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

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

Digital Edition