The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is becoming more proactive in its efforts to help school districts address violence.
The Institute is launching a bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill to help state and local school officials access information and funding to design safer and securer schools.
It outlined its commitment to that process in a statement titled “Where We Stand: School Design & Student Safety.” In that statement, AIA says it will lead efforts at the local, state, and federal levels of government to update school design guidelines. It is also supporting collaborative and continuing education to achieve safe school design, and is striving to make such design eligible for federal grants.
AIA is taking a vanguard role in pushing for the establishment of a federal clearinghouse on school design that would become a repository of architectural and design resources that are accessible by educational officials, architects, and other design professionals.
AIA has gotten the ball rolling via its own website for school design safety resources that includes academic research and recent articles on this topic.
“Much of the public debate about school safety has focused on access to firearms and mental health services. Neither approach to solving school violence has progressed much over many years despite all-too-frequent tragedies. Architects can improve school safety through the power of design now,” AIA says in its statement.
“To design and build the new schools we need and to retrofit existing schools requires significant support and resources that go beyond just the architecture, engineering and construction communities. The AIA urgently calls on all policymakers and stakeholders to work with school communities to safeguard students and teachers while keeping schools positive places of learning and growth.”
On October 19, the Institute’s Committee on Architecture for Education is scheduled to host a national multidisciplinary symposium on “The Design of Safe, Secure & Welcoming Learning Environments,” at AIA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The event will bring together myriad perspectives from law enforcement, education, mental health experts, security consultants, and architect and design professionals.
The Institute and its members already have started to advise state officials on school design. RTA Architects’ Principal Stuart Coppedge, FAIA, presented to the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Commissions on School Safety during its Aug. 7 listening session in Cheyenne, Wyo.
On August 1, AIA participated in the two-day Department of Homeland Security 2018 National School Security Roundtable, at which Karina Ruiz, AIA, Principal of BRIC Architecture, and Brian Minnich, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager with GWWO Architects, explained how an open and positive learning environment can also be designed for safety and security.
Last May, the Institute appointed former AIA President Jeff Potter, FAIA, to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s roundtable that identifies enhanced safety and security solutions for schools and communities in the state. Earlier this year, AIA Florida began working with that state’s Governor Rick Scott, state legislators, and the Florida Department of Education to develop design standards and best practices for the state’s schools.
Related Stories
| Dec 8, 2016
Paul Revere Williams, FAIA, awarded 2017 AIA Gold Medal
The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Building Team | Dec 8, 2016
The NYC Public Design Commission recognizes 12 projects with its 2016 Excellence in Design Award
2016 marked the 34th year the Public Design Commission has handed out its Excellence in Design Awards.
Education Facilities | Dec 7, 2016
How corporate design keeps educational design relevant
Learning is a lot like working; it varies daily, ranges from individual to collaborative, formal to informal and from hands on to digital.
| Dec 6, 2016
Workplace pilots: Test. Learn. Build
Differentiated from mock-ups or beta sites, workplace pilots are small scale built work environments, where an organization’s employees permanently reside and work on a daily basis.
Building Team | Dec 2, 2016
Alexandria Real Estate Equities becomes first real estate investment trust to be named a First-in-Class Fitwel Champion
Fitwel building certification was developed to foster positive impacts on building occupant health and productivity through improvements to workplace design and policies.
Government Buildings | Dec 1, 2016
Unlocking innovation in the government workplace
Government work settings ranked the lowest in their effectiveness across the four work modes: focus (individual) work, collaboration, socializing (informal gathering that fosters trust and teamwork) and learning.
Architects | Nov 20, 2016
D.C.’s first distillery-eatery taps into a growing trend
The stylish location targets customers craving craft spirits and late-night dining.
Architects | Nov 18, 2016
A Frank Lloyd Wright building in Montana will soon be demolished, or will it?
The building is one of only three Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in the state.
Architects | Nov 11, 2016
Six finalists selected for London’s Illuminated River competition
The competition is searching for the best design for lighting the bridges of central London.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 10, 2016
Prescription for success: Managing technology in the design of healthcare facilities
While the benefits of intelligently deployed technology are abundantly clear to both designers and healthcare end-users, it’s no simple task to manage the integration of technology into a building program.