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Campus Renovations

Pennsylvania High School to Undergo $17.4M Traffic Flow Upgrade

Hampton High School, located near Pittsburgh, Pa., will see a major redesign of its parking lots and surrounding access roads later this year. The goal of the construction project is to improve and streamline the flow of traffic for the safety of students, faculty, and the surrounding community. The total cost of the project is estimated at $17.4 million.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Podcast

Schools In Focus: Well, Now What?

Jonathan Matta, National Education Leader with KI Furniture, takes us through a bird's-eye view of lessons learned from the pandemic. We address topics like learning vs. education, why the term "learning loss" is a bit of a misnomer, re-imagining learning culture, the importance of flexible learning spaces, and how to give students agency in their own educational process. We also talk about how reflections of the shift in learning culture over the last decade can be found in everything from Star Wars to The Office. Sponsored by KI Furniture.

Watchung Hills Regional High School Media Center

Campus Modernization

High School Media Center Sees Modernization into Learning Commons

The Watchung Hills Regional High School District in Warren, N.J., recently partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., to renovate the Watchung Hills Regional High School Media Center into a top-of-the-line learning commons area.

Campus Sustainability

Schneider Electric, School District Partner for Modernization Project

Energy and sustainability solutions company Schneider Electric announced this week that it is partnering with Gulf Shores City Schools in Gulf Shores, Ala., on a system-wide modernization project. The project’s goals are to boost district sustainability and energy efficiency, increase student engagement, and boost opportunities for STEM education.

Ivy League Automotive Technology Center

Campus Facilities

Community College Opens Automotive Technology Center

Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis in Indiana has officially celebrated the grand opening of the Ivy Tech Automotive Technology Center. The $14-million, 59,000-square-foot facility opened as part of a series of developments in the city’s International Marketplace District.

University of California Riverside School of Medicine Education Building II

New Construction

UC Regents Approve New School of Medicine Education Building

Regents at the University of California have approved the construction of an $84-million Education Building II for the School of Medicine at UC Riverside. Hensel Phelps + CO Architects have been selected as the project’s design-build partner. Work on the project will begin shortly, and the team is scheduled to break ground early this summer.

Campus Design

ASI Group Launches BIM Content Library

ASI Group, a manufacturer of restroom accessories, toilet partitions, visual display products and lockers, has announced the launch of its BIM Content Library for use by construction, architecture and design professionals. The library will allow these professionals access to a wide variety of practical design tools.

Campus Renovations

Barton Malow Builders Expand into K–12 Market

Contracting firm Barton Malow Builders announced this week that it is partnering with Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., as the construction manager on a large-scale capital improvement project.

Construction Costs

District Presses Pause on $13M in Construction Projects

The St. Clair R-XIII School District in St. Clair, Mo., announced last week that it will delay several planned construction projects due to a spike in the cost of materials. The school board voted on Thursday, June 10, to pause the wheels of construction on a bus bay, a new auditorium, and a pickup and drop-off loop.

Modernization

Elementary School Built in 1800s to Get Modernization Upgrades

Dubois Elementary School, part of Springfield School District 186 in Springfield, Ill., will see a series of renovations start this summer meant to modernize the campus while paying respects to its 125-year history. The school, which was built in 1897, will get additional classroom space, smaller spaces intended for group work, and its first elevator.



Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Podcast

Schools In Focus: Flooring Design Solutions in the Era of COVID-19

Interior design plays a fundamental role in not only making education spaces functional, but also in creating a calm, soothing environment for students and faculty alike. Aesthetics—from color selection to layout—are crucial in helping schools re-emerge from the pandemic as safe spaces that promote emotional and psychological well-being. This episode is sponsored by Mohawk Group.

FEMA P-361 Safe Room with daylighting

Are Your Facilities Prepared for Hurricane Season This Year?

The 2021 hurricane season is upon us. As we continue to see year-in and year-out the higher frequency and increased intensity of hurricanes, experts agree that we must continue to strive for greater preparedness for our communities.

A Different Approach to Virus Mitigation

A Different Approach to Virus Mitigation

A recent study conducted by the University of Oregon evaluated sunlight's impact on dust and germs in an indoor space. According to the research, published in the journal Microbiome, rooms exposed to daylight have fewer germs and half the viable bacteria compared with dark rooms.

Legacy Magnet School Building

Case Study: Legacy Magnet School Building

The Tustin Legacy Magnet School, which sits right between the two iconic U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Air Station (M.C.A.S.) North and South blimp hangars, acknowledges and celebrates its historic neighbors with outstanding design features.

New Construction

USF Breaks Ground on Student Wellness Center

At the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., this week, university administrators and students broke ground on the construction of a new student wellness center. The new center will measure in at three stories and 47,000 square feet, four times as large as the existing Student Health Services building.

Campus Sustainability

Virginia to Get State’s First Net Zero Higher Ed Building

On the campus of Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia, construction of the Advanced Technical Training Center is scheduled for completion in spring 2023. The center will be the first higher education facility in the state—and one of just a few community college buildings across the U.S.—to achieve net zero energy.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Podcast

Schools In Focus: Safe Air in Schools

Maintaining indoor air quality has gained renewed importance as K–12 students around the country prepare to return to in-person learning full time. It’s one of the timeliest, most important methods of keeping learning environments safe as the COVID pandemic winds down. And the more we learn, the more we refine and revise what we thought we knew. Our guest is Scott Huffmaster, the commercial HVAC leader for indoor air quality for North America for Trane Technologies, Inc. This episode is sponsored by Trane.

U Arkansas Cross-Laminated Timber Pavilions

Campus Sustainability

Additional Energy-Saving Upgrades Planned for U Arkansas

The University of Arkansas is about to embark on a new round of energy-saving upgrades for its campus. The improvements will include the addition of LED lighting; fault detection diagnostics; upgrades to HVAC; and examination of building envelope systems and other retro-commissioning work. In total, the latest project will encompass some six million square feet of facilities.

Campus Sustainability

SoCal School District to Install 21 Solar Canopies

The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) in Long Beach, Calif., has announced that it will add solar canopies in 21 schools in an effort to meet sustainability goals. The solar canopy systems will be owned and operated by Standard Solar, Inc., a nationally recognized community solar assets solutions company.

Campus Renovation

District Awards Contracts for High-School-to-Middle-School Renovation Project

The Board of School Directors for the Avon Grove School District in West Grove, Pa., recently approved contracts for a renovation project to convert a high school building into a middle school.

Campus Technology

MasterLibrary Announces Interactive Floor Plan Tool

Facility management application solutions provider MasterLibrary recently added a new product to its collection of K–12 solutions. ML Drawings, an interactive floor plan tool, lets users add building assets represented by digital icon stamps to digital floor plans of educational facilities.

Indoor Air Quality

Indiana School Buses to Get UV Air Purification, Filtration Systems

The Indiana State School Bus Committee has approved the installation of ultraviolet light air purification systems on school buses statewide. The decision became final after the success of a trial program run in partnership with indoor air quality solutions provider Lumin-Air.

LynTec Power Control System

Campus Amenities

Campbellsville University Broadcast Studio Gets LynTec Power Control System

Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky., has partnered with JCA Media to select LynTec, an electrical power control solutions manufacturer for professional audio, video and lighting (AVL) systems, to supply products for the university’s broadcast studios. Integration firm JCA Media has already installed LynTec’s lighting control panels in other buildings around campus.

Campus Amenities

Pitney Bowes Debuts ParcelPoint Smart Lockers

Global technology company Pitney Bowes Inc. recently expanded its lockers portfolio with the debut of ParcelPoint Smart Lockers. The smart lockers offer a secure, contactless package delivery system ideal for high-volume environments like offices, government agencies and college campuses.

Campus Renovations

NU Secures Funding to Address Aging Facilities

Last week, the University of Nebraska sold $345 million in municipal bonds to begin renovating and replacing aging campus facilities throughout the system. The university gained $400 million to begin addressing a backlog of projects at its Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney campuses, as well as the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Neb.

Campus Amenities

Expanded Technologies Launches Antimicrobial Felt for Floor Protectors

Floor, furniture and surface protection solutions provider Expanded Technologies recently launched a line of antimicrobial felt for floor protectors. The felt—available as a premium upgrade across its Floor Savers, Floor Protectors, Formed Felt, replacement chair tips, and heavy duty felt pad products—was designed to prevent the spread of germs on surfaces like vinyl, LVT, tile, wood and marble.

BenQ Google Jamboard Promotion

Campus Amenities

BenQ Launches $999 Google Jamboard Promotion

Through the month of June, BenQ is offering schools an amazing deal. The visual display producer is selling the $4,999 Google Jamboard for $999, and it comes with a free license for Google Classroom, which the company valued at $600.

The Ecology School in Maine

Campus Sustainability

Maine Ecology School Takes First Breath

The Ecology School, a nonprofit education center in Maine, has received full "living building" certification from the International Living Future Institute, the first such location in the state to earn the credential. The certification is a continually evolving challenge with three tenets for buildings.

Hillsborough County Public Charter School collaboration space

Healthy Schools

5 Ways to Infuse Collaboration into a New Learning Space

When I decided to build a new facility from the ground up, I knew right away that I wanted students to have fun, comfortable, modular spaces to collaborate in. I had the chance to start from scratch and design the new facility exactly how we wanted it—from the foundation to the structure to the wall colors and furniture design.

Northside ISD Coke R. Stevenson Middle School Athletics Building

New Construction

Texas District Awards Second Project to AP Construction

The Northside Independent School District (NISD) in San Antonio, Texas, announced this week that it has awarded a second project to Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP) to replace Coke R. Stevenson Middle School’s current athletics facility.

University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) solar orientation building

New Construction

New Ontario Tech University Academic Building Nears Completion

A new $48-million building on the campus of Ontario Tech University's north Oshawa campus will "respond" to sunlight and solar orientation. The project will deliver 80,000 square feet of new, technology-enhanced academic, administrative and student support spaces along with amenities and social spaces to the UOIT Academic Building.

CU Denver South facility

Adaptive Reuse

University of Colorado Puts South Denver Facility on the Market

The University of Colorado announced that it is partnering with commercial real estate firm JLL for the sale of the CU South Denver facility in Lone Tree, Colorado.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Podcast

Schools In Focus: Best Practices for ID Card Issuance

K–12 schools and colleges issue ID cards to students, faculty, staff, and sometimes even visitors to campus. The logistics of creating and printing these cards—especially Smart Cards with technical capabilities—are more complicated than you might think. Sponsored by HID Global.

Georgia State University Engineering Building

New Construction

Georgia Southern University Sees Completion of New Engineering Building

Georgia Southern University announced this week that JE Dunn Construction has completed construction on the university’s new Engineering and Research Building. The $60 million project was funded by the state of Georgia and serves as the new home for the College of Engineering and Computing.

FlatMax LED Flat Panels

Campus Sustainability

MaxLite Releases LED Flat Panels Featuring Customization Options

This week, lighting solutions company MaxLite announced the launch of its FlatMax LED Flat Panels featuring field-installable controls as well as field-selectable CCT (color-correlated temperatures) and wattages. The panels serve as a flexible, future-ready product for schools, offices, healthcare facilities, and more.

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

New Construction

P.K. Yonge Middle-High School Construction Complete

SchenkelShultz Architecture announced this week that construction of the Middle-High School at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, Fla., is complete. The public, K–12 school was designed to meet the LEED Gold Certification standard as set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Campus Amenities

Voltek Featured on “The Build Show” Video Series

Low voltage power solutions company Voltek Systems Inc. was featured in a recent episode of the popular home remodeling YouTube series "The Build Show." Host Matt Risinger discussed the installation of low-voltage wired and powered USB outlets that can power devices like smartphones and laptops without the use of a bulky charging brick.

Indoor Air Quality

Back to Better: The Clean Air Blueprint for Healthy Schools

One of the most impactful and comprehensive ways these schools are earning trust as they reopen is by implementing HVAC solutions and clean air strategies. By integrating time-tested, scientifically-proven clean air strategies into existing infrastructure, school leaders can create highly connected facilities that deliver long-term resiliency, sustainability and productivity.

State of Texas Governor Seal

COVID-19 and Schools

Texas Governor Bans Mask Mandates in Public Schools

On Tuesday, May 18, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order banning government entities in the state—including county, city, and public health authorities—from requiring face masks. The order takes effect on May 21 and carries a fine of up to $1,000. The order specified that, effective June 5, public schools are also prohibited from instituting mask mandates.

New Construction

Radford Selects Construction Firm for $102M Arts, Innovation Facility

Radford University in Radford, Va., has selected construction and development firm Skanska to build its new, $102-million Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity (CAIC). The 177,917-square-foot facility will replace the existing College of Visual and Performing Arts and provide interdisciplinary student spaces.

New Construction

Stetson University to Build New Science Complex

Stetson University, located in DeLand, Fla., has announced plans to break ground this fall on a new science facility. The Cici & Hyatt Brown Hall for Health & Innovation will measure in at 40,000 square feet and connect to the existing Sage Hall Science Center to form a 120,000-square-foot science complex.

Campus Renovation

OSU, Battelle Partner to Reopen Middle School with STEM Focus

Ohio State University announced last week that it is partnering with private, nonprofit applied science and technology development company Battelle and Metro Schools to reopen a former middle school as a STEM-focused middle and high school.

Spalding University Doctor of Physical Therapy program

Campus Renovations

Spalding University to Renovate Former Car Dealership

Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., recently announced that it will undertake $7 million in renovations to a former V.V. Cooke Chevrolet dealership to create a home for its new Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Construction is scheduled to be complete in late 2021, and the renovations mark one of the largest capital projects in the university’s history.

COVID-19 and Schools

Kenall’s Indigo-Clean Technology Proven to Kill SARS-CoV-2

Industrial light fixture solutions company Kenall has announced that its Indigo-Clean technology has been proven in independent lab testing to safely kill 94 percent of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza-A.

Campus Technology

How Modern Display Technology is Changing K–12 Education Spaces

K–12 school districts and service providers throughout the country have stepped up heroically to try and facilitate remote learning during the pandemic. And despite hardships, giving teachers access to online learning platforms for creating and organizing lesson plans has begun opening the door to new pedagogies and innovative software tools that improve learning outcomes both in and out of the classroom.

New Construction

Harvard Sees Completion of New Science Complex

Harvard University recently saw construction finish on its new Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), located across the Charles River from its main campus in Cambridge, Mass. The complex, designed by Behnisch Architekten, is set to open to students in fall 2021.

New Construction

Under-Construction Middle School Could Become STEAM Academy

Jarrett Middle School, an existing member of Springfield Public Schools whose new campus is currently under construction in Springfield, Mo., could be designated as a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) academy by the time it opens.

COVID-19 and Schools

DFW School District Will Not Offer Remote Learning in 2021-22

The Allen Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, has announced that it will not offer virtual learning opportunities for the 2021-22 academic year. Superintendent Robin Bullock sent a district-wide email on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 4, announcing the district’s plans for the upcoming year.

EXTECH skylight system

Campus Facilities

EXTECH Provides Skylight System to Calif. Middle School

EXTECH/Exterior Technologies, Inc. has provided skylight systems for the new Spring Hill School middle school campus in Sonoma County, Petaluma, Calif. The campus opened its doors to students for the first time for the 2019-20 school year.

UW GU Health Partnership Beam Signing

New Construction

UW and GU Celebrate “Topping Off” of New Health Facility

In Spokane, Wash., the final structural beam was placed in the facility that will become the medical and health education, research and innovation center for the University of Washington School of Medicine–Gonzaga University Health Partnership. The laying of this last piece is a construction milestone known as “topping off,” and representatives of the two schools gathered to celebrate.

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