21^st Century Schools

Trends Include Connectivity, Sustainability and Prototypes

By Debra Wood

A McGraw-Hill Construction seminar in Orlando entitled "Schools of the 21st Century" recently explored ways for schools a major portion of the U.S construction market to help shape education with innovative learning environments that influence a community's experience.

“We are not simply building shelters for students and places for teachers to teach,” says Ronald E. Bogle, president and CEO of the American Architectural Foundation of Washington, D.C. “There’s an inability to separate a high-quality, livable community from its public schools.”

Bogle and other experts spoke at the McGraw-Hill Construction event. Southeast Construction is published by McGraw-Hill Construction.

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School districts spent more than $50 billion in 2007 and 2008 on new facilities, representing 27.4% of the nonresidential construction market, says Charles Linn, the host and lead speaker at the event, citing numbers from a report from McGraw-Hill Construction Analytics. Linn is deputy editor of Architectural Record, which is also published by McGraw-Hill Constructio.

Bogle challenged attendees to explore ways to build new schools within communities rather than on greenfield sites farther from established neighborhoods. He says that will help strengthen the fabric of America and highlight a trend toward multiuse schools that include sections for public gatherings.

Steve Crane, a partner with VCBO Architecture of Salt Lake City, presented as an example of such collaboration a $140 million private high school in Arizona, which worked with a college to build a shared 7,000-seat football stadium, with the city to build a park and recreation center and with an arts group to construct the auditorium. 

Often schools with shared facilities have wings to separate public activities from classrooms, adds Kerry Leonard, principal and senior educational planner at OWP/P of Chicago.

Creating spaces with open areas in which students can gather and communicate is another trend, Crane says. Rolling windows may connect the classrooms with these core areas, which may house computers or seating to discuss topics in small groups. In addition to educational opportunities, the open areas can enhance security.

Many districts are opting for planned learning communities, breaking large schools into three or four smaller schools with separate places to work as teams or on projects. Teachers may share lecture halls or wet laboratories, reserving them on certain days of the week.

“There’s a lot of collaboration and it brings teachers together,” Crane says.

Prototype schools can save districts money if they are building two or three schools at the same time, Crane adds. He recommends designing the prototype as a “kit” with modules, so the basic elements can be configured differently to meet the needs of the site. For example, wings could be placed on top of each other on a smaller parcel of land.

Leonard agrees that prototypes make sense but cautioned the same design should be used for only a short period of time.

The buildings themselves can become a learning tool, with facts or quotes painted on the walls or a sundial outside, Crane adds. School districts with green buildings often educate the students about those features, such as recycling content, turning off lights or collecting rainwater. At Sidwell Friends Middle School in Washington, D.C., children grow vegetables and herbs on the green roof, which are harvested and served in the cafeteria.

School districts are increasingly looking for sustainable features, such as daylighting and green roofs, Crane and Leonard agree.

“Green creates a healthy environment conducive with learning and saves energy, resources and money,” says Rachel Gutter, schools sector manager at the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington, D.C. “The term is new but the concepts and practices in design have been around for decades.”

In 2007, one new school registered for LEED certification each day, according to Gutter. As of the end of March, 85 schools nationally held LEED certification and 454 were in the pipeline. The USGBC has a schools rating system that addresses the uniqueness of school spaces and children’s health.

Some states promote green schools. For example, Pennsylvania offers incentives for sustainable projects, and Hawaii has mandated all state-funded buildings meet LEED standards, Gutter says.

“One day, all students will reap the benefits,” she adds. ”Districts can put money back in the classroom. They will use less energy and resources and be more comfortable.”

Gutter says, on average, a green school saves $100,000 in direct operating expenses annually. That equates to 200 computers or 5,000 textbooks or two full-time teachers. She estimates that if all schools renovated, the combined result would be a savings of $20 billion in energy costs.

Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colo., uses 59% less energy than comparable schools and recycles 69% of its waste.

In addition, green building promotes productivity and performance and decreases teacher turnover. The U.S. Green Building Council will spend $500,000 this year to study and quantify the benefits.

Gutter says various education-associated groups, such as the Parent Teacher Association and American Federation of Teachers, support green building. A Green Schools Caucus has been established in the U.S. House of Representatives to raise awareness of and promote the benefits of green schools.

“Our vision is for all green schools within a generation,” says Gutter, later encouraging everyone in the audience to pledge to commit to doing what they can to help make the goal of green schools a reality.

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