November 19, 2009
HEADLINE NEWS
Record Enrollments Spur College Construction
The number of 18- to 24-year-olds attending college has hit an all-time national high, due mostly to a surge in community college enrollments. College officials, architects in the education field, and researchers alike say the surge in community college enrollment is resulting in new building construction, expansions, and renovations – all geared toward accommodating college students and faculty and enhancing the learning environment in innovative ways.
The recently released study by the Pew Research Center notes that community college enrollment has “long been considered somewhat countercyclical” – that is, it tends to rise as the economy worsens. The community college spike can be attributed to more affordable tuition rates, particularly during a recession; however, neither have four-year college enrollments dropped off. Therefore, two- and four-year colleges throughout the country continue building new classrooms and renovating existing buildings to allow for flexible learning spaces.
For example, the Collin County Community College District in Texas has begun construction on several new educational buildings, according to Community College Review, and Dallas County recently launched five new community college campuses to keep up with enrollment spikes. College leaders and facility planners – whether working on a new building project, retrofit, or renovation, often look to architectural firms with a proven track record in outstanding education design, particularly at the postsecondary level. Several of these firms are recognized in the latest edition of LEARNING BY DESIGN, a national publication that showcases the country’s most innovative education design projects. This year, six community colleges were among the outstanding projects in LEARNING BY DESIGN:
In 2010, LEARNING BY DESIGN publishes its General Excellence edition in April and a Special Edition focused on green and technology in October. Each issue will showcase outstanding education design projects as well as showcase elite award recipients at the pre-K to 12 and the college/university levels.
For more about the community college enrollment boom, check out these resources:
Also, the next issue of LEARNING BY DESIGN (April 2010) will include a feature article on the latest strategies in community college design, including flexible learning and gathering spaces, sustainable strategies, and BIM technology. To ensure you receive this next issue, e-mail your mailing address to LBD@strattonpublishing.com.
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Feds Release Free Publication for Energy-Smart Schools
The U.S. Department of Energy has released a new publication called “Guide to Operating and Maintaining Energy-Smart Schools,” available to school districts at no charge. Energy Department officials note that districts with energy-efficient maintenance and operations programs can save as much as 20 percent on energy bills – one of their most costly expenditures – without significant capital investments.
“The publication demonstrates how schools can become, or come closer to being, high-performance schools that improve the learning environment as they achieve maximum levels of energy performance,” says Margo Appel, manager of the Department of Energy’s EnergySmart Schools Program. “For example, a Colorado district participates in a utility partnership that rewards it with a 10 percent payback based on the amount of energy it saves. A Massachusetts district decreased energy consumption and vandalism through a lighting and security-system interface, and a New Jersey district saves more than $2,000 a month when its energy-monitoring software identified boilers that were not necessary.”
The latest issue of LEARNING BY DESIGN, which showcases the nation’s best education design projects (pre-K to college/university) features 20 outstanding green projects, many of which focus on energy efficiency. In 2010, LEARNING BY DESIGN will publish a Special Edition in October (in addition to its General Excellence Edition in April) that will focus on innovative green design and technology. See the LEARNING BY DESIGN Web site for details. The Early Bird Deadline for the Special Edition is February 15, 2010.
Download the “Guide to Operating and Maintaining Energy-Smart Schools” from the U.S. Department of Energy Web site. The Energy Department also will host the National Conference on Energy Smart Schools, May 6-7, 2010, in Chicago.
LEARNING BY DESIGN Seeks Reader Feedback
The nation’s leading magazine for design excellence in education (pre-K to college/university) has launched an online survey to gather feedback about reader needs and preferences. Those who complete the 10-minute survey can enter a drawing for a free iPod Touch. The next issue of LEARNING BY DESIGN – the General Excellence edition – publishes in April 2010. The magazine’s new Special Edition, focused on green and technology, publishes in October 2010.
“Reaching out to LEARNING BY DESIGN readers and getting their feedback is the best strategy for making sure we produce a magazine that is valuable and useful,” says Debra Stratton, publisher of LEARNING BY DESIGN.
The magazine just recently wrapped up the jury process for its General Excellence edition. Stratton reveals that judges will bestow two Grand Prize Awards, as well as seven Citation of Excellence Awards and seven Honorable Mention Awards, but says an official press release identifying winning schools and firms is forthcoming.
Take the LEARNING BY DESIGN online survey and enter to win a free iPod Touch. Contact Marlene Hendrickson at 703.914.9200 ext. 24 with questions or technical issues regarding the survey. And to ensure you’re on the mailing list for the next issue of LEARNING BY DESIGN, e-mail your information to LBD@strattonpublishing.com.
FEATURE ARTICLE
Innovative Design Taps Rural Resources
Cooper Elementary School in Bella Vista, Arkansas, quickly catches the attention of architects and educational facility planners because of its unusual site plan - which is surrounded on one side by a steep hillside and a natural spring that flows year round. The land also was the site of a barn and horse stables - another factor that played a part in the elementary school's award-winning innovative design.
Today, teachers and staff use the school's rural setting as a teaching tool, and students enjoy sweeping views of nature from classroom windows. A two-story vestibule gives volume to the second floor while its exposed steel structure is painted "barn red" to reflects its outdoor setting.
Cooper Elementary School is a project of Hight-Jackson Associates, PA, in Rogers, Arkansas. It was one of only six outstanding education design projects to receive a 2009 Honorable Mention Award from LEARNING BY DESIGN. “Far from a prototype school,” judges said, the unusual site skillfully integrates the natural surroundings into the design.
Read more about Cooper Elementary School.
Modernizing Toward a Greener Future
Originally constructed in the 1950s, Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is now a state-of-the-art learning environment that promotes sustainability. Rather than develop on a green-field property, the school was modernized and nearly doubled in size on the existing 58.5-acre site. To accomplish this, the multi-story design stacks educational spaces to create a smaller building footprint.
The high school - recognized by LEARNING BY DESIGN as an Outstanding Green High School and a Citation of Excellence Award recipient - also uses environmentally friendly lighting strategies, including classroom occupancy sensors and controls that allow selection from three light levels. Plus, more than 85 percent of the core learning spaces benefit from daylighting and the geothermal mechanical system reduces overall energy usage by approximately 26 percent.
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Oak Ridge High School is a project of DLR Group in Overland Park, Kansas. It was one of only 14 outstanding education design projects to receive a 2009 Citation of Excellence Award from LEARNING BY DESIGN. Additionally, Oak Ridge High School was one of only five award-winning projects featured in the publication’s Green Special Section, which included 20 Outstanding Green Projects overall. In October 2010, LEARNING BY DESIGN will publish a Special Edition focused on green design and technology. For more about getting your outstanding education design projects showcased in that issue, e-mail LBD@strattonpublishing.com. Or download the LEARNING BY DESIGN 2010 Call for Entries. (The Early Bird Deadline for project submissions is February 15, 2010.)
Read more about Oak Ridge High School.
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