New Construction
Braintree Public Schools in Braintree, Mass., recently announced that construction has begun on a new school facility for the district. The structure will serve as a new home for the existing South Middle School, and it will also be the town’s first new school construction in more than 50 years.
Campus Design
Design firm LPA Design Studios recently announced that it has promoted Kate Mraw to the position of Director of K–12. In this new role, Mraw will spearhead the development of the firm’s national education design practice, according to a press release.
Campus Renovations
Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that the renovation and expansion project for Swartz Hall has been completed. According to a news release, the 60,000-square-foot renovation and 13,000-square-foot expansion began in May 2019.
School Signage
From students to faculty, any school’s first priority should be the safety of people on campus. By now, you’ve probably learned that safety signage plays a vital role in keeping people safe at your school. From the parking lot to the playground, having the proper school safety signs not only keeps your students and faculty safe but also helps you avoid costly lawsuits or OSHA fines.
Campus Sustainability
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga., recently partnered with facility energy solutions provider ABM Industries to upgrade campus STEM labs—and save about $11.7 million across ten years in the process.
New Construction
Officials from the Nye Country School District recently approved the construction of a new, $15.2-million elementary school in Tonopah, Nev.
Campus Renovations
The Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) in Marlborough, Mass., recently selected Boston-based Finegold Alexander Architects to provide the design for an upcoming series of renovation and addition projects.
Campus Security
A 16-year-old student is facing charges after an active shooter incident put Seminole High School in Sanford, Fla., on lockdown for several hours on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. recently announced that it has signed an agreement with the University of Wisconsin Police Department (UWPD) to test a new security detection walkthrough portal on campus.
A Texas school district recently entered a partnership with cybersecurity solutions provider IronNet, Inc. to help combat an increasing number of cyber attacks against the district’s networks.
Several North Texas school districts cancelled school on both ends of the long Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, citing staff shortages and a surge in COVID-19 cases.
New Construction
Construction on a new Campus Recreation and Wellness Center at the University of Pittsburgh is underway. The project is part of a wider Campus Master Plan that was finalized in 2019 and will provide amenities like a recreational pool, jogging track, basketball courts, weightlifting equipment and more.
Campus Renovations
Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., has announced that it will soon be renovating its Residential College. The residence hall was built in 1988 and serves mainly first-year students. The project is slated to last about two years and cost more than $20 million.
Student Housing
Those students born between 1997 and 2012, otherwise known as Generation Z or Gen Zers, are redefining expectations for college housing and services, according to an architectural firm that specializes in working with colleges and universities.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/18/22
Architecture & Design
Plunkett Raysich Architects in Milwaukee, Wis., recently announced that it has named two new partners to join the firm’s ownership.
New Construction
The planning process for a second high school for Minot Public Schools in Minot, N.D., is underway after voters passed a $109-million bond in December 2021.
Transportation
Electric vehicle manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company signed an agreement last week with the state of West Virginia to begin producing zero-emission, all-electric school buses in a new manufacturing facility,
- By Kristal Kuykendall
- 01/18/22
Building Blueprints
Architecture firm Perkins&Will recently saw the completion of its third elementary school for the Melissa Independent School District in the northeast part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Healthy Schools
Today, college students are experiencing tremendous pressure and stress caused by an ever-broadening range of influences and factors, negatively impacting many aspects of social development, learning, and overall well-being.
Campus Amenities
Penn State is expanding its on-campus nuclear reactor and the facility that houses it. The university broke ground on the $9.5-million project, which is intended to accommodate an upcoming equipment donation, facilitate neutron beam research and help grow the nuclear engineering program at the institution.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/13/22
New Construction
A military college has begun construction on a new aquatic center. The $44.2 million project underway at the Virginia Military Institute is scheduled for completion in November 2022.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/12/22
Construction Education
A public technical college in Colorado will be launching a new construction trades certification program that will give students experience in building affordable housing.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/12/22
Campus Amenities
Ecore, a company that converts reclaimed materials into a variety of performances surfaces, announced this week that it is partnering with flooring sales and marketing company Spartan Surfaces to relaunch its popular ECOsurfaces product line.
New Construction
The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) in Fort Bend County, Texas, about 40 miles west of Houston, celebrated the start of 2022 with the opening of a new elementary school.
School Staffing
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that it is coordinating with the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to address a labor shortage of school bus drivers.
Campus Amenities
Islington Junior Middle School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which serves students in grades PreK–8, recently announced that it has installed new acoustic ceiling and wall tiles in four of its classrooms.
Campus Renovation
The city of Fresno, Calif., recently proposed the conversion of a local motel into a housing facility for students at Fresno City College. Construction could be complete as soon as fall 2022, providing 69 apartments with subsidized rent that could provide space for about 300 students.
New Construction
Last month, officials at Princeton University gathered to break ground on the Lake Campus Development in West Windsor, N.J.
Staffing
Retrofit security glass and door systems solutions company Riot Glass, Inc., recently named its new Vice President of Operations.
Campus Technology
Boston University is on track to open its new Shipley Center for Digital Learning & Innovation to students in early 2022.
New Construction
This week, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved a purchase agreement of $6.9 million for parcels of land near the university’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital in Lexington, Ky., to construct a new outpatient cancer treatment center.
Campus Amenities
Shortly, the campus of the University of Alabama will sport a set of small, greenhouse-like structures where students can have private, socially-distanced space for their studies or relaxation.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 12/15/21
Campus Renovation
Windmill Street Elementary School in Providence, R.I., has sat abandoned for more than a decade. The building has experienced three fires within the last four months. Now, the facility is set for a $30.5-million renovation project that will allow it to open its doors to students once again.
The classrooms of today are spacing students farther apart and emphasizing other aspects of health and wellness. That's what a survey of 140 teachers by National Business Furniture found.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 12/13/21
Campus Amenities
Nebraska's Lincoln Public Schools has gone public with its implementation of an audio enhancement system that allows teachers' and students' voices to be more easily heard throughout the entire classroom, including behind face masks. The district is working with Audio Enhancement, a company that produces classroom AV products.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 12/13/21
School Financing
The Equitable Facilities Fund (EFF) will provide long-term, low-cost financing directly to school leaders of color who reflect the communities they serve.
- By Kristal Kuykendall
- 12/09/21
New Construction
Construction is moving apace on a 1,600-bed student housing community for the University of California, Davis. Scheduled for completion in fall 2023, the community will provide 189 two-bedroom units for students with families and 424 studios and four-bed apartments for 1,100 graduate students.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 12/08/21
New Construction
Days after the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia declined to rename dozens of colleges and buildings carrying names of historic figures who supported slavery and racial segregation, the University of Georgia recommended renaming two facilities on its campus for some of the university's earliest and most distinguished African American graduates.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 12/08/21
Campus Amenities
Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton, Mich., recently announced that it has outfitted two of its on-campus spaces with ClearOne BMA 360 Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tiles.
New Construction
Milwaukee's Marquette University is on track to complete construction of a new, $60-million business school in a year. According to the institution, the facility is the largest donor-funded one in its history.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 12/08/21