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.

Learning Environments for the 21st Century
Keynote Speech
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 American 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.” Click here for details.

$10 Million to Design Schools as Centers of Community
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.” Click here for details.

Visioning and Planning Quality Educational Facilities
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 projects 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 principles of planning which involve all stakeholders and anticipate change. For details on Bruce’s philosophy, and several recent projects, read an interview here. For a summary of the Design Down process, click here.

Classroom Planning and Design
James Dyck, Principal, The Architectural Partnership, Lincoln, Nebraska, spoke about classroom planning and design from a hands-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: Maxey Elementary or Waverly High.

Inventing better Schools
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.”

Nancy also reviewed the principals in Phillip Schlechty’s book “Inventing Better Schools: An Action Plan for Educational Reform.” The material addresses organization of knowledge, curriculum content and substance, spatial needs, and beliefs that underlie quality learning environments. book reviews, pricing or purchase
Nancy Myers can be reached at: nmyers3260@aol.com

Research for Design Decision Making
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.

“Pay me now, or pay me a lot more later.”

Jim Biehle can be reached at: rkitec@aol.com

AIA/CAE link to Committee on Architecture for Education

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