New Construction
Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa., recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new academic building on its campus. University officials, students, faculty and staff gathered on Wednesday, Dec. 1, to commemorate the opening of the new Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building.
New Construction
Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss., has announced that it will convert a former junior high school facility into a fine arts building. The college acquired the Clinton Junior High School building in 2010.
Education News
Regan Shields Ives, AIA, ALEP, LEED AP, Principal and K–12 Educational studio leader with Finegold Alexander Architects, was recently named the President of the New England chapter of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE).
New Construction
The Burlington Area School District in Burlington, Wis., recently announced that construction is complete on a new middle school. Karcher Middle School covers about 145,000 square feet and has a capacity of more than 700 students grades six through eight.
Campus Amenities
Flooring solutions company Mohawk Group recently announced that it is expanding its Learn & Live Collection with the addition of Taking Steps, made up of three versatile 24” x 24” modular carpet styles.
New Construction
Officials from Spartanburg School District Five in Duncan, S.C., gathered recently to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new middle school. The construction work began about four weeks after local voters passed a $295 million bond referendum to meet the needs of rising enrollment in the district’s schools.
New Construction
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte announced recently that construction has restarted on a new, six-story residence hall called Moore Hall. The project was delayed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Healthy Schools
Saint Francis University in Loretto, Penn., recently debuted a sensory room as space for students with neurodiverse sensory needs. A news release calls Saint Francis one of a “handful of universities” in the U.S. with a specifically dedicated such space.
New Construction
St. Philip’s School and Community Center in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newly renovated WeCreation Center. The Center, designed by Jeffrey Hill, AIA, Director at SBLM Architects, consists of 3,000 square feet of flexible space available for collaborative nonprofits, business, individuals and more.
Campus Design
LPA recently released the design for a new middle school in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Austin, Texas. The school will serve the northeast part of the city including Mueller, a new urbanist development built on the grounds of the city’s former airport.
Campus Design
High-performing, energy-efficient school facilities can serve a foundational role in uplifting students, staff and the greater community over the long term. The good news is that the solution for some facilities—depending on size, location and available resources—might be born out of the strategic implementation of a concept originating nearly 50 years ago: Passive House.
New Construction
Cypress College in Cypress, Calif., recently celebrated the grand opening of two new facilities: the Veterans Resource Center and the Science, Engineering and Math (SEM) building.
Professional Education
Furnishings company Kimball International recently received the Outstanding Organization Award from Women in Healthcare.
Campus Research
The ultimate coworking space for digital nomads is on the drawing board. Working alongside others, Arizona State University is developing a space station that acts as a business park.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 11/17/21
New Construction
Officials gathered recently to celebrate the topping out of a new STEAM elementary school in Pawtucket, R.I.
Campus Design
Colorado-based architectural and interior design firm RTA Architects announced recently that it has received the LEsolutions Planning and Design Award from the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE).
Campus Amenities
A Michigan furniture company has introduced a new kind of table for classrooms. The MiEN Company's KIO Tinker table is a 360-degree mobile bookcase that serves as a workstation for up to four students.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 11/15/21
Campus Safety
Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga., recently launched a Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Systems graduate certificate program.
Campus Safety
Vector Solutions, a training and software solutions provider, recently announced the launch of an incident management system for K–12 schools designed to help districts keep track of health and safety incidents, hazards and trends.
The widespread use of hand sanitizing stations requires educational institutions to keep a bulk supply of hand sanitizing fluid on hand. And finding a location on campus to keep gallons of hand sanitizing fluid has proved to be a logistical challenge from a fire and life safety inspections perspective.
Campus Safety
School infrastructure has faced significant challenges over the past few years. As administrators look forward, they are faced with the difficult challenge of ensuring their building infrastructure encompasses both short-term safety and long-term priorities while instilling public confidence.
Facility Focus
College science labs are evolving as teaching and learning methods change. This adaptation includes increasing flexibility and the inclusion of both horizontal and vertical learning surfaces. Although student lab workstations are a critical component of any teaching lab, there are other factors that are just as important. O’Connell Robertson recently put these design criteria into practice while working on the new Alamo Colleges District San Antonio College (SAC) Science Lab Building.
Campus Renovations
Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new-and-improved UNITI Cultural Center.
Campus Amenities
Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., announced recently that it will install Smart Windows by View, Inc., at its new Martire Family Arena, currently under construction. Designers wanted to include natural light as part of the rink’s design but were worried that the associated heat would melt the ice.
EDSpaces 2021
I spent last week in Pittsburgh, Penn., for the 2021 EDSpaces conference, put on by the Education Market Association. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020 event into the virtual space, the 2021 event marked the return of the in-person gathering—in style.
Education News
FGM Architects (FGMA) in Austin, Texas, recently announced that Design Principal Rebecca Richter, AIA, ALEP, LEED AP, RID has been selected as the 2021-2022 President of the A4LE (Association for Learning Environments), Central Texas Chapter.
New Construction
The Magnolia Speech School in Jackson, Miss., held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Oct. 22, for a new facility. According to a press release, the 30,000-square-foot facility will be designed to accommodate the needs of children with hearing loss and communication disorders.
EDSpaces 2021
EDspaces 2021 is fast approaching! This year’s conference is scheduled from Wednesday, Nov. 3, to Friday, Nov. 5, in Pittsburgh, Penn. After the 2020 event shifted to a digital format during the pandemic, this year’s gathering marks the return to an in-person celebration of the educational facilities market.
Campus Sustainability
Winona State University in Winona, Minn., announced this week that it is partnering with construction and energy services firm McKinstry for a $12.3-million sustainability and solar energy project.
Campus Funding
A Texas university has received nearly $45 million for capital projects from the state. Midwestern State University will use its allocation to update a science building and do infrastructure upgrades across the campus.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 10/27/21
Campus Renovations
The 113-year-old building housing the Tulane University School of Architecture will have its façades, structure, stairs and interior spaces restored over the next two years. The work on Richardson Memorial Hall, originally built in 1908, will begin in early spring 2022, with a goal of reopening in fall 2023.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 10/26/21
New Construction
Kent State University recently approved construction of a new $74 million, 145,000-square-foot building to house its College of Business Administration. It will be named after the individual who has made the largest donation Kent has ever received.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 10/26/21
Campus Renovation
The task: Transform the outdated, fortress-like 1960s Neuberger Hall (currently named Fariborz Maseeh Hall) on the campus of Portland State University in Portland, Ore., into a modern, interactive, light-filled academic hub.
New Construction
A New Jersey university has just broken ground on the site of a new museum that is intended to explore the ancient natural past of the area while consuming net-zero energy.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 10/26/21
New Construction
A new elementary school recently opened in Foster City, Calif., as part of the San Mateo-Foster City School District (SMFCSD). Beach Park Elementary School lies in the Silicon Valley area, about halfway between San Jose and San Francisco, Calif.
New Construction
Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP) recently announced the completion of a new, 14,524-square-foot replacement field house on the campus of Williams Field High School (WFHS) in Gilbert, Ariz.
Funding
School districts throughout the U.S. are on the verge of letting large construction projects with new funding from citizen-supported bond elections. Some school districts already have secured their funding, and others will ask voters to approve bond packages in November and December.
Campus Amenities
Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions recently introduced its Tectum Create! Direct-Attach line of ceiling and wall panels. The textured panels come in a variety of standard and custom designs to add flair and aesthetics to any space.
New Construction
The Texas Legislature recently approved $100 million for the construction of a health sciences building on the campus of Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas.
Campus Renovations
The University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., broke ground this week on a project involving renovations to its 85-year-old chemistry building and the new construction of a collaborative learning facility.