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Healthy Schools

East Central College HVAC Upgrade Covered by COVID Relief Funds

A $1.4 million HVAC upgrade at Missouri's East Central College, paid for by federal COVID-relief funds, is expected to mitigate the transmission of viruses in several campus buildings. The work was performed by Johnson Controls as part of its "OpenBlue" healthy buildings program.

University Renovations

St. Ambrose University Breaks Ground on $8M Renovation Project

St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, announced a renovation project recently that will transform the 105-year-old LeClaire Hall (the second-oldest building on campus) into the Higgins Hall for Innovation and Human-Centered Design.

Campus Renovations

UC Davis Debuts Renovations to 85-Year-Old Walker Hall

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in Davis, Calif., recently debuted a nearly total renovation of the 85-year-old Walker Hall. The two-story, north side of the facility will now serve as the campus’ Graduate Center.

Healthy Schools

North Bend School District Chooses Air Purification Provider

The North Bend School District in North Bend, Ore., recently announced that it has chosen Alen as its provider of indoor air quality solutions.

Healthy Schools

Georgia District Installs Disinfection Devices on Buses

The Meriwether County School District in Greenville, Ga., announced this week that its school board has voted to install disinfection devices on buses.

Orange Coast College Language Arts and Social Science Building

New Construction

Orange Coast College Debuts $61.5M Academic Building

Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $61.5-million Language Arts and Social Science Building. The college partnered with C.W. Driver Companies on the facility, which measures in at three stories and 107,760 square feet.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Podcast

Schools In Focus: Creating More Dynamic Learning Environments

Today's guest is Sue Ann Highland. Currently, she's the National Education Strategist for School Specialty, but previously, she served as an educator for more than 25 years as a school and district administrator, a curriculum director, teacher, and more. She's here to talk about how dynamic learning environments can help keep students active and engaged. We'll talk about the six instructional elements that support dynamic learning, the positive and negative impacts of the pandemic, the increased reliance of both students and teachers on the digital landscape, and the general impact of learning environments on a student's educational journey. This episode is sponsored by School Specialty.

Kent State Aeronautics and Engineering Building Atrium

Campus Expansion

Kent State Breaks Ground on Aeronautics and Engineering Building Expansion

Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, recently broke ground on a 44,000-square-foot expansion to its Aeronautics and Engineering Building. The new space will contain amenities like collaborative spaces, teaching and research labs and administrative space.

Fremont High School

Campus Modernization

Fremont High School Debuts Modernized Facilities

Fremont High School, part of the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, Calif., recently debuted a series of new and modernized facilities to faculty, staff and students.

New Construction

Georgia District Breaks Ground on $118M K–12 Facility

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Thursday, Sept. 30, for a new K–12 Multi-Campus facility for Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools in Garden City, Ga.



Campus Design

4 Tips for Building Modern, Collaborative Learning Spaces

Here’s how one elementary school demolished its nearly 100-year-old building and replaced it with a modern, collaborative learning space.

person using calculator across from someone using a computer

How Schools Can Maximize COVID Relief Funds

ESSER and EANS funds are designed to help schools reopen quickly and safely, as well as address the months of significant learning loss by U.S. students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only now are experts beginning to understand the full scope of learning loss brought on by a year-plus of the pandemic – and initial reports are worrying.

Del Norte K-12 exterior

Del Norte K-12

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

Buena Vista Middle/High School exterior

Buena Vista Middle/High School

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

Schools Reopen with Federal Dollars

Meeker High School exterior

Meeker High School Addition and Renovation

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

One Button Studio Plus interior

One Button Studio+Plus

Honorable Mention Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

students sitting in auditorium area

Building Blueprints

New Spaces for a New Era of Learning

Editor's Note

The Slow Return to Normalcy

Santa Monica College exterior

Santa Monica College Student Services Building

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

Irma Marsh Middle School exterior

Irma Marsh Middle School

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

Indoor Air Quality in Schools Is Necessary

It is a well-known fact that the environment affects human performance, both physically and mentally. This is especially true for students, who are impacted by the quality of air in their learning environment.

A University's Small Change Makes a Big Difference

Mount St. Mary's University installs a solution for slip-and-fall incidents.

Hillside Middle School exterior

Hillside Middle School

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

unbrella sheilding off viruses

Keys to Comprehensive Health Awareness in Your Building

COVID-19 and many other viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets and aerosols in the air. Studies suggest that emissions from people can span a room and be pulled into air circulation systems in just a few seconds. A strong air-monitoring and air-management strategy can make the difference between a healthy environment and one in which disease easily spreads.

Kreher Agriculture Center exterior

Kreher Agriculture Center

Grand Prize 2021 Education Design Showcase

Discovery High School exterior

Discovery High School

Grand Prize 2021 Education Design Showcase

adult helping child wash their hands

It's Everyone's Role To Keep Our Schools Healthy, Safe and Open

Standard hygiene practices, like proper handwashing, are more important than ever.

James L. Capps Middle School exterior

James L. Capps Middle School

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

drawing of John and Joan Bollier Family Center for Integrated Science and Engineering Gonzaga University

Facility Focus

Creative Curves Distinguish Both Design And Study At Gonzaga University

The John and Joan Bollier Family Center for Integrated Science and Engineering completes a 270,490-square-foot quadrangle of buildings aiming to enhance interaction between students and faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Buena Vista Middle/High School exterior

Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School

Project of Distinction Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

Thomas J. Waters Elementary School exterior

Thomas J. Waters Elementary School, North Annex

Honorable Mention Award 2021 Education Design Showcase

Zigbee 3.0 Controlled Receptacle

Campus Amenities

Leviton Lighting Announces Product Line Expansion

Leviton Lighting, a lighting and wireless control solutions company, recently released a series of announcements regarding new and existing products.

New Construction

University of Manitoba Begins Concert Hall Construction

The University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, recently announced that construction has begun on a new performance venue. The 409-seat theater is scheduled to open its doors to the public by fall 2023.

New Construction

UArizona Constructing Flexible Research Spaces for Interdisciplinary Projects

University of Arizona broke ground this week on its new Grand Challenges Research Building, a 115,000-square-foot facility that will house a variety of labs, offices and flexible research spaces.

Higher Ed Facilities

Schneider Electric, UNT Partner to Support Campus Modernization

Schneider Electric recently announced that it will continue its partnership with the University of North Texas (UNT) Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas, via a new modernization project that will support sustainable research growth at the university’s health research labs. The $10 million project is the third within the last 10 years between the two organizations.

New Construction

Minn. District Consolidates All Students into One Facility

Construction company Kraus-Anderson recently announced the completion of a $30-million elementary school in Pipestone, Minn. The facility is an addition to the district’s existing middle and high school building.

Campus Renovations

Arizona Charter School Debuts Expansion, Renovations

Construction management firm Adolfson & Peterson (AP) and charter school network Candeo Schools announced recently that they have completed an extensive expansion and renovation project on Candeo North Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Sustainability

Mohawk Joins Climate Pledge

Commercial flooring manufacturer Mohawk Group has joined the Climate Pledge, an effort launched by Amazon and Global Optimism with the aim of accelerating climate action above and beyond the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.

Campus Fundraising

UW-Madison Prepares to Build New Computer Science Building

The University of Wisconsin–Madison announced recently that plans are in motion to construct a new building for the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences. The facility is projected to cost about $225 million and will be funded by private donors, according to a university press release.

HVAC

Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US Announces Platform Upgrade

Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS), a joint venture between Trane Technologies PLC and Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., announced recently that it has launched an upgrade for its Building Connect+ platform.

Campus Sustainability

Washington, D.C., Debuts Two Net-Zero-Energy Schools

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.

Camden High School

New Construction

N.J. Opens Rebuilt Camden High School

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

Penn State Opens Renovated Mechanical Engineering Lab

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 to Debut Veterans Support and Success Center

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

Solving Issues in Hybrid Classrooms Using Distance Learning Solutions

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 Receives Largest Individual Donation in School’s History

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

Ohio University Plans $8M Theatre Renovation

Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, announced this week that it is planning an $8-million theatre renovation project.

New Construction

Virginia Tech Breaks Ground on New Campus

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

Study Reveals Americans’ Understanding of Importance of Natural Light

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.