As school districts explore new ways to reach the broadest number of students, myriad teaching methods—some with one foot in psychology and the other in commerce— are seeping into the educational bloodstream. As a result, AEC teams are being asked to design and build schools with enough flexibility to adapt to changing pedagogies.
Architect Richard Berliner singles out a K-8 charter school in Lancaster, Calif., that “doesn’t have a single traditional classroom.” It follows the teaching blueprint of ILead—for International Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development, inspired by Stephen Covey’s book and program “The Leader in Me.” At USC Hybrid High School—a personalized college-prep program developed by the charter management organization Ednovate and affiliated with the University of Southern California—teachers weave yearlong themes (such as “Know Yourself ” or “Know Your World”) into their students’ coursework.
Last September, 10 campuses nationwide (from among 10,000 applicants) received $10 million each to create “a high school of the future” through XQ: The Super School Project, an organization of educators and engineers launched last year by Laurene Power Jobs, the widow of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs.
Like other XQs, Vista High School, in the North San Diego area, has a year to implement its plan and five years to incorporate XQ’s program. The details of what this will mean for the physical school are still being worked out. Right now, some Vista classes are conducted in modular trailers. But the campus has 50 acres, “so we have lots of room to maneuver,” says Ashley Johnson, Architectural Designer at Berliner Architects, which is designing Vista’s XQ campus. The firm envisions a high school with dedicated classrooms interspersed with rings of flexible and common spaces.
The high school will retain its Personalized Learning Academy, a school within a school that replaces conventional classes with individualized coursework and online curricula. The school has contracted with software developers to design an app that will chart students’ progress in mastering skills and completing projects.
Related Stories
HVAC | Dec 13, 2022
Energy Management Institute launches online tool to connect building owners with HVAC contractors
The National Energy Management Institute Inc. (NEMI) along with the Biden administration’s Better Air in Buildings website have rolled out a resource to help building owners and managers, school districts, and other officials find HVAC contractors.
Education Facilities | Nov 30, 2022
10 ways to achieve therapeutic learning environments
Today’s school should be much more than a place to learn—it should be a nurturing setting that celebrates achievements and responds to the challenges of many different users.
K-12 Schools | Nov 30, 2022
School districts are prioritizing federal funds for air filtration, HVAC upgrades
U.S. school districts are widely planning to use funds from last year’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) to upgrade or improve air filtration and heating/cooling systems, according to a report from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council. The report, “School Facilities Funding in the Pandemic,” says air filtration and HVAC upgrades are the top facility improvement choice for the 5,004 school districts included in the analysis.
Energy-Efficient Design | Nov 14, 2022
How to achieve net zero energy in five steps
Martine Dion and Ethan Seaman share net zero energy best practices with owners and developers.
K-12 Schools | Nov 1, 2022
Safety is the abiding design priority for K-12 schools
With some exceptions, architecture, engineering, and construction firms say renovations and adaptive reuse make up the bulk of their work in the K-12 schools sector.
BAS and Security | Oct 19, 2022
The biggest cybersecurity threats in commercial real estate, and how to mitigate them
Coleman Wolf, Senior Security Systems Consultant with global engineering firm ESD, outlines the top-three cybersecurity threats to commercial and institutional building owners and property managers, and offers advice on how to deter and defend against hackers.
Education Facilities | Oct 13, 2022
A 44-acre campus serves as a professional retreat for public-school educators in Texas
A first-of-its-kind facility for public schools in Texas, the Holdsworth Center serves as a retreat for public educators, supporting reflection and dialogue.
K-12 Schools | Sep 21, 2022
Architecture that invites everyone to dance
If “diversity” is being invited to the party in education facilities, “inclusivity” is being asked to dance, writes Emily Pierson-Brown, People Culture Manager with Perkins Eastman.
| Sep 7, 2022
K-8 school will help students learn by conducting expeditions in their own communities
In August, SHP, an architecture, design, and engineering firm, broke ground on the new Peck Expeditionary Learning School in Greensboro, N.C. Guilford County Schools, one of the country’s 50 largest school districts, tapped SHP based on its track record of educational design.
Giants 400 | Sep 1, 2022
Top 100 K-12 School Contractors and CM Firms for 2022
Gilbane, Core Construction, Skanska, and Balfour Beatty head the ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
