Architects


Florida High School Begins $48.5M Renovation Project

Clearwater High School, part the of Pinellas County School System in Clearwater, Fla., has officially begun a $48.5 million modernization project. The school was originally built in the 1950s, and the project will involve demolishing 17 buildings around campus, constructing seven new ones, and renovating five more.

Lyford Cay International School Gateway Building

Bahamas IB School Opens New Academic Building

The Lyford Cay International Baccalaureate School, located in Nassau, The Bahamas, has opened its newest academic building to students. Designed by Cooper Robertson, the 35,000-square-foot Gateway Building will house 350 students from sixth through twelfth grade. The facility is also the first completed step—and the intended centerpiece—of a new 17-acre Upper School campus currently under development.

Before Renovations Begin, Iowa Middle School Schedules Asbestos Abatement

The Perry School Board of Perry, Iowa, is still accepting construction bids for its $10 million renovation project of Perry Middle School. Before the renovations can begin, the school is pursuing a month-long asbestos abatement project. School Board President Kyle Baxter attributes the reluctance of contractors to submit bids to the renovation project’s tight turnaround time once that abatement is finished.

NC State Enters Phase 4 of Greek Housing Project

North Carolina State University is partnering with KWK Architects and Jenkins-Peer Architects for Phase 4 of its five-phase Greek Village Master Plan. Infrastructure work is in progress for a new apartment building and two new townhouse units.

Ann Arbor Schools to See $63M in AC, Lighting Upgrades

The Ann Arbor School Board in Ann Arbor, Mich., approved $63 million in funding for air conditioning and lighting renovations at 13 schools in the district, as well as contracts for future architectural and engineering projects.

CA High School STEM Building Topped Off

A California district has "topped off" its new multi-story, $67 million, 83,000-square-foot STEM school. The Los Alamitos Unified School District has laid the last piece of structural framing at the highest point of the building. The steel beam that was placed included handwritten messages, an American flag and an evergreen tree.

Virginia Commonwealth Shows Off New Engineering Research Building — Virtually

Virginia Commonwealth Shows Off New Engineering Research Building — Virtually

According to the university, the 133,000-square-foot building is intended to support advanced research and economic development initiatives with a design that emphasizes makerspaces, collaborative research facilities and flexible gathering areas.

Schools In Focus podcast logo on the left and Ishita Banerjii

Schools In Focus: KSU’s New Multicultural Student Center

Ishita Banerjii, project architect at Hollis + Miller, discusses Kansas State University’s new multicultural student center. The building, dedicated to advance student diversity, features various gathering spaces like dance studios, huddle rooms, and a commercial kitchen.

Renderings of the new San Jacinto Elementary School Image Credit: PBK

Goose Creek CISD To Break Ground on New Elementary School

Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District will break ground on a new elementary school at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 in Baytown, Texas.

Schools In Focus Podcast logo and headshots Turan Duda and Jeff Paine.

Schools In Focus: Centering Student Health and Wellness In Design

In this episode of Schools In Focus, Turan Duda and Jeff Paine, founding principals of Duda|Paine Architects, discuss how architectural design is shifting to better address the mental and physical health needs of students.

Outdoor learning pavilion at Linden Waldorf School in Nashville, TN.

With New Open-Air Classrooms, Nashville Private School Moves Learning Outdoors

With a curriculum centered on connection to nature and environmental stewardship, Linden Waldorf School's vision for the pavilions were to move all classes completely outdoors where students get to be in nature throughout the whole school day.

An architectural rendering of Adjaye Associates

Rice Chooses Renowned Adjaye Associates for New Student Center

The structure will include a multicultural center and a rooftop auditorium and will largely replace the campus' Rice Memorial Center.

Byron Nelson High School. Courtesy of Perkins and Will.

Expansion and Renovation Completed at Byron Nelson HS in North Texas

The three-story, 75,000 square-foot expansion and renovation of the campus provides added capacity to a rapidly growing population in the Northwest Independent School District. The project was headed by Perkins & Will.

Schools In Focus Podcast logo and Stu Rothenberger

Schools In Focus: Rethinking Higher Ed Spaces

Stu Rothenberger, Principal at DLR Group, discusses flexibility on a campus scale, the need for long-term resiliency plans, tackling equity issues, and creating smaller interaction spaces in a post-COVID19 learning environment.

Layout of shared bathrooms by KWK Architects.

Residence Hall Designs Expected to Shift in Response to COVID-19

Emphasis on single sleeping unit spaces will probably dominate in residence hall design in coming months and years, along with common areas that encourage physical distancing, wider entrances and kitchens that allow for one-way traffic patterns. Those are the predictions of student housing design experts at KWK Architects.

Man speaking in a video conference.

How to Keep COVID-19 from Negatively Impacting Learning Space Design

Here are five ways that K-12 school districts can keep their learning space design projects on track in a world where social distancing rules and shutdowns interfere with normal operations.

Woman taking the temperature of a child who is wearing a face mask and a backpack with a contactless thermometer.

Here’s What Designers and Architects Anticipate Schools Will Look Like in the Fall and After COVID-19

We asked designers and architects from across the country what they anticipate classrooms will look like in the fall if they were to reopen, how the coronavirus will impact school design in the long-term, and suggestions on design concepts schools can implement right away to help with social distancing in facilities. Their answers offer insight to available design options and possibilities that can help school leaders plan and make the best decisions for their students and staff.

Empty classroom. Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay

UPDATED: Resources for Educational Facilities During COVID-19

With COVID-19 changing the educational landscape each day, school and college decision makers need all the help they can get during this global crisis. Here are some resources on everything schools and colleges need to consider regarding educational facilities, construction, design and planning of new facilities, maintenance, managing employees and much more. (Updated 5/13)

A woman architect looking at blueprints with her laptop open.

What Schools and Colleges Have to Rethink for Fall 2020

The fall of 2020 will be different. Nobody knows for sure what it will look like, but most would agree that it <em>will</em> be different, which raises many questions for those of us involved in the construction and design of academic facilities.

The Berkner STEM Exploration Center features flexible and adaptable spaces.

First Look: Berkner STEM Exploration Center

When students return to school at Richardson Independent School District near Dallas, Texas, they will be able to utilize a brand-new state-of-the-art STEM facility that is open to all K-12 students in the district. Designed by Perkins and Will, the Berkner STEM Exploration Center was created for students of all ages.

Schools In Focus Podcast logo and Todd Ferking, principal at DLR Group

Schools In Focus Podcast: 2020 Education Design Trends

In this episode, Todd Ferking of DLR Group talks about education design that is geared toward the future.

Pathfinder Kindergarten Center: photo ©Chris Roberts, courtesy of DLR Group

K-12 Design Trends to Watch in 2020

Just as Winston Churchill once said, “we shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us,” designers must consider how education environments of the next decade will shape student behavior.

New Fairfield Public Schools recently selected JCJ Architecture to design two new school projects — the expansion of the Grades 3 through 5 Meeting House Hill School and a new high school.

New Fairfield Schools Select JCJ Architecture for New Projects

New Fairfield Public Schools recently selected JCJ Architecture to design two new school projects — the expansion of the Grades 3 through 5 Meeting House Hill School and a new high school.

Spaces4Learning recently launched Schools In Focus, a podcast spotlighting K-12 school design, planning and management.

Introducing Schools In Focus Podcast

<em>Spaces4Learning</em> recently launched a podcast focused on K-12 school design, planning and management.

Palo Alto High School staff envisioned a library that would feature updated technology, natural light, and a more functional, open layout with clear sightlines and improved circulation patterns.

Palo Alto High School's Library Transformation

Palo Alto High School staff envisioned a library that would feature updated technology, natural light, and a more functional, open layout with clear sightlines and improved circulation patterns.

The Library of Today and the Future

No More 'Shhhh!' The Library of Today and the Future

Our culture has changed. Your community has changed. Has your library changed yet?

Spotlight On Maintaining Town/Gown Relationships

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.

NH CTE Center Gets 25 million Makeover

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.