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 āWhere We Stand: School Design & Student Safety.ā 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 ownĀ website for school design safety resources that includes academic research and recent articles on this topic.
āMuch 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,ā AIA says in its statement.Ā
āTo 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.ā
On October 19, the Instituteās Committee on Architecture for Education is scheduled to host a national multidisciplinary symposium on āThe Design of Safe, Secure & Welcoming Learning Environments,ā at AIAās 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 Architectsā Principal Stuart Coppedge, FAIA, presented to the U.S. Department of Educationās 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 Abbottās roundtable that identifies enhanced safety and security solutions for schools and communities in the state. Earlier this year, AIA Florida began working with that stateās Governor Rick Scott, state legislators, and the Florida Department of Education to develop design standards and best practices for the stateās schools.
Ā
Related Stories
| Nov 6, 2012
Honeywell donates first responder products for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts
Honeywell Humanitarian Relief Fund to provide aid to local employees affected by Hurricane Sandy.
| Nov 6, 2012
Uponor files patent infringement suit against Sioux Chief Manufacturing
Uponor is seeking damages and an injunction to prevent Sioux Chief from selling the PowerPEX F1960 Ring with Stop, which it believes violates Uponorās patent.
| Nov 6, 2012
Simpson Strong-Tie donates $25K to hurricane support
The company will also be matching employeesā personal contributions to the Red Cross and other nonprofit disaster relief organizations.
| Nov 6, 2012
Goettsch Partners designs new tower in Shunde, China
200-meter-tall building will be located between Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
| Nov 5, 2012
Brasfield & Gorrie awarded new steel processing facility for Kloeckner Metals
The construction will take place on a 16-acre greenfield site at ThyssenKrupp Industrial Park in Calvert.
| Nov 5, 2012
Trimble acquires Vico assets, extends design-build-operate capabilities
Software to add 5D management to Trimbleās Solutions for vertical construction contractors.
| Oct 30, 2012
Lord, Aeck & Sargent announces four student life facility wins
Projects recognize the architecture firmās expertise on a nationwide basis.
| Oct 30, 2012
The Beck Group announces CEO succession plan
Current Eastern Division Director and company veteran, Fred Perpall, named CEO.
| Oct 30, 2012
Two-hour fire rated curtain wall passes CDC tests
CDC (Curtain Wall Design and Consulting) is an independent firm providing a wide range of building envelope design, engineering, and consulting services to design professionals nationwide.
| Oct 30, 2012
Wight & Company announces three hires
Expands team and adds staff to work on the UNO project.