Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Schools In Focus: COVID-19 and the Impact on School Design

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 05/11/20

Schools In Focus is a Spaces4Learning podcast dedicated to K-12 school design, planning, and management. Each episode will feature a conversation with industry experts, facility managers, architects, and thought leaders on topics related to school facilities. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Today's episode is about the coronavirus' impact on school design and ways schools can safely reopen.

Schools In Focus, Episode 4: COVID-19 and the Impact on School Design

Schools In Focus podcast logo. Robin Randall (R) and Sylvia Kowalk (L).

With the 2019-2020 school year winding down to a close, school leaders look ahead to the fall as they figure out the best way to safely reopen schools. From classroom layouts to staggered scheduling to transportation and food service, there’s much to consider, especially when it comes to the health and safety of students and staff. Here at Spaces4Learning, we’re particularly interested in how COVID-19 will impact school design.

I spoke with two designers, Sylvia Kowalk and Robin Randall from Legat Architects, who are imagining new ways learning environments can accommodate students during this pandemic. We discussed design options currently available to schools that can help with social distancing in facilities, what we can learn from other countries who have already reopened, and the long-term impacts of COVID-19 to educational environments.

This episode was brought to you by School Specialty.

School Specialty is a leading provider of educational solutions from crayons to curriculum to complete learning environments. Today, as schools prepare to re-open, they are committed to providing the products and expert guidance needed to ensure schools can become and remain safe spaces when students return. And every day after. School Specialty. Transforming more than classrooms.

Where to Listen

Schools In Focus is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher. Subscribe today, or listen below!

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.