Star Lake and Evergreen Joint Campus Receives AIA SWW Merit Award
McGranahan Architects is delighted and honored to accept the 2023 AIA Southwest Washington Merit Award for our work with Federal Way Public Schools on Star Lake Elementary and Evergreen Middle School.
Our team is extremely proud of the innovative design solutions we created to meet the needs of the community, school district and the scholars.
Planned initially as separate replacement projects on the existing adjoining sites, the design team explored many solutions and gathered input from four advisory groups. Once the information was gathered, the team concluded that integrating the two schools within one shared building provided multiple opportunities to achieve the identified project goals including cultivating connections and collaboration, enhancing safety and traffic, and creating efficiencies in education and operations.
The communal learning spaces are a key feature of the design. They create opportunities for the two schools to collaborate and cultivate relationships that would otherwise be difficult in two separate buildings.
Colorful highlights are a tool used to give distinction to each school. The design creates three zones on the site that offer choices between autonomy and collaboration. Each school independently runs the north and south areas and includes parking, administration, gyms, classrooms, and playground areas. The central zone includes shared resources and programs that allow collaboration and building relationships between staff, students, and families.
We look forward to continuing to provide high-quality design solutions that make a difference in our community and beyond. Congratulations to the team for their commitment to excellence and for achieving this notable honor!
Timberline Middle School Receives AIA SWW Merit Award
Timberline Middle School has been recognized with a Merit Award by the 2021 AIA Southwest Washington Chapter (AIA SWW) Honor Awards Program. This program recognizes and supports the design community and their clients who strive for excellence in the design and performance of their projects.
This 134,500 SF building for the Lake Washington School District was constructed on an undeveloped 21-acre parcel adjacent to a regional wetland/wildlife. With some of the site still densely wooded, the goal was to design a 900-student school to the district’s contemporary learning environment standards and integrate with the ecology of the site and its surroundings —preserving and restoring a third of the woodlands, enhancing connections to the water ecology, and incorporating as a focus in the learning experience.
The project incorporated existing bicycle paths, minimized new development by utilizing an existing public park for fields, and retained or restored forest habitat. Interpretive signage across the site teaches students and community members about the ecosystems in their midst and the strategies that the project implemented to integrate with them. Habitats were retained or restored on the site with birds and insects in mind.
In awarding Timberline Middle School the Merit Award, the jury noted that, “Timberline Middle School demonstrates a thoughtful interweaving of landscape with architecture. The jury thoroughly appreciated this project and found three areas of particular strength; the sensitivity given to the site response, clarity of building organization, and the overall ecological commitment made.”
We thank the jury for their consideration and congratulate the other firms recognized for their work. Learn more about Timberline Middle School here.
The new mural installed at McGranahan Architects is the latest in Tacoma’s grassroots Hope Grows Here campaign. The campaign which originated in the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown, offers flowers for Tacoma as a way of adding beauty to our community, thanking those battling this pandemic, and connecting with one another. Our office wanted to add our message of thanks for the healthcare workers who are helping keep us safe, as well as express support to members of our community who protect, heal, and educate during these difficult times. Words of encouragement and signs of support are important to developing the resolve to get through and power on.
Project Architect Brett Santhuff came up with the concept for the artwork this spring inspired by the signs he was seeing sprout on other storefronts. That same time we all started working from home and public events, like the Daffodil Parade which passes directly in front of our office each year, were canceled. In style and execution, the artwork pays homage to Andy Warhol, who’s never realized flower design for the roof of the Tacoma Dome has become part of the city’s alter ego.
“I’ve long had affinity for Warhol and his work, graphic style, and ability to transform the ordinary to art. Andy Warhol’s Flowers for Tacoma, 2012, exhibit is among my favorites organized by the Tacoma Art Museum,” said Brett. “When the idea for this work originated, I realized how fun it would be to explore Warhol’s work and try to make something of my own and for Tacoma. It was just the kind of creative outlet I needed to feel engaged and hopeful in those first weeks of lockdown.”
Brett shared his idea and a rendering for the mural with the office as part of a digital art gallery which the office organized to help keep employees connected. The idea took root and with the support of the partners and other staff the design was refined and the technicalities resolved. ARC Reprographic printed the artwork on perforated vinyl and installed it at cost. McGranahan’s Leah Engelhardt, whose hobbies include paper cut art, volunteered to cut out the letters.
“How fun to see Brett’s idea come alive! We wanted to share in the energy and determination of our community as we wrestle with so many important issues and work towards healing and progress. Here are a few flowers from all of us to all of you to help brighten the neighborhood a little,” stated Marc Gleason, Principal for Design.
The mural now gives the McGranahan Architects building a colorful and welcoming charm among the many artistic displays throughout the city of Tacoma.
Early on in her career, Project Designer Shona Bose challenged herself to build up her skills, get involved and make an impact in her community. Today, she is the Chair for Conversations Regarding Tacoma – group of design, architecture and urban planning professionals who have a passion for making Tacoma a better place for everyone who lives here. On top of that, Shona has made her mark as a talented architect at McGranahan Architects on notable projects such as the UWT Learning Commons and is also a strong advocate for Diversity and Inclusion. It is due to her passion for these projects that Shona was recently interviewed for South Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.
Leading by example is something Shona is known for. Her passion for combining creativity and community help paved the road to success and allow others to learn from her as well. We decided to interview Shona to learn more about her recent work:
How does being recognized for the 40 Under 40 inspire you in your work moving forward?
Our brains are more ready to accept new information and grow directly after exercise. Students need time and space to move throughout the day to engage deeply in education. In addition to P.E. and recess, we learn that there are schools using design interventions in tangent with teacher training to create spaces for kids to be physically and mentally active and engaged.
What does making the 40 Under 40 list mean to you?
It feels very cool to be recognized and be interviewed by South Sound Business magazine. I feel so honored, but I also recognize that I can use this opportunity as a platform to start conversations about important issues.
What are you most proud of as you reflect on your career thus far?
I’m very proud of the Diversity and Inclusion work we do here at McGranahan Architects. We started out two years ago and since then have learned how to listen and communicate better with each other. This group taught me the importance of patience and how to help guide others on this journey. We’ve all worked together to get this far. I’m very thankful that our Partners and others on the committee didn’t give up, but everyone continued to stay engaged. I learned so much throughout the process.
What aspects of your work to date do you feel best reflect what this award means to you?
I think the work we’re doing at the UWT’s new Learning Commons as well as the Diversity & Inclusion work at our firm play big parts. McGranahan started a Diversity and Inclusion Committee a few years ago to address the inequities in our own workplace as well as in the field of architecture. I have deeply held beliefs for creating more equitable spaces, especially as my career has been in the educational architecture field. However, talking across the table and bringing these ideas to action was more challenging than I had known. The conversations we’ve had exploring these issues have led to deeper understandings and meaningful actions.
The UWT Learning Commons is a unique project that will serve all students at UWT. It has been an amazing journey to work with Director of Design Seong Shin and the students and staff at UWT. Together, we built coalitions and created a design that is not only embedded in academia and scholarship, but is also reflective of the diverse student population and cognizant UWT’s urban, historical campus.
What inspiration do you draw from the type of projects you work on?
Education and access to education has always been essential to me. My dad is a professor and my mother was a school teacher, so I grew up in a household that stressed the importance of education. Getting to work with school districts and build new places dedicated to learning is incredibly meaningful, and I love being a part of the incredible work we do at McGranahan. My absolute favorite part is seeing the students’ and teachers’ faces when they finally see their newly built school. There’s nothing like it.
Where do you want to go from here? What kind of projects/project roles do you want in the future?
Oh, this is always a tough question for me as there are so many possibilities. For my career, I want to continue developing leadership skills and working with amazing teams. For Conversations Regarding Tacoma, I want to build our audience and engage more people around what Tacoma looks like and how we develop going forward. At some point, I’d like to own my own business (most likely a gym of some sort connecting minds to bodies and showing people what they’re capable of).
But the big thing I’d like to get involved with next is the funding structures in public education, which seems like an incredibly tricky subject. But what I see in architecture are the budgets that different districts are able to have based on their locations. Districts build and renovate schools based on the levies and bonds they can pass taxing the land in their district. Districts with lower income and lower property values inherently have less money to work with than richer neighborhoods. This inequitable system perpetuates a cycle of haves and have nots whereas education should be a way to level the playing field. It is an important touchstone of our society to build equitable access to education.
How do you feel diversity and inclusion can support you and others to thrive in your careers?
I think that it’s so important, if not one of the most important factors. We cannot design the world for only one point of view – it doesn’t make sense to me to do it that way. I want to design with many different perspectives in mind. For example, the ADA regulations made spaces more equitable for many different people – those with disabilities, the elderly, new parents with strollers, etc. Building our cities so that they are accessible to everyone just makes sense, but it took the ADA to regulate ramps and door swings and restrooms for it to happen. Designing spaces with Diversity and Inclusion in mind to reflect the whole city is so important. The world is diverse, and we have to design for that.
This article is a collaborative effort lead by Valerie Harris, Aaron Winston, Benjamin Fields, and Amanda Russell.
As we work with our clients to develop and design learning environments, we are passionate about the wholistic well-being of every student and providing a thoughtful approach that best sets them up for success in a lifetime of learning. We believe that the spaces we create can be part of the empowerment for success. In this series, we take a dive into the holistic approach for student success in the exploration of key components such as nutrition, fitness, connection with nature, hands-on learning, atmosphere considerations, and environmental impacts.
Creating a space for movement & learning
Our brains are more ready to accept new information and grow directly after
exercise. Students need time and space to move throughout the day to engage
deeply in education. In addition to P.E. and recess, we learn that there are
schools using design interventions in tangent with teacher training to create
spaces for kids to be physically and mentally active and engaged.
As architects work with our clients to develop and design learning
environments, we need to mindfully consider the inclusion of space that is
centered around student health and movement. Physical activity has been linked
to the creation of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, a chemical that promotes
the growth and malleability of brain cells, thereby aiding student in learning.
Providing the opportunity to move regularly throughout the day in
a variety of ways will help to spark creativity, encourage curiosity and create
an atmosphere that enriches deep learning for students. By reinforcing these
key aspects through the design of the built environment, schools can become an
even stronger tool for student success and emotional wellbeing.
Incorporating nature & exploration with learning environments
Learning environments are not limited to interior spaces – the
natural environment offers incredible opportunities for people of all ages to
learn by doing. To learn more, our team took a field trip to The Farm at
Franklin Pierce School District.
Agriculture offers students the opportunity to create
relationships with people and the cycle of food production. Students who
participate in crop production and harvesting at farms learn the responsibility
of cultivating something that their community depends on for their health and
well-being.
Adults interested in learning about farming can sign up for Farm
Foundations, a season-long course in residential farming.
Emily, the Farm Manager at Franklin Pierce, gave us a tour of the
10-acre working vegetable farm owned and operated by the school district. One
third of crops produced on site are used in FPSD cafeterias, another third goes
to community members who volunteer on site, and the last portion are donated to
local food banks.
High school students can earn science credits working on The Farm
with the fields serving as the primary “classroom.” A local beekeeper houses a
few boxes of beehives on site, and chickens are also present to help curb the
insect population. The Farm also receives regular deliveries of rich compost
through a local partnership. Greenhouses on site are used to nurse seedlings
through the early stages of growth and protect crops during colder weather.
After
touring the farm, our group returned to the greenhouse to plant herb seeds in
mason jars for a McGranahan indoor herb garden.
Nutrition & Environmental Materials
For the last part of our Whole Child Learning Series, we took a
look at how the ingredients in our food and built environment impact our health
and wellbeing. How do we better make informed choices on what are putting into
our bodies and our buildings?
From common dyes in many snack foods that have known carcinogens
such as Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, to dough conditioner used in some breads
containing either human hair or duck feathers, to sugar levels so high in some
sodas that phosphoric acid is included to counteract the bodies’ natural vomit,
the results of attempting to digest what is in our foods can be unsettling.
Healthy alternatives and more natural options such as kombucha, berries, and other more natural ingredients can have more positive effects on our health such as helping to prevent cancer cell growth and helping us manage a healthy body weight.
Thankfully, information on ingredients in food are more often
available thanks to a growing cultural awareness on the effect in our overall
wellbeing by what we eat.
When we look at building materials, their effects are often less known than that of foods, so the research is more challenging. However, some materials such as certain types of refrigerants like CFC, are currently being regulated out of use after having discovered to have global warming potentials. For other common materials, such as ROCKWOOL, avoiding harmful ingredients such as formaldehyde is as simple as asking for it in the specification. Industry tools to better understand and select building materials continue to grow thanks to research. Some helpful ones include: the EC3 embodied carbon in construction calculator, HPD public repository website, the data base from Spot UL, the transparency catalog from Sustainable Minds, the Declare Label from Living-Future, the international Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) program, and the material hub from ORIGIN. At a minimum, design firms can begin to request declare labels on building materials to help push the industry towards improvement.
As we continue to work with our clients to design learning environments, our research and knowledge grows as well. Learning about how to improve the well-being of every student and providing a thoughtful approach sets us up for success every project we immerse ourselves in. We believe in continuously building our knowledge of tools and materials to serve our clients on a holistic level and that the spaces we create can be part of the empowerment for success.
Conferences
are a time to learn from your peers, bond with your colleagues and clients, and
to reaffirm that you’re not alone in your effort to create inspiring schools.
This
year’s international A4LE conference, LearningSCAPES 2019 was held in Anaheim, California. The theme was ‘Co-Creation,’ which
focused on how our combined knowledge, accumulated wisdom and collaborative
experiences work together to contribute to the creation of exemplary learning
environments for people all over the world. LearningSCAPES attendees were
encouraged to embrace co-creation as a driver of the planning, design,
construction, teaching pedagogies and operations of our places of learning. The
theme also touched on the benefits of collaborating pro-actively and
authentically with the community in the planning and design of educational
facilities.
Keynote speakers Sarah Williams Goldhagen and David Thronburg spoke about their research on how experience of the built environment affects human behavior and health. Goldhagen’s keynote inspired discussions on how to use environmental psychology to create better-designed, healthier environments that address the complex range of human individual and societal needs. Thronburg explored ways telecommunication and multimedia will change the face of learning in the classroom as well as at home.
Tours
of schools throughout the greater Los Angeles region provided examples of thoughtful
design and provoked several fun-natured jealous comments about designing in
such a warm climate.
There
were over 50 learning sessions to choose from over the course of three days.
Each one I attended offered something valuable, but there were a few common
threads that seemed to emerge. The first was an increased effort and value on
post occupancy evaluations. Firms from all over the country presented alongside
school districts with transparency and vulnerability as they shared evaluations
of the ‘good, bad and the ugly’ from their projects. These inspired me to grow
in this area and to bring lessons learned from other firms into my own work.
Another common thread of the conference was the idea that we are social creatures and this affects our willingness to fully engage in learning. When a design provides a variety of ‘action settings’ the result is increased motivation and engagement beyond providing a single flexible space. I plan to keep the following key space types in mind for future projects:
Campfire – learning from a single speaker
A space where people gather to learn from an expert. The experts are not only teachers and guest speakers, but also students who are empowered to share their learning with peers.
Watering hole – learning within a group
An informal space where peers can share information and discoveries, acting the role of both student and teacher simultaneously. These spaces also provide social emotional learning opportunities.
Cave – learning in solitude
A private or semi-private space where an individual can think, reflect and transform learning from external knowledge to internal understanding.
Life – learning by doing
A space for experiential learning, often in a real world setting where students test out their ideas and assumptions to foster critical thinking.
A learning environment with a variety of space types like these are only effective if the culture of the school is ready and willing to use them. Changing a school’s culture to be collaborative can be a challenge for schools currently working in silos. An important first step to consider is partnering with another organization in a mentor-type role. CannonDesign worked with the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh during the design of a new school for Seneca Valley School District. They not only learned how to create engaging hands-on learning areas but they also worked with staff to understand how to use them within their curriculum. This effort of co-creation is an example of the emerging need for architects to be actively involved in their communities to help foster connections between school districts and local organizations.
Active learning spaces scene on the school tour of TVT Day School in Irvine, CA
One session broadened the discussion of social impact to look at the trend of disappearing social space for teachers and staff. They presented statistics showing how this has likely been a contributing factor to the currently high turnover rate for teachers. Recent studies have shown increased levels of stress, workplace loneliness and decreased levels of autonomy are reasons why teachers are leaving for other professions. This is especially evident in high impact schools. To compete with other professional work environments, school designs should include social spaces for staff to cultivate collaboration, peer mentorship in order to decrease stress and loneliness for staff.
Staff lounge at WeWork stands in contrast to a typical school break room
One of the most rewarding opportunities of an architect’s career
is providing a valuable learning experience for young creatives who are
passionate about Architecture. Over the years, McGranahan’s internship program
welcomed students from all over the nation, providing them with solid hands-on
experience.
At the beginning of June, we welcomed two bright additions onto
our team: first time intern Leah Davis and second-year intern Innocent Muhalia.
Both quickly became a regular part of project presentations, meetings, and
construction site visits for a variety of projects including Lake Washington
and Fife High Schools.
Hailing from Montana State University, Leah took a big leap and traveled 300 miles from her hometown to spend the summer as part of McGranahan’s internship program. In addition to studying Architecture, she is also interested in gaining a better understanding of the industry, developing a versatile skill set, and increasing her understanding of school design.
After completing her internship in August, Leah returned to MSU to start her Junior year utilizing her internship experience in her studies.
First-Year Intern Leah Davis
Originally from Kenya, Innocent is currently an Architecture
student at the University of Washington pursuing his Bachelor degree. Having
grown up with role models who study and practice Architecture, Innocent
realized his dream of joining the field early on.
At McGranahan, Innocent quickly got involved in learning more
about schematic design and how to communicate with clients and consultants. His
weekly schedule ranged from visits to the Timberline Middle School construction
site to sitting in on construction administration meetings and to participate
in project team discussions. Innocent and Leah also utilized their studio
experience in working with various tools to help put together our sponsored
hole for PCS Structural Solutions’ annual Charity Putt-Putt Tournament.
Second-Year Intern Innocent Muhalia
“I really enjoyed my time
here,” said Innocent. “McGranahan has
a comfortable and inclusive environment that promotes both individual and
social growth. This helped me in developing professionally and personally.
One of the
helpful things I learned was knowing how to ask the right questions. This came
from client prep meetings I was in which helped me learn how to get meaningful
information from the client. I also learned design and concept development
through diagramming in a deeper aspect with the intent of explaining early and
abstract ideas clearly.”
Moving forward, Innocent plans to finish his senior year at the University of Washington and looks forward to obtaining his architectural license and returning to McGranahan in the future. In addition, Innocent plans to volunteer for One Vibe Africa and other organizations focused on social unity and growth.
Leah and Innocent discussing ideas over their latest summer project
McGranahan has mentored students from universities and colleges as well as those from programs such as the ACE Mentorship Program of Washington and Tacoma Public Schools’ Next Move. Our internship curriculum was recently overhauled in 2018 by Matthew Bissen, our Director of Design & Research and Part-Time University of Washington Faculty. The program centers on developing our interns’ professional and personal growth beyond traditional job shadowing.
Our aim is to have interns work directly with mentors in all
phases of the design process and gain a more experiential form of learning. The
program covers four main areas:
1. Exposure to Design Practice – This is an opportunity for interns to experience the range of architectural practice by attending sessions of each of the following activities over the course of the program:
Part 1
Areas
of Practice
Interview
Prep
Pre-Design
Planning/Community Meeting
Design
– Working Session and/or Planning/Community Meeting
Technical
– Tech Group Meeting or Focused Product Rep Meeting
Construction
– Construction Meeting and Site Visit
Built Work – Team Leader Guided Completed Building/Site Visit
Part 2
This is an opportunity for interns to
experience one area of practice in more depth through a longer time of
exposure. They attend all working sessions/meetings for a chosen area of
practice which they would like to learn more about:
Areas
of Practice
Marketing
and Strategic Planning
Technical
Detailing & Construction Administration
Learning
Environments
Sustainability
and Environmental Responsibility
Project
Management
Design
Operations
2. Defined Activity with Documented Result – Interns will work on a defined activity and or project which they will be instrumental in developing with a firm or project leader. This work will expose interns to an area of work within the firm in need of deeper or longer lasting attention. This is developed specifically for each intern to be able to achieve tangible accomplishment by the end of the summer and will serve as a product or knowledge for them to take from the program.
3. Team Participation – Interns will participate on a team as a team member to accomplish tasks commiserate with their skill level and team needs. This includes current projects that are in early planning/design phases.
4. Meaningful Contact – Experience meaningful contact with our professional and creative staff .
Each area allows interns to be involved in hands-on projects with
educational facilities throughout Washington state.
McGranahan’s internship program builds upon a student’s experience
each year to further develop their skills and knowledge. First-year interns start
with a broad overview of the different programs in the firm and mastering the
basics of day-to-day tasks. Second-year interns who have had the initial
exposure to a professional setting can follow a curriculum determined by their
chosen areas of interest. This opens doors to selected hands-on learning experiences
on a deeper level of architectural practice.
Supporting young talent and nurturing their creative passions are crucial for their development. The more well-equipped students are, the more prepared they will be when the opportunity comes to join the field. We hope to help pave the way for success and allow our mentees room for growth and exploration as they continue their journey in Architecture.
For further information on how to participate in our internship program, please contact our Director of HR Emily Level at emily.level@mcgranahan.com
Recently, we sponsored our two architectural associates Shona Bose
and Dion Serra to fly to Las Vegas for the much-anticipated AIA 2019
National Conference. This year’s theme, “Blueprint for A Better
Future,” explored topics such as Sustainability in Design as well as Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion. As the largest architecture convention in the nation,
the A’19 offers over 750 exhibitors as well as 500 sessions, tours and
networking opportunities.
The attendee count this year climbed to over 30,000–with a list of
keynote speakers including notable influencers like Black Panther director Ryan Coogler
and Girls Who Code
founder Reshma Saujani
headlining. Learning opportunities are boundless as attendees were able to take
advantage of opportunities for hands-on learning at the many workshops offered
as well as connect with architects and developers from all over the nation.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to connect with so many women leaders in architecture,” said Shona, who is a committee member on McGranahan’s Diversity and Inclusion Board. Conference attendees included women industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and other influential figures from many different backgrounds–several whom Shona connected with personally as an Indian-American woman in Architecture. “The people I have met here and the workshops I joined all left a huge impact on my perception of architecture and inspired me to continue to invest in my professional development.”
Among the 500 sessions offered, A’19 also gave attendees the opportunity to peek at new technology emerging in the industry. One of Shona’s favorite workshops include “Future of AI in Architecture,” which explored the utilization of machine learning in architectural design. She also had a chance to demo holographic sensory lenses as one of the emerging tools in A/E/C among other high-tech solutions that challenge traditional methods of approaching design. The lenses not only allowed users to view building models in a true-to-scale perspective, but also provided them the ability to walk through the rooms and halls of said models in real size while simultaneously maintaining awareness of their physical surroundings in the real world. Such intricate tools may soon revolutionize countless factors such as how architects access their own ability to design to how firms work with clients in the next upcoming decades.
Another A’19 favorite included “Leadership Skills: Taking It to
the Next Level,” which Dion had the opportunity to explore alongside innovative
peers. As a creative who enjoyed diving into in-depth topics and discussions,
the workshops provided a collaborative space for Dion to immerse himself in
sharing new ideas with other industry professionals.
“There seems to be a session
for every person’s interest,” said Dion. “There’s so much to learn.”
Each workshop inspired thoughtful conversations–whether in designing
safer schools or discovering ways to improve sustainability efforts. This
year’s theme of “Blueprint for A Better Future” also allowed for more discussion
on increasing inclusivity and broadening the circle to invite new voices to
contribute.
Our values include cultivating a culture of learning, so it was thrilling to witness Dion and Shona explore new ways to design solutions and grow their connections at the A’19. Our goal is to be involved in the combined efforts toward sustainability, diversity, inclusion – and above all – invest in each member of our team and set them up for success.
Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) Conference 2019
Last Monday and Tuesday, I had an opportunity to come to the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) Conference for the first time. It was a truly amazing and transformative experience for both learning and networking opportunities.
The main theme I learned this year is the importance of all life to have equal value. To believe in this and to act on it, each of us needs to adopt a culture of care as discussed at the opening keynote “What’s the Plan: Conversation on How We Can Work Together to Help More Striving Students Reach Their Goals” featuring Patrick Methvin of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
We need to care for other people beyond the surface and accept the fact that each of us is uniquely different, including our learning style. This is reinforced by the fact there is no two brains are exactly the same, as presented in “Learning Spaces for the Future: Personal Learning and Neurodiversity.” The solution for this requires innovations and evaluations to ensure we are going to the right path.
“Planning and Designing for Innovation: A Hackathon” provides glimpses and exercise on how we shall think innovatively. The exercise we did produces innovative solution and concept using the provided bagged items.
Another attempt on innovative solution is through a research on the best classroom layout to deliver teaching from both teacher and student perspectives presented in “The Geometry of Learning: Experiences from the Arena Classroom.” Finally, to know the solution is the right one, we will have to do post-occupancy evaluation. “Post-Occupancy Evaluation for Active Learning Environments: Methodologies, Results, & Impacts” provides some examples and attempts to evaluate the success of the proposed solution. Although we are still far away from an effective method, the direction is the right path to take.
The conference also offers more concrete example of campus
wide transformation. One particularly
interesting example is “Innovative Ecosystem at Campus Edge: MIT’s Kendall
Square Initiative” where MIT is trying to support learning with working in the
real world by attracting tech start-up, medium, and large companies to its
campus and by blurring the edge of its traditional learning campus area with
this innovative development mixing tech companies with student housing, museum,
and retail in both new and renovated existing buildings. The result is a dynamic campus, a place
making, where people want to be in.
With this great first-time experience, I will for sure look
forward to another opportunity to attend SCUP conference in the future.
Olympic Hills Elementary School: A Daily Sustainable Lesson Plan
Olympic Hills Elementary
School was designed to support Differentiated Instruction pedagogy, meeting
each student where they are learning best and providing an environment in which
the whole child can thrive. At the same time, the new building has
significantly reduced the operational carbon footprint and serves as an example
for the District, the community, and educational designers about being a better
steward of the environment.
Washington state has one of
the nation’s most stringent energy codes, and biannual code updates ensure new buildings
are minimizing their overall energy consumption.
AIA 2030
Architectural firms
participating in the 2030 Commitment saved 17.8 million metric tons of CO2 in
2017 alone, which is equivalent to the carbon that would be sequestered by 21 million
acres of forest – nearly the size of the state of Maine! As signatories to the
AIA 2030 Commitment, our goal is to reduce carbon emissions on all our
projects, track progress, and evaluate the impact design decisions have on
energy performance. We believe the way we address energy and climate issues
through the built environment is crucial to our mission.
When this project started, it was benchmarked against the 2015 target to achieve a 70% reduction in energy consumption as tracked by the buildings Energy Use Index (EUI). Knowing this was a challenging target, we were thrilled to learn that the verified performance of 18.4 EUI exceeded our goal by nearly 15%.
With future projects needing
to meet a higher energy reduction rate in 2020, our mechanical engineer, Brian Cawley
of Hargis Engineers, noted that adding heat recovery to classrooms and
installing 100kw of PV’s on the roof could achieve another 15% EUI reduction.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GGE)
At the outset of design, we
pursued an “All-Electric” school, eliminating the use of fossil fuels across
the entire site. What does that mean for Seattle Public Schools, their students
and teachers, and the community?
It starts with an incredibly
clean energy source. The City of Seattle generates its own electrical power and
less than 2% of the energy is created by sources that generate greenhouse
gases!
Thoughtful building
orientation and judicious placement of windows minimize the need for
supplemental lighting. The high-performance building envelope results in a
minimal 5-degree heat loss overnight. Compiling this all together results in an
annual utility bill (heat and lighting) of just over 65-cents per square foot
per year. (around $100/student each year).
Based on actual consumption data, Olympic Hills only contributes an average of 23.2 kilograms of GGE per day. That is the equivalent of driving a typical car 57 miles. Over time, each new building that Seattle Public Schools completes makes a significant impact.
Plug Loads
The real story of the success
of Olympic Hills is grounded in the daily habits of the teachers and students.
As the built environment gets more efficient each code cycle, the habits of the
users and what they plug-in to the building accounts for over half of the
annual consumption of the building.
The City of Seattle energy
code exceeds the state code on many levels, and in particular, utilizes
mandatory ‘green plugs’ that de-energized each night to ensure conservation. Seattle
Public Schools has verified that Olympic Hills has the lowest plug-load
consumption of energy in the district.
As part of the project, we created a simple User’s Guidebook that identifies the manual and automatic energy systems in the building and explains the ’why’ behind the green-plugs. By raising the awareness regarding this system, there is little to no circumvention of this system. This guidebook was provided to everyone who works in the building and survives digitally allowing new educators to become acquainted with the way the building operates.
