Grand Prize 2021 Education Design Showcase
Grand Prize 2021 Education Design Showcase
Commercial flooring manufacturer Mohawk Group has joined the Climate Pledge, an effort launched by Amazon and Global Optimism with the aim of accelerating climate action above and beyond the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
Design firm Perkins Eastman recently announced the opening of the first two net-zero-energy schools in Washington, D.C. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for both schools—Banneker Academic High School and West/John Lewis Elementary School—took place in the last week of August.
A study from earlier this year has revealed that the majority of Americans are aware of the benefits that natural light can have on their physical, mental, and psychological health. However, the same study also showed that nearly half of Americans ages 18 and older spend between 12 and 23 hours a day indoors, while government research suggests that most Americans spend up to 93% of their lives inside.
Colorado State University Pueblo in Pueblo, Colo., recently announced that it has become the first university in the state to achieve net-zero efficiency.
The city of Boston, Mass., will soon be getting a new public school. HMFH Architects announced this week that it is putting finishing touches on the design for Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS), which will stand in a one-acre lot in the city’s “dense and diverse Chinatown neighborhood,” according to a news release.
Groundbreaking has taken place on a new elementary school in Amesbury, Mass. Construction of the Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School was approved by city residents in 2019.
Loyola Academy, a private Jesuit college preparatory school in Wilmette, Ill., recently broke ground on a brand-new, 29,000-square-foot performing arts center. The Loyola Academy Center for the Performing Arts comes with a $25.76-million price tag and will feature flexible indoor and outdoor performance spaces.
Construction on a new language arts complex recently began at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif. The college is partnering with Sundt Construction, Inc., on the facility.
The town of Mansfield, Conn., broke ground last week on the state’s first net-zero elementary school. Local politicians, town administrators, parents and students attended the ceremony on Thursday, June 25. The new school, which has yet to be named, will replace the town’s three existing elementary schools.
Architecture firm SRG Partnership recently announced that it has designed a Net Zero energy building for the Cascades Campus of Oregon State University in Bend, Ore. Edward J. Ray Hall will serve as a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) learning center featuring both interior and exterior active learning spaces.
Energy and sustainability solutions company Schneider Electric announced this week that it is partnering with Gulf Shores City Schools in Gulf Shores, Ala., on a system-wide modernization project. The project’s goals are to boost district sustainability and energy efficiency, increase student engagement, and boost opportunities for STEM education.
Regents at the University of California have approved the construction of an $84-million Education Building II for the School of Medicine at UC Riverside. Hensel Phelps + CO Architects have been selected as the project’s design-build partner. Work on the project will begin shortly, and the team is scheduled to break ground early this summer.
The 2021 hurricane season is upon us. As we continue to see year-in and year-out the higher frequency and increased intensity of hurricanes, experts agree that we must continue to strive for greater preparedness for our communities.
A recent study conducted by the University of Oregon evaluated sunlight's impact on dust and germs in an indoor space. According to the research, published in the journal Microbiome, rooms exposed to daylight have fewer germs and half the viable bacteria compared with dark rooms.
The Tustin Legacy Magnet School, which sits right between the two iconic U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Air Station (M.C.A.S.) North and South blimp hangars, acknowledges and celebrates its historic neighbors with outstanding design features.
On the campus of Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia, construction of the Advanced Technical Training Center is scheduled for completion in spring 2023. The center will be the first higher education facility in the state—and one of just a few community college buildings across the U.S.—to achieve net zero energy.
The University of Arkansas is about to embark on a new round of energy-saving upgrades for its campus. The improvements will include the addition of LED lighting; fault detection diagnostics; upgrades to HVAC; and examination of building envelope systems and other retro-commissioning work. In total, the latest project will encompass some six million square feet of facilities.
The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) in Long Beach, Calif., has announced that it will add solar canopies in 21 schools in an effort to meet sustainability goals. The solar canopy systems will be owned and operated by Standard Solar, Inc., a nationally recognized community solar assets solutions company.
A new $48-million building on the campus of Ontario Tech University's north Oshawa campus will "respond" to sunlight and solar orientation. The project will deliver 80,000 square feet of new, technology-enhanced academic, administrative and student support spaces along with amenities and social spaces to the UOIT Academic Building.
SchenkelShultz Architecture announced this week that construction of the Middle-High School at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, Fla., is complete. The public, K–12 school was designed to meet the LEED Gold Certification standard as set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Harvard University recently saw construction finish on its new Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), located across the Charles River from its main campus in Cambridge, Mass. The complex, designed by Behnisch Architekten, is set to open to students in fall 2021.
EXTECH/Exterior Technologies, Inc. has provided skylight systems for the new Spring Hill School middle school campus in Sonoma County, Petaluma, Calif. The campus opened its doors to students for the first time for the 2019-20 school year.
At Rice University in Houston, Texas, the Betty and Jacob Friedman Holistic Garden recently received a solar upgrade and other improvements courtesy of the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club.
Commercial flooring solutions company Mohawk Group has announced the release of its Data Tide collection, a variety of modular carpet planks with a design evoking the visualization of water.
Twister. Funnel. Whirlwind. A tornado by any other name is still considered the deadliest and most destructive natural disaster on earth. Occurring on all continents except Antarctica, tornadoes have both terrified and fascinated mankind for centuries. The U.S. averages almost 1,300 tornadoes per year, more than all other continents combined. How do we protect ourselves when a tornado strikes? It is this question that has driven architects, engineers and the construction industry to develop codes and guidelines such as ICC 500 and FEMA P-361. These guidelines, at least in part, will help to ensure the proper construction of tornado shelters in order to save lives.
Susquehanna University’s solar array was built in 2018, just outside the city of Selinsgrove, Pa. And from April through November of each year, the university enlists help from an unconventional source to help keep the 14-acre site maintained.