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
Green | Nov 13, 2022
NREL report: Using photovoltaic modules with longer lifetimes is a better option than recycling
A new report from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) says PV module lifetime extensions should be prioritized over closed-loop recycling to reduce demand for new materials.
Green | Nov 13, 2022
Global building emissions reached record levels in 2021
Carbon-dioxide emissions from building construction and operations hit an all-time high in 2021, according to the most recent data compiled by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction.
University Buildings | Nov 13, 2022
University of Washington opens mass timber business school building
Founders Hall at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, the first mass timber building at Seattle campus of Univ. of Washington, was recently completed. The 84,800-sf building creates a new hub for community, entrepreneurship, and innovation, according the project’s design architect LMN Architects.
Architects | Nov 10, 2022
What’s new at 173 architecture firms for 2022
More than 295 U.S. architecture and architecture-engineering (AE) firms participated in BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 survey. As part of the Giants survey process, participating firms are asked to describe their most impactful firm innovations and noteworthy company moves in the past 12 months. Here is a collection of the most compelling business and project innovations and business moves from the 2022 Architecture Giants.
Giants 400 | Nov 9, 2022
Top 30 Data Center Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
HDR, Corgan, Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, and Gensler top the ranking of the nation's largest data center architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 8, 2022
Top 110 Sports Facility Architecture and AE Firms for 2022
Populous, HOK, Gensler, and Perkins and Will top the ranking of the nation's largest sports facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Industry Research | Nov 8, 2022
U.S. metros take the lead in decarbonizing their built environments
A new JLL report evaluates the goals and actions of 18 cities.
Hotel Facilities | Nov 8, 2022
6 hotel design trends for 2022-2023
Personalization of the hotel guest experience shapes new construction and renovation, say architects and construction experts in this sector.
Green | Nov 8, 2022
USGBC and IWBI will develop dual certification pathways for LEED and WELL
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) will expand their strategic partnership to develop dual certification pathways for LEED and WELL.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Nov 8, 2022
Renovation work outpaces new construction for first time in two decades
Renovations of older buildings in U.S. cities recently hit a record high as reflected in architecture firm billings, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).