Planning & Design


California Community College Tops Out Brand-New Campus

The Gavilan Joint Community College District recently announced the topping out of Phase 1 of a new campus in Hollister, Calif., according to a news release. Gavilan gathered with representatives from partners Blach Construction, Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA), and Gensler to celebrate the ceremonial placement of the final steel beam in the building’s structure.

Spaces4Learning Launches 2024 Education Design Showcase

Spaces4Learning is now accepting entries for the 2024 Education Design Showcase! The program was established in 1999 to share innovative and practical solutions in planning, design, and construction.

Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2024 Predictions for Educational Facilities

We’re inviting our readership—administrators, facilities managers, architects, engineers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors—to chip in on their predictions for educational facilities in 2024.

Unveiling the Research-Based Benefits of Sensory Movement Pathways for Children

Incorporating sensory movement pathways in schools can offer several benefits for students' physical, cognitive, and emotional development. These pathways are designed to engage multiple senses and provide students with a structured way to engage in physical movement throughout the day. Sensory movement pathways, also known as sensory pathways or sensory trails, have gained attention for their potential benefits in promoting children's physical, cognitive, and emotional development.

Community-Driven Design for Next-Generation Learning: A Case Study of Upper Arlington High School

“Your voice matters” defined the Upper Arlington, Ohio, High School master planning and design process, and it was the catalyst behind the project to improve aging facilities in this high-performing district.

An Open-Door Policy: Designing for Social-Emotional Learning

While these design goals sought to balance the various needs of a school, they also supported social-emotional learning (SEL), which focuses on fostering social and emotional skills within school curricula. SEL can take many forms, but it generally adheres to five central competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.

Delivering Successful Career & Technical Education (CTE) Spaces that Spark a Sense of Curiosity

Creating successful spaces to spark curiosity, collaboration and confidence for students starts with several key programming and design considerations.

Nebraska to Open Boys Town Education Center

The village of Boys Town, Neb., recently announced that the Boys Town Education Center has opened its doors to students in time for the fall 2023 semester, a news release reports. The town is a National Historic Landmark and serves as the headquarters of Boys Town, one of the largest non-profit childcare organizations in the U.S.

San Diego Neighborhood Debuts New TK–12 Campus

Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced the completion of the Logan Memorial Education Campus in the Logan Heights area of San Diego, Calif., according to a news release.

Georgia District Plans K–12 Complex

The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) recently updated the public on the construction of a new K–12 Multi-School Campus in Garden City, Ga., according to local news. The facility will have the capacity for about 2,400 students and will welcome students from Groves High School, Mercer Middle School, and Gould Elementary School.

Case Study: Modernizing a 1960s L.A. School with Biophilic Design

The client was Grover Cleveland Charter High School, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, Calif. The challenge, modernizing a 1960s-era, single-story school to double its square footage to accommodate additional students and to follow biophilic design goals that would benefit students and foster collaboration and social interaction.

Bringing STEAM to Life in the K–12 Classroom

What if you could apply crucial STEAM concepts in a way that engages students like never before?

Designing Learning Spaces for Generation Alpha

Generation Alpha is the class of digital natives born after 2010—currently learning, exploring, and growing in PK–12 environments. What makes them different than past generations of learners? Technology has been ingrained into them as part of their childhoods.

Every Student Can Be a “Math Person” with the Right Curriculum

Enjoying math is just like enjoying a sport; it works better if you are doing it with other people. And learning math is like learning a sport; you learn by doing it, not by watching somebody else do it.

Designing for Neurodiversity: Leveraging Research to Create Spaces for All Learners

Interior design is often considered an art, but it’s also very much a science—especially when it comes to designing for neurodiverse populations.

Aligning Learning Space Design with 5 NAEYC Program Standards

When designing early childhood learning environments, it’s important to consider research, development, and the input of experts and educators to determine what is important to help children thrive in these learning spaces. The NAEYC standards are a great foundation to guide the decisions you make in your learning space design in order to support students’ learning and development.

Terra Linda High School Innovation

3 Adaptable Spaces We’ll See More of in Schools

Learning is untethered, spontaneous, and technology-rich, and schools are reshaping themselves to facilitate nimble and adaptable approaches to education. As we look to the future of schools, here are three flexible spaces we’ll see more of.

Francis Tuttle Technology Center: Danforth Campus

The Francis Tuttle Technology Center, one of the premier career training schools in Oklahoma, enlisted architecture and design firm Bockus Payne in the creation of the Francis Tuttle Danforth Campus in Edmond, Okla.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Schools In Focus: Designing a Kids' Kingdom

Our guest today is Hiroshi Okamoto, principal and co-founder of OLI Architecture. He's here to tell us about Anji Play, an early childhood education facility in the Zhejiang province of China.

Spaces4Learning Launches Education Design Showcase 2023

Spaces4Learning is now accepting entries for the Education Design Showcase 2022! The awards program celebrates innovative and practical solutions in planning, design and construction at K–12 and Higher Education institutions both.

Kingspan Light + Air, Solatube Form Architectural Solutions Team

Building envelope solutions provider Kingston Light + Air and daylighting company Solatube International recently announced plans to form an Architectural Solutions Team, according to a news release.

Spaces4Learning Launches Education Design Showcase 2022

Submit your project today and pay nothing to enter. If your project is selected for publication in the 2022 Education Design Showcase, you will receive an invoice in late September to help cover judging expenses and production, printing and distribution of Spaces4Learning magazine. Don't miss your chance to be part of this program, which highlights the nation's finest environments for teaching and learning. The extended submission deadline is Friday, Sept. 9!

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Schools In Focus: Managing Schools and Classrooms to Promote Student Wellness

Our guest today is Bob Dillon, a school designer and consultant with STS Education. He's here to talk about the importance of student wellness during the learning day, from the time students arrive at the bus stop to the final bell.

TCEA Convention & Exposition 2022: Roundup

The TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) Convention & Exposition took place last week from Monday, Feb. 7, to Thursday, Feb. 10, at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. I had the opportunity to drop in on the convention for a day, and the following are some loosely organized thoughts about my experience there.

UMN Pioneer Hall

Gen Z Students Look for "Alone-Together" Space in College 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.

Willow Wood Elementary School exterior

Texas Elementary School Blends Rustic, Modern Elements

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.

Survey: Today's Classrooms Emphasizing Spacing and Flexibility

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.

SchenkelShultz Architecture Lower School

SchenkelShultz Designs Lower School Building, Gymnasium for Geneva School

SchenkelShultz Architecture recently announced that it has finished the designs for a new Lower School Academic Building and a 1,200-seat gymnasium for the Legacy Park Campus of The Geneva School in Casselberry, Fla.

LPA new middle school in Northeast Austin

LPA Reveals Design for Austin-Area Middle School

LPA recently released the design for a new middle school in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Austin, Texas. The school will serve the northeast part of the city including Mueller, a new urbanist development built on the grounds of the city’s former airport.

Passive House Sierra Grande School

Future-Proofing Educational Facilities: The Passive House Design Solution

High-performing, energy-efficient school facilities can serve a foundational role in uplifting students, staff and the greater community over the long term. The good news is that the solution for some facilities—depending on size, location and available resources—might be born out of the strategic implementation of a concept originating nearly 50 years ago: Passive House.

Digital Edition