LPA Forms Exclusive Partnership with Wayfind Education
Irvine, Calif. — Integrated design firm LPA Inc. has formed an exclusive partnership with education research consultant Dr. Julie Zoellin Cramer, founder of Wayfind Education, to develop new strategies for using research and analysis to design more effective education and work environments.
The collaboration expands LPA’s industry-leading initiative to increase the use of research and performance data in the design process. Earlier this year, LPA launched LPAred, a research team focused on examining how design impacts end users, communities and the environment.
Dr. Cramer is a passionate advocate for using dynamic research to support better learning experiences and environments for students. She was the founding Deputy Director for the Institute for Entrepreneurship in Education, a non-profit research center based at the University of San Diego. Wayfind Education was created to influence and engage the education field to connect learning approaches with the physical learning space.
“Dr. Cramer works at the intersection of people, place and design approach,” says Wendy Rogers, CEO at LPA. “She deeply understands the issues and challenges facing educators, and the ability of design to help solve problems.”
In the newly established role of Learning Experience Strategist, Dr. Cramer will work with LPAred to develop applied research centered on strengthening the alignment between the student experience and the built environment.
Learning space design is “a curious, passionate, and risk-taking endeavor,” Dr. Cramer says. Creating successful learners requires a willingness to lead a shift in mindset and challenge the paradigm of “old school” delivery, she says.
“My work is about asking key questions to ground the design of education spaces in the needs of each student, teacher, and community,” Dr. Cramer says. “The goal is to support better learning experiences and environments that help all students find their place of impact in the world.”
Dr. Cramer will work with LPA clients on a variety of levels, including master planning, educational visioning and conceptual design, says Kate Mraw, Associate Principal / Design Director at LPA. In addition, Dr. Cramer will help design strategic research projects to better connect design with the client’s goals. She will also help develop post-occupancy research to help gain a deeper understanding of design outcomes.
The partnership with Dr. Cramer is part of a steady expansion of LPA’s integrated design services, including the opening of an office in Dallas in April—the company’s sixth office and second in Texas. The firm focuses on research-driven sustainable design, working across sectors, including education, civic, healthcare and corporate projects.
About LPA Inc.
A pioneer in sustainable design, LPA provides services in architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture and planning. With nearly 400 employees across offices in California and Texas, LPA delivers integrated design solutions for K-12 and higher education facilities, civic, recreational, corporate and healthcare developments to enhance the human experience. As one of the country’s only design firms with a dedicated research team, LPA draws on rigorous data and analysis to create environments that improve people’s lives. For more information, visit
www.lpainc.com.