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Introduction |
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Better
Schools For a New Century Randall Fielding, April 19, 1999 Introduction: This article highlights portions of the "Better Schools for a New Century" conference, sponsored by The American Institute of Architects, at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, April 9-10. The conference was organized by two AIA professional interest areas: the Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) and the Building Codes and Standards Committee. The following material focuses on the Committee on Architecture for Education. Detailed coverage of the entire conference will also be available on the AIA's web site this summer.  Keynote SpeechLearning Environments for the 21st Century. Anne Taylor, Ph.D., Hon. AIA Anne Taylor is the Director of the Institute for Environmental Education, School of Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico. In 1997 she received a life-long honorary membership in the America Institute of Architects for her contributions in the field of children and environmental design. "Programming for schools does not include predetermined activity settings or square footage needs. Educational and architectural programming need first to look at the client, the developmental rights of that client, then at the curriculum and instructional delivery system." details $10 Million to
Design Schools as Centers of Community Visioning and Planning Quality Educational
Facilities Classroom Planning and Design Inventing better Schools Research for Design Decision Making "Pay me now, or pay me a lot more later." |
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Steven Bingler, AIA, Concordia
Architects, spoke about Department of Education planning grants and design guidelines.
Frederick "Fritz" Edelstein, Director of Constituent Relations, U.S. Department
of Education, was available to answer questions. DOE summary: "The President's FY2000
budget includes a new $10 million proposal to provide competitive grants to
school-community partnerships to support broader citizen engagement in the design of
individual school facilities or school system master plans. Community involvement in the
planning and design of new schools can spark innovation and produce savings through
cost-sharing and energy-efficiency, and it can help maximize the use of school facilities
as centers of community." 
Bruce Jilk, architect
and planner at the Cuningham Group, Minneapolis, presented a broad, historical and
philosophical framework of educational planning, ranging from the idealism of Plato's
academy to the super-functionalism of Mario Botta. Bruce also presented a series of
photographs and plans of project he is working on in the United States, Hawaii, Australia,
Finland, Belgium and Egypt. A common theme is the emphasis on educational environments
which are integrated into the community, with an emphasis on a "finer grain."
His most recent work in Melbourne, Australia, involves planning of new communities,
where no school buildings are planned; learning environments are interspersed within
commercial, residential and civic spaces. He also reviewed his "design-down"
process, ten principals of planing which involve all stakeholders and anticipate change.
For details on Bruce's philosophy, and several recent projects, click on: 
James Dyck, Principal, The Architectural Partnership, Lincoln, Nebraska,
spoke about classroom planning and design from a hand's on perspective. In addition to
being an architect and educational planner, Jim and his wife Lynda are certified
Montessori teachers, and run a school on the property they live on. "The worst shape
for crowding is a square. How many classrooms are square?" He has been experimenting
with "L" shaped classrooms for years, and is achieving good success.
"Classical spaces focus on the center. Asymmetrical spaces put the focus on the edges
[and are better suited for the learning environment]. Jim also spoke about "flowing
space," as opposed to the "open classrooms" of the seventies. He used his
firm's Maxey Elementary School and Waverly High Schools as examples. For project
details, click on: 
Dr. Nancy Myers, President-Elect, The
Council of Educational Facility Planners International, and Principal, The Myers Group,
Noblesville, IN, spoke about a wide range of topics, including schools as community
centers, classroom size, interdisciplinary teaching, and the integration of technology in
learning. "Classrooms need to become larger so as to provide the opportunity for
activity based, technology rich learning environments. If I had my way, all classrooms
would be 1,200 square feet. Since I don't pay for the facilities, I'm often settling for
900 - 1,000 Square feet." 
James Biehle, AIA, Chair, Committee on Architecture for Education, and
Charles Boney Jr., AIA, Boney Architects, spoke about quality versus cost decisions in
building construction and renovation programs. Their presentation showed that over
the life of a building, operation and maintenance was by far the greatest cost, dwarfing
both construction and design costs. Furthermore, a small increase in money spent
during the design phase can have an enormous positive effect on the life-time costs of the
facility.