Building Blueprints
Our culture has changed. Your community has changed. Has your library changed yet?
- By Todd Bushmaker
- 08/20/19
Campus electrical distribution systems support all aspects of campus activity. Understanding the challenges for new and replacement installations is imperative for maintaining university operations and protecting capital investments. This article provides insight into identifying and addressing these challenges.
- By Jared Markle , Andrew Hay
- 08/14/19
STEM & STEAM
A nonprofit that develops STEM education programs has come up with portable learning spaces housed in shipping containers.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/13/19
When campus expansions and major building projects are underway, it is vital that the town/gown relationship be enhanced though community engagement strategies in advance and continuing through design, planning, and construction phases.
STEM & STEAM
An army of volunteers from local nonprofits and companies showed up to an Oklahoma City elementary school to help set up two new STEM operations.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/12/19
Renovations
Officials recently broke ground on a technical school rebuild in Hudson, NH. The Wilbur H. Palmer Career and Technical Education Center, based in Alvirne High School, offers 17 programs of study. Students bus in from 15 other high schools to take part in programs on computer science, digital media, health science and technology and pre-engineering, among others.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/12/19
Technology Infrastructure
The nearly $4 billion FCC program enters its fifth year since funding for networking infrastructure became available to schools and libraries. This article examines recent action taken by the FCC that could change how these institutions can access funds beginning in 2020.
Outdoor Spaces
Enlisting students in your design plan and working alongside nature can result in outdoor spaces that are recreational, educational and engaging in ways you might not expect.
HVAC
An Ohio school district tackled its outdated energy systems with the help of an energy service company and regained a functioning atomic clock in the process. Howland Local Schools worked with Plug Smart to implement new air conditioning and LED lighting.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/01/19
Campus Safety
The board of a California school system has approved funding to replace legacy security camera gear. West Sonoma County Union High School District awarded the $602,948 contract to Integrated Security Controls, a regional solution provider.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/01/19
Energy
Hamilton Southeastern Schools will be working with Ameresco to implement two solar arrays, with a total of 4,800 panels and the capacity of generating 2.4 million kWh annually.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/30/19
Are there similarities in the design of spaces for education and for senior living? Specific areas where the two intersect include creating spaces that foster lifelong learning, help people build communities and foster relationships, and combat the stigma of being either young or old.
- By Jami Mohlenkamp, David Schafer
- 07/29/19
School Security
The additional security measures were necessary, said school officials, because the new building is a third larger than the previous one, 300,000 square feet compared to 190,000 square feet.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/25/19
Green Schools
Federal Hocking Local Schools had a "grand 'turn on'" of its new solar power plant. Now, 1,968 solar panels installed on the roof of the joint middle and high school building will provide energy to the Ohio school system.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/25/19
Green Schools
The project includes the installation of solar panels capable of generating a megawatt of energy and a 660 kilowatt-hour battery energy storage system at Amador Valley High School.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/25/19
Green Schools
The project, with WE Energies and SunVest Solar, will install 8,076 panels at three schools this summer. The installations will primarily go on rooftops, but one school will also have a solar field with 2,134 modules.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/24/19
School Safety
The latest set of construction projects for Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21 covers installation of secure entrances at the school system's 13 schools as well as installation of air conditioning systems.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/23/19
Green Schools
Orange Unified School District has begun construction on its first solar project. The installation will include a combination of ground-mounted and shade canopies at eight district sites, generating a projected 3.6 million kilowatts of renewable electricity during the first year of operation. The school system, which has 28,000 students, is working with Ameresco on the project.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/23/19
Expert Perspective
As education principles continue to evolve, immersive learning environments offer an emerging and meaningful education tool.
New Construction
A high school scheduled to open this month near Phoenix in Arizona is following what it's calling an "academy-based, career-pathway focused education." Eastmark High School, part of the Queen Creek Unified School District in Mesa, will feature next-generation educational spaces as well as athletic and arts programs.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/18/19
Healthy Schools
Following the discovery this spring of mercury vapors emanating from the floors of several school buildings in New Jersey, the state will begin requiring mercury-free certification for all flooring installed in schools.
School Safety
Two school systems in Michigan are turning to window-sized graphics for safety, security and environmental benefit. Addison Community Schools and Hudson Area Schools have both turned to sign company Insignia Graphics to design, produce and install perforated vinyl on windows in their buildings.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/17/19
Funding
New York has announced the latest round of districts and schools to receive funding through the "Smart Schools Bond Act." That bond was passed in 2014-2015 and approved the issuing of some $2 billion in general obligation bonds to finance improved educational technology and infrastructure.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/16/19
A look at spaces that shape student-faculty interactions on campus, and ultimately contribute to student success.
- By Amy Hoffman, Shawn Gaither
- 07/16/19
Gabe Guilliams, IESNA, LEED-AP, a principal and regional discipline leader with BuroHappold, speaks with CP&M about how institutions can strike a balance between architectural continuity and creating effective learning spaces for today’s students.
Supporting STEM Education
Plans are for 300 students from across the state to reside at the school, most, if not all, juniors and seniors. A bond package passed by voters in 2016 provided the project with $58 million, which has an estimated project budget of $73 million.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/11/19
Policy & Funding
The U.S. Department of Education is now accepting applications for three fiscal-year 2019 grant competitions that support "locally-tailored" approaches to school safety.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/11/19