Features


Empty classroom. Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay

UPDATED: Resources for Educational Facilities During COVID-19

With COVID-19 changing the educational landscape each day, school and college decision makers need all the help they can get during this global crisis. Here are some resources on everything schools and colleges need to consider regarding educational facilities, construction, design and planning of new facilities, maintenance, managing employees and much more. (Updated 5/13)

Schools In Focus podcast logo. Robin Randall (R) and Sylvia Kowalk (L).

Schools In Focus: COVID-19 and the Impact on School Design

As schools across the country figure out how to safely reopen schools, we wonder: how will COVID-19 impact school design? Senior editor Yvonne Marquez discusses with Sylvia Kowalk and Robin Randall from Legat Architects on what changes we might see as schools reopen.

Classroom with agile furniture to accommodate proper social distancing.

Rethinking School Spaces and Structures to Maintain Proper Distancing Amid COVID-19

As you rethink the design of educational spaces and structures to keep your communities safe and healthy when schools reopen, here are some possible strategies and issues to consider.

Carrie Busey Elementary School library carpet tile. Credit: Scott Berman

It’s All in the Details: Walls, Ceilings and Floors

Walls, ceilings and floors, along with all interior and other building elements, must meet budgetary, acoustic, resilience, sustainability and maintenance requirements, with builders weighing such factors and others. Here are some ways that schools are making their interiors stand out.

A woman architect looking at blueprints with her laptop open.

What Schools and Colleges Have to Rethink for Fall 2020

The fall of 2020 will be different. Nobody knows for sure what it will look like, but most would agree that it <em>will</em> be different, which raises many questions for those of us involved in the construction and design of academic facilities.

Children in winter coats and hats wearing face masks and walking on sidewalk.

Living (and Learning) with COVID-19: Best Practices for Reopening Schools

While the attention so far has been focused mainly on ensuring that all students continue to receive a high-quality learning experience from home, leaders are now shifting their focus to how they can safely and responsibly reopen schools. Here are eight key suggestions for keeping students and staff safe when schools reopen.

Children meditating in a classroom.

How to Incorporate Mindfulness in the Classroom

Pre-K and kindergarten students at Centner Academy in Miami begin their school day with a mindfulness practice. Here is how it's helping students cope with changes due to coronavirus and some tips to incorporate mindfulness in the classroom.

A custodial worker using an electrostatic mister to clean an office.

Combating COVID-19 with Electrostatic Misters

This cleaning process provides more thorough coverage, essentially leaving no place for germs and pathogens, including those that cause COVID-19, to hide.

Schools In Focus podcast logo and Dr. Greg Whiteley

Schools In Focus: Expert Advice on COVID-19 Cleaning

In this episode, we talk about the short-term and long-term goals of keeping school facilities clean amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Berkner STEM Exploration Center features flexible and adaptable spaces.

First Look: Berkner STEM Exploration Center

When students return to school at Richardson Independent School District near Dallas, Texas, they will be able to utilize a brand-new state-of-the-art STEM facility that is open to all K-12 students in the district. Designed by Perkins and Will, the Berkner STEM Exploration Center was created for students of all ages.

Caption: Single leaf sliding doors support North Creek High School’s (NCHS) collaborative culture in Bothell, Washington. Credit: © Chris Eden / edenphotography.us

Collaborative Design Through the Lens of Interior Sliding Doors

In Bothell, Washington, Dykeman, Inc. worked with the Northshore School District to create a flexible, innovative learning center for 1,600 students centered on collaboration. They incorporated state-of-the-art interior single leaf sliding doors and hardware into eight "collaboration cubes" to pave the way for project-based and problem-based group learning, without compromising design.

A custodian cart in front of a white wall.

Combating Coronavirus: Resources on Cleaning and Sanitizing Schools

<em>Spaces4Learning</em> has several resources on best practices for cleaning and sanitizing schools and maintaining healthy schools during peak flu season, which can be applied to the coronavirus. Here you'll find our top articles and a webinar on the subject to help you combat the spread of coronavirus.

Schools In Focus Podcast logo and Todd Ferking, principal at DLR Group

Schools In Focus Podcast: 2020 Education Design Trends

In this episode, Todd Ferking of DLR Group talks about education design that is geared toward the future.

child distant learning on laptop

Moving to K-12 Digital Learning Fast: Where to Start

As coronavirus changes life as we know it, these education experts offer advice on how to make the transition to online instruction.

windmills

To Push the Envelope on Sustainability, Push the Envelope

Architects continue to design buildings much the same way they always have; yet, a carbon-free future will require new practices, namely true, front-loaded integrative design.

parking payment stations at exit

Frictionless Parking: Promoting Campus Public Health During This Pandemic

Frictionless parking can promote public health by dramatically reducing the number of common touch-points within a garage or parking lot.

workers on lift cleaning windows

From Cradle to Grave: The Cost of a Building

When a system shows signs of failing, what is the most cost-effective course of action an owner should take? Does the owner replace the system or close the facility?

outdoor learning water play space

Learning Potential in the Outdoors

For students of all ages, carefully planned outdoor learning areas and features can become an integral component of education.

custodian cleaning wall

COVID-19 and The Custodial Training Component

Issues impacting the ability and training of cleaning contractors vary in different settings and situations. However, all of them must be overcome, and urgently, if we are going to get on top of the COVID-19 situation.

cleaning hand rails on staircase

Pandemic Response: Protecting Custodial Workers

Custodial workers must modify cleaning practices and behaviors to help reduce COVID-19 risks, not only for a building’s occupants, but especially for themselves.

Pathfinder Kindergarten Center: photo ©Chris Roberts, courtesy of DLR Group

K-12 Design Trends to Watch in 2020

Just as Winston Churchill once said, “we shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us,” designers must consider how education environments of the next decade will shape student behavior.

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