore, if you want a small room to appear larger, painting it lighter colors will create an expansive appearance. Darker colors make a room seem smaller and more intimate. Restaurants lower light levels in the evening to create a more intimate, romantic feel. Conversely, at lunch they increase lighting levels for business clients. Warm, bright colors promote movement and activity. Fast food restaurants use bright colors to encourage people to eat quickly and be on their way.

What makes sense for school facilities? For existing facilities, color changes are an inexpensive way to impact your learning environment, promote pride in your building, and improve how students and teachers feel.

If you are planning a new facility, how do you best integrate color into your building? Ask questions like how much, where, and when does color make sense. Look at the appropriateness of selections. Use common sense in viewing the colors. How do they make you feel? How will they make the students feel? Expect your professionals to explain their color choices; color is not just personal preference. Many times we include students and teaching staff on the color and finish selection committees to take advantage of their knowledge and sense of the school community.

Color does make a difference in facilities. The more you learn about color, the more you understand its impact on educational facilities and student achievement.

Jim Brady AIA, REFP, is the executive director for the America’s Schoolhouse Council, a professional collaboration dedicated to improving student performance through better academic facilities. He can be reached at JimBradyASC@aol.com.

Grangaard, Ellen Mannel (1993). "Effects of Color and Light On Selected Elementary Students." Doctoral Dissertation, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Sinofsky, E.R. & Knirck, F.G. (1981). "Choose the Right Color for your Learning Style." Instructional Innovator, 26(3), 17-19.

Knirck, F.G. (1970). "Acoustical and Visual Environments Affect Learning." Audiovisual Instruction, 15(1), 34-35.

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The strategic planning team for this Wyoming school district was your typical cross-section of community leadership with three exceptions: an 8th grader, 10th grader and a 12th grader. The impact of these three student leaders, in my opinion, was significant as they gave a fresh voice of the future to the planning process. It was also one of those students who created the slogan.

Just as memorable as one’s first sighting of the Grand Tetons, these students left their mark on me as well; as it became my standard request to school districts thereafter to include student leaders in any school/community planning process.

It is my belief that with student involvement, the dynamics of the "adult discussion" change for the positive. It seems to put us on our best behavior and provide the future focus necessary to deal with the transformation of the learning environment. When students are a part of the group, we adults don’t say, "Hey look at me. It worked for me. It is good enough for them, too." Or, "We have always done it this way." Or, "You know how kids are today, they don’t …." These types of comments often impair the progress of the dialogue and limit the possibilities. They keep us trapped in the present or past, don’t they? So I ask you – who is carrying that student voice and vision in your planning team?

Very recently I had another validation of my belief in the value of student participation. It was during this year’s CEFPI School Building Week celebration held at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Washington, D.C. On stage, the inter-city teams of middle school students presented their projects for the redesign of their old and inadequate schools. Their enthusiasm was contagious as they presented solutions that included daylighting, color, places for information exchange, and centers for inquiry. They also understood the necessity to address the needs of their different learning styles.

Judith Hoskens of the Cuningham Group served as chair for this year’s National School Building Week’s Student Competition that highlighted each of the student project successes and she later reflected:

"The kids really get it. They demonstrated an understanding of what goes into creating quality and meaningful learning environments from integrating real-life business practices, to creating environments that support the different learning styles, to providing spaces that support integrated project-based learning, to an emphasis on environmental issues. They also recognized the important role they play as stewards of the environment through strategies that included adaptive reuse of the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium site, green roofs, and spaces flooded with natural light. We could all stand to benefit by listening to and including the students themselves within our planning and design processes!"

As a strategic and facilities planner, dealing with change has been my career mantra. Including students has been an easy assist to help address these issues, but I was beginning to feel that I needed more. So it was with much interest that I attended the recently held AIA/CAE’s Tipping Point: Transforming the American Learning Environment spring conference in Portland, Ore., on May 13-15. And yes, this was really special and what I needed.

The conference organizers created a format that provided a series of "Provocateurs" who risked to expand our thinking. At-risk students shared their learning perspectives and clearly enunciated their life’s challenges that we must address. Thoughtful discourse took place in multiple and varied educational venues. This event was more than site tours. It was an experiential kaleidoscope of learning places and learning issues. It confirmed to me, as we labor and strive for the success of all students – we must expand the dialogue and participation to include all students in our planning processes and thinking.

But my real "aha!" moment at this conference came from the dean and professor of the University of Washington’s The Information School, Dr. Michael Eisenberg’s topic, "The Knowledge Generation: What is Information and Knowledge in the Coming Decades." As he set the stage for the learners of the future he shared "that there has been more new information in the past 30 years than the previous 5,000 years." All I could think was, weren’t there dinosaurs back then? And what did dinosaurs have to do with my graduating from college and becoming an architect over 30 years ago?

So how do I connect with the future now and continue to make a positive difference for kids? It has to be more than the inclusion of students on my planning teams. While their inclusion continues to be of critical importance, I need to add an element.

The solution comes in realizing that I must let go of all that old stuff and aged perspectives within myself. I must reclaim my garage for my car and let those "memorabilia junk boxes" go. And I must see fresh again. For me this will come through the eyes and thoughts of Natalie. For Natalie is my first grandchild – she is just six months old, and has the benefit of starting out with all that "new" information of the past thirty years-and the good news is, with her perspective – so will I!

So I am off to buy her a stuffed dinosaur to celebrate! And I ask you – through whose eyes do you see the future?

Jim Brady AIA, REFP, is the executive director for the America’s Schoolhouse Council which is dedicated to excellence in planning, building, and maintaining our nation’s schools. Jim resides in Austin, Texas, and you may reach him at JimBradyASC@aol.com.

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It had been recently reported that South Dakota’s schools were wired as well, with more instructional computers per student than any other state in the country. Its ratio was reported at 1.4 students to 1 instructional computer. This is almost three times above the national average, which currently stands at four students per instructional computer.

On my agenda was a visit to my high school. I was eager to see how the infusion of technology had impacted those familiar classrooms I frequented more than 30 years ago. Surely they would have a better plan than I for keeping their cords and wires untangled.

To prepare for my visit and to better understand cost-effective technology implementation options, I called Bill Hayes, president of Thomas Communications & Technologies LLC in Ithaca, N.Y. Hayes informed me that one effective strategy was to merge district capital and technology plans. He told me that many school districts are in the process of implementing aggressive capital construction programs to upgrade or enlarge their facilities just as technology programs are also being implemented to expand educational opportunities for all students.

"Typically there are two different departments within a school district that carry out these initiatives in separate and uncoordinated processes," explained Hayes. "The capital improvement plans and the technology plans need to be merged into a common districtwide initiative to allow the school district to obtain the mutual benefits of each program. Information technology (IT) directors in school districts need adequate space, power, utility services, environmentally controlled spaces, and furniture and computer classrooms to achieve the technology plan objectives. These facility requirements are also common among all of the other educational departments within a school district that are addressed in the capital construction plan."

"Funding for capital construction and technology has historically been treated as two separate sources that cannot be intermingled," Hayes continued.

"However, the real benefit comes when all available funding sources are identified and accessed to meet the financial requirements of a common goal – excellent schools to educate children! There are many federal technology grant programs that can compliment a capital construction program. The federal E-rate program distributes approximately $1 billion annually for cabling, network electronics, wireless technologies, servers and telephone systems. Other technology grant programs provide funding for applications, training and equipment. Merging capital funding sources with IT grants creates a unique opportunity for school districts to fulfill their goal of constructing excellent schools."

"If there is a common goal in the district that derives a similar scope of work and is financed by multiple funding sources, then great efficiencies are realized at lower cost. It is much easier to construct a facility with all of the educational requirements than to have systems added to the facility at a later date. This is why the facilities planning department and the IT departments must be in constant communication and plan district-wide initiatives in a collaborative manner. The result will be better facilities at a lower cost with reduced construction coordination problems and the delivery of excellent educational facilities to our clients: the students."

I hoped to see evidence of a collaborative coordinated approach to providing the infrastructure to support student learning during my stay.

To better prepare myself on teaching and learning strategies that I also might experience on my return to the hallowed halls of Spearfish High School, I had a conversation with Caroline McCullen, a former National Technology Teacher of the Year who is with SAS inSchool in Cary, N.C. McCullen shared with me a report entitled A Retrospective on Twenty Years of Education Technology Policy, () published by the Education Development Center for the U.S. Department of Education.

"It holds some important implications for school facilities planners," McCullen said. "The study surveys 20 policy documents ranging from A Nation at Risk, published in 1983, to The Sustainability Challenge: Taking Ed-Tech to the Next Level, by the Benton Foundation in 2003. As you might expect, most studies recommend that schools ‘improve access, connectivity, and infrastructure.’"

McCullen noted the significance of the findings. "Certainly we have to get that right, but since technology changes so rapidly, I also believe that absolutely nothing should be ‘nailed down’ or permanently placed in a classroom. Literally everything should be moveable, based upon the teacher’s style and the students’ needs: furniture, projectors, pieces, and parts of technology. How many times have you visited a new school only to find teachers commandeering power strips, replacing desks with larger tables, or taping white butcher-block paper to a wall to serve as a makeshift projection screen? When decisions are made about such things, students and teachers must be included in facilities planning if the resulting building is to reflect and support their needs."

The DOE retrospective also found that schools need greater access to "high-quality content and software."

This has "important implications for facility planners," said McCullen. "No matter how innovative the building design and the technology plan, teachers will not use technology to its fullest potential unless computers provide content that truly enhances teaching and learning. SAS inSchool, a Division of SAS, currently strives to meet this need. Curriculum Specialists from SAS inSchool work with educators and students across the country to create engaging content in the core disciplines and Spanish for grades 8-14. Dr. John Boling, director of SAS inSchool advises that schools don’t need a technology plan; instead they need an academic plan that can be enabled by technology. If we follow this advice and focus on the content and the curriculum first, the school will truly facilitate learning."

As I drove the old route to my high school in South Dakota, I could only imagine the massive changes that would have transformed it into a quality-learning environment for the 21st century. At first sight, it was evident that more had changed than I was prepared for. The parking lot was now fenced and filled with playground equipment. The marquee no longer boasted "Home of the Spearfish Spartans." My big high school was now just a small elementary school. More than just the technology had changed. I sat under the cherry tree that our high school class had planted and reflected on the enormity of the transformation of high school education that is taking place across the country, and of the challenge and benefit of collaborative efforts that yet must be undertaken to assure the success of our clients: the students.

Jim Brady AIA, REFP, is the executive director for the America’s Schoolhouse Council, which is dedicated to excellence in planning, building, and maintaining our nation’s schools. He can be reached at JimBradyASC@aol.com.

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