Campus Sustainability
Design firm Perkins Eastman recently announced the opening of the first two net-zero-energy schools in Washington, D.C. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for both schools—Banneker Academic High School and West/John Lewis Elementary School—took place in the last week of August.
New Construction
African-American-owned design firm DIGroup recently joined school officials, faculty and students for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of one of the largest projects in the firm’s history.
Campus Renovations
At Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Penn., the Department of Mechanical Engineering recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new ME Knowledge Lab.
New Construction
Shasta College in Redding, Calif., announced recently that it has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Veterans Support and Success Center.
Campus Technology
Even as students slowly return to in-person learning, distance learning solutions have altered educational expectations. For many students, remote learning has become a viable option. Even before the pandemic, many would have chosen to study at home if it were a more accessible option.
Campus Renovations
Aquinas College, a private Roman Catholic college in Grand Rapids, Mich., announced this week that it has received its largest single donation ever from an individual, living donor. The $3-million gift from Peter and Carolyn Sturrus of Grand Haven, Mich., comes in support of the college’s new Gold LEED-certified Albertus Magnus Hall of Science.
Campus Renovation
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, announced this week that it is planning an $8-million theatre renovation project.
New Construction
With a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony, construction has officially begun on the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria, Va. University, government and business leaders gathered on Tuesday, Sept. 14, to mark the first steps of the first academic building of the new campus.
Healthy Schools
A study from earlier this year has revealed that the majority of Americans are aware of the benefits that natural light can have on their physical, mental, and psychological health. However, the same study also showed that nearly half of Americans ages 18 and older spend between 12 and 23 hours a day indoors, while government research suggests that most Americans spend up to 93% of their lives inside.
New Construction
The Luling Independent School District in Luling, Texas—part of the Austin metropolitan area—recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility. Shanklin Elementary School came as a result of a bond program passed by voters in May 2019 to upgrade and replace five district facilities in poor condition.
HVAC
Air movement, control and conditioning solutions company Greenheck announced this week that it has redesigned its Energy Core Ventilator (ECV) line.
New Construction
The Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD), located near Houston, Texas, recently opened a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Magnet Academy. The $2.8-million facility is the first of its kind in Fort Bend County, and it can accommodate almost 200 students in grades 3–8.
Grants
The U.S. Department of Education announced this week that it is establishing a new grant program to provide funding to school districts that have been penalized for implementing safety measures against COVID-19.
Campus Renovations
The College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., has announced a renovation project for its Albert Simons Center for the Arts. The facility originally opened in 1979 for about 800 students. Today, it serves about 4,000, according to a press release, and officials are moving forward with plans to update its classrooms, performances spaces, technology and infrastructure.
Campus Sustainability
Colorado State University Pueblo in Pueblo, Colo., recently announced that it has become the first university in the state to achieve net-zero efficiency.
Campus Renovation
Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, Md., recently celebrated the opening of its newest academic building, the Miguel B. Fernandez Family Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning.
Cybersecurity
Howard University in Washington, D.C., announced this week that its online and hybrid classes have been suspended following a ransomware attack.
New Construction
A groundbreaking ceremony was held this week for a new high school in Boys Town, Neb. The three-story, 110,000-square-foot facility will stand on the site of the small town’s previous high school, which was built in 1948 and was recently demolished to make room for construction.
Indoor Air Quality
Johnson Controls announced this week that it is contributing its OpenBlue Healthy Buildings portfolio to a pre-existing partnership between two science and safety organizations. UL and SafeTraces joined forces in March 2021 to begin evaluating the effectiveness of indoor air quality and HVAC systems, as well as infection control strategies, in K–12 schools.
Campus Amenities
Too often, outdoor spaces are seen as an afterthought – spaces that can be determined once everything else is evaluated and developed. But that can be a costly mistake. When prioritized as part of the school’s overall programming, value-added outdoor space benefits students’ learning and social experience, providing a solid return-on-investment for schools.
COVID-19 and Schools
Across the country, K–12 school administrators, teachers and staff are preparing to return to school in the midst of continued uncertainty. As COVID-19 continues to evolve, conflicting positions on mask mandates and safety requirements have spilled out of school board and PTA meetings into the national discourse, complicating decision-making at every level. The ongoing pandemic has created new risks, and elevated others — all of which pose challenges to K–12 operations.
Adaptive Reuse
Chapman University, located in Orange, Calif., recently announced the construction of a new facility for the Sandi Simon Center for Dance. The project entails the renovation of an historic Villa Park Orchards Building on the campus’ west side.
New Construction
The University of Maryland in College Park, Md., has a new dorm on campus. Pyon-Chen Hall opened its doors in time for the fall semester to about 450 University Honors living-learning program students, as well as others.
University Renovations
Washington State University Spokane announced this week that its Native American Health Sciences program has received a grant to enrich its space.
Funding
Montana State University, located in Bozeman, Mont., announced this week that it has received a sizable philanthropic gift for its College of Nursing.
New Construction
Everywhere you look, Holmes Hall is more than a collection of classrooms and studios; it’s a forum where left- and right-brain thinkers build the future together.
New Construction
On the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., officials gathered recently to break ground on a new 105,000-square-foot chemistry building.
New Construction
The city of Boston, Mass., will soon be getting a new public school. HMFH Architects announced this week that it is putting finishing touches on the design for Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS), which will stand in a one-acre lot in the city’s “dense and diverse Chinatown neighborhood,” according to a news release.
New Construction
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has announced a new elementary school on the grounds of Fort Knox in Kentucky.
Campus Renovations
Columbine High School, located in Littleton, Colo., held a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently for a series of renovations to the campus, including a new entrance.
Campus Renovations
A new student commons is expected to open later this fall at Western Kentucky University. WKU Commons is part of Margie Helm Library and offers study and collaboration spaces alongside dining options.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/24/21
Campus Renovations
Brigham Young University has begun "minimal" construction on a former Provo high school campus that the Utah institution purchased in 2016. The slightly remodeled building, part of a 25-acre site, will house some units from the College of Fine Arts and Communication temporarily.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/24/21
Campus Design
Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced the acquisitions of two major education design firms stationed on the east and west coasts.
New Construction
Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, broke ground last week on a new media building. Live Oak Hall will serve students and faculty from the College of Fine Arts and Communication and feature amenities like a film soundstage, a TV studio, a recording mix classroom and more.
New Construction
On the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., construction is set to begin shortly on a new facility for esports and technology. The 7,500-square-foot Butler Esports Park was originally announced in 2019 but placed on hold due to the pandemic.
Campus Amenities
Commercial toilet partitions and washroom accessories solutions provider ASI Group recently launched the industry’s first Integrated Privacy System for metal bathroom partitions.
Facilities
The results of a global survey reveal that nearly two-thirds (65%) of college and school facilities managers are now more likely to invest in smart building solutions than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/20/21
New Construction
The Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts (LSMSA), a Blue-Ribbon boarding school for high-school students located in Natchitoches, La., opened its first on-campus residence hall this week.
Campus Renovations
Construction firm Adolfson & Peterson Construction broke ground this week on an expansion and renovation project for Douglas High School in Douglas, Ariz.
Podcast
This episode’s guest is Benjamin Strain, Higher Education Design Leader for DLR Group. He's here to discuss an ongoing DLR research initiative called "The Evolution of Campus," which involves interviews and outreach to higher education institutions to help them navigate the pandemic, return to campus, and explore new spatial and design requirements to meet the needs of faculty and students. He reveals some common themes among all three rounds of research (so far) and addresses the question on everyone's mind: "What’s the future of the physical campus?"
Health & Wellness
A new survey from the National Society of High School Scholars conducted among incoming and matriculating college students revealed that almost half (44.1%) anticipate dealing with mental health issues in the coming semester, either their own or those of people around them.
New Construction
The University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark., celebrated the grand opening of its new Integrated Health Sciences Building last week.
Campus Renovations
On the campus of Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga., nearly 500 students arrived to move into their dorm last weekend—only to be told that the building was still under renovation.
New Construction
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (Pitt-Bradford), located in Bradford, Pa., recently broke ground on a new, 39,000-square-foot STEM building. According to a news release, the Engineering & Information Technologies Center will be the campus’ first new academic building in 20 years.
Campus Technology
Alma Student Information System (SIS) recently unveiled updates to its SIS platform, providing new features making it easier for districts to onboard schools and use third-party apps.
New Construction
The Waukee Community School District in Waukee, Iowa, held a dedication ceremony this week for its newest facility. Northwest High School is the district’s second high school and will welcome almost 1,300 students and 180 staff members when the school year begins next week.
New Construction
The Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of Abram Agnew Elementary School and Dolores Huerta Middle School, representing the completion of the first phase of an all-in-one K–12 campus. When complete, the Agnews K–12 Campus will combine elementary-, middle- and high-school students onto a single 55-acre campus in San Jose, Calif.
New Construction
The Jackson County School System in Jefferson, Ga., recently opened its newest facility in time for the new school year. The new Jackson County High School was built to replace the 30-year-old Jackson County Comprehensive High School, which will be repurposed as the district’s Empower College & Career Center.
Healthy Schools
A news release from the Learning First Alliance suggests that one in five children missed receiving routine vaccines during the pandemic.
New Construction
SchenkelShultz Architecture announced last week that it has completed two new high schools for Orange County Public Schools.