Giants 400

K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR GIANTS: To succeed, school design must replicate real-world environments

Aug. 7, 2015
10 min read

When Intrinsic School, a 60,000-sf public charter school, opened last August, it represented a first for Chicago: a school designed from the ground up to blend instruction, collaboration, and technology. Each grade (7–12) is separated into a STEM and Humanities pod. Each pod has its own isolated space, either a lab or a Socratic seminar space.

Each pod has five learning environments whose names—Coastline, Exchange Table, Pop-up Class, Genius Bar, and Study Lounge—hint at the kind of individual or collaborative learning at work. “We wanted to give each space its own identity,” says Daniel Wicke, Project Architect with Wheeler Kearns Architects.

TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS

2014 K-12 Revenue ($)
1. DLR Group $47,750,000
2. PBK $44,800,000
3. Stantec $33,419,099
4. Huckabee $32,000,000
5. Parkhill, Smith & Cooper $22,211,000

SEE FULL LIST BELOW

 

TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS

2014 K-12 Revenue ($)
1. AECOM $42,950,000
2. Jacobs $32,915,000
3. WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff $19,669,921
4. STV $14,260,000
5. Wendel $12,188,430

SEE FULL LIST BELOW

 

TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS

2014 K-12 Revenue ($)
1. Turner Construction $487,394,480
2. CORE Construction $321,022,373
3. Gilbane Building Co. $299,244,295
4. Balfour Beatty US $298,793,841
5. Skanska USA $245,681,551

SEE FULL LIST BELOW

 

Last year, $14.2 billion in school construction was completed, up 5% from 2013, according to School Planning & Management. Whether new or reconstructed, schools must meet new demands that emanate from the real world.

“School buildings and classrooms must be able to rapidly adapt to different instructional and learning modes, including teacher-centric lectures, quiet and reflective self-study and testing, and group collaboration,” says Ronald C. Weston, Vice President of Architecture at Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor.

Tom Rogér, Vice President and K-12 Leader at Gilbane, says 21st-century schools typically include larger spaces for student-centered learning, distributed technology throughout the building, and smartboards configured for student use.

Design needs to allow learning to happen anywhere in the school, says Irene Nigaglioni, AIA, CEFP, LEED AP BD+C, Partner/National Planning Director at PBK. Walls that used to separate classrooms from hallways are being opened up to expand collaborative spaces. Libraries and cafeterias are melding together into “learning hubs,” supported by robust wireless technology.

What’s new about all these design concepts is that more school districts are willing to try them out. The reason: pushback from business leaders. “Employers are starting to complain that kids have lost the ability to be critical thinkers,” says Sandy Kate, LEED AP, REFP, Senior Educational Facility Planner at HMC Architects.

The convergence of teaching methodologies and new design practices is impacting K-12 school design. Spaces for STEM and Next Generation Science Standards require students to apply the same Design Thinking skills that architects use.

“Today’s students don’t just learn about robotics: they build robots,” says Greg Monberg, AIA, CEFP, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Design Research at Fanning Howey. “As architects, we must design environments that catalyze this Design Thinking approach to education.”

Design Thinking is at work in the Milan (Mich.) Center for Innovative Studies, a 23,000-sf project-based learning environment for high school seniors. Specialty labs surround a central “innovative zone.”

The space serves as a laboratory for student projects: building and marketing solar-powered boats, building and programming robots, and designing a load-bearing structure that withstands earthquake-like forces. Students and teachers access the labs and collaboration spaces as needed, based on each day’s activities.

 

TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS

  Company 2014 K-12 School Revenue ($)
1 DLR Group $47,750,000
2 PBK $44,800,000
3 Stantec $33,419,099
4 Huckabee $32,000,000
5 Parkhill, Smith & Cooper $22,211,000
6 HMC Architects $21,107,084
7 Fanning/Howey Associates $19,623,313
8 Perkins+Will $19,240,000
9 Heery International $17,190,567
10 FGM Architects $16,601,809
11 NAC|Architecture $16,095,124
12 Corgan $15,660,000
13 Moseley Architects $15,609,087
14 Perkins Eastman $14,632,000
15 Symmes Maini & McKee Associates $14,379,782
16 LPA $14,211,122
17 Quattrocchi Kwok Architects $13,860,000
18 Hord Coplan Macht $13,100,061
19 HMFH Architects $11,911,364
20 Integrus Architecture $11,769,378
21 HKS $9,680,472
22 Shive-Hattery $8,328,659
23 GWWO $7,935,937
24 Wight & Company $7,772,876
25 Legat Architects $7,470,000
26 Harvard Jolly $6,965,592
27 DLA Architects $6,769,402
28 BLDD Architects $6,750,000
29 KSQ Architects $6,237,196
30 JLG Architects $5,894,445
31 SEI Design Group $5,837,700
32 Eppstein Uhen Architects $5,582,172
33 BBS Architects and Engineers $5,520,000
34 CTA Architects Engineers $5,325,260
35 Harley Ellis Devereaux $5,210,000
36 S/L/A/M Collaborative, The $5,091,626
37 Schenkel & Shultz $5,044,000
38 LS3P $4,992,588
39 Goodwyn Mills and Cawood $4,939,235
40 Ashley McGraw Architects $4,886,347
41 FXFOWLE Architects $4,752,223
42 Little $4,431,000
43 Cuningham Group Architecture $4,413,753
44 Zyscovich Architects $4,007,233
45 BRPH $3,808,227
46 SRG Partnership $3,476,177
47 EYP $3,447,014
48 Cooper Carry $3,417,026
49 EwingCole $3,391,000
50 Schrader Group Architecture $2,968,616
51 Clark Nexsen $2,500,000
52 Becker Morgan Group $2,422,634
53 PBDW Architects $2,372,212
54 RS&H $2,345,000
55 Leo A Daly $2,178,404
56 Good Fulton & Farrell $2,100,140
57 Ennead Architects $2,048,000
58 Dattner Architects $1,819,345
59 Shepley Bulfinch $1,709,868
60 Kirksey Architecture $1,634,400
61 Hastings+Chivetta Architects $1,566,001
62 Environetics $1,468,746
63 Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart
& Associates, Inc.
$1,378,755
64 LMN Architects $1,327,200
65 Gensler $1,220,000
66 Glumac $1,183,752
67 OZ Architecture $1,183,250
68 Architects Hawaii Ltd. $1,140,000
69 Mithun $1,125,000
70 Massa Multimedia Architecture $1,000,000
71 Solomon Cordwell Buenz $993,177
72 Moody Nolan $983,143
73 NORR $572,861
74 Bergmann Associates $570,618
75 Beyer Blinder Belle $544,819
76 Westlake Reed Leskosky $500,000
77 DesignGroup $495,865
78 Hoffmann Architects $401,000
79 Morris Architects $395,000
80 Nelson $368,390
81 CASCO Diversified Corp. $350,000
82 Ziegler Cooper $348,762
83 Ware Malcomb $338,041
84 Rosser International $312,000
85 STG Design $192,000
86 JRS Architect $185,000
87 BWBR $180,099
88 LK Architecture $150,000
89 Lord Aeck Sargent $147,481
90 Nadel $140,000
91 GBBN Architects $130,000
92 CO Architects $129,000
93 ATA Beilharz Architects $122,715
94 KZF Design $120,403
95 FM Group $110,000
96 Sherlock, Smith & Adams $93,000
97 Davis Brody Bond $62,800
98 Cambridge Seven Associates $50,000
99 Hnedak Bobo Group $26,000
100  BSA LifeStructures $20,664

 

 

TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS

  Company 2014 K-12 School Revenue ($)
1 AECOM $42,950,000
2 Jacobs $32,915,000
3 WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff $19,669,921
4 STV $14,260,000
5 Wendel $12,188,430
6 TTG $6,593,145
7 KCI Technologies $5,000,000
8 Dewberry $4,091,008
9 LaBella Associates $3,964,943
10 KJWW Engineering Consultants $3,909,480
11 Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates $3,180,000
12 Simpson Gumpertz & Heger $2,956,000
13 Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers $2,938,452
14 Thornton Tomasetti $2,865,201
15 M/E Engineering $2,647,272
16 KPFF Consulting Engineers $2,542,000
17 Coffman Engineers $2,527,000
18 Henderson Engineers $2,464,815
19 Walter P Moore $2,285,771
20 Peter Basso Associates $2,106,000
21 TLC Engineering for Architecture $2,097,212
22 RDK Engineers $1,844,000
23 P2S Engineering $1,623,232
24 Primera Engineers $1,557,585
25 Wallace Engineering $1,540,000
26 H.F. Lenz Company $1,412,160
27 Highland Associates $1,400,000
28 William Tao & Associates $1,197,158
29 Martin/Martin $1,195,119
30 Heapy Engineering $1,107,742
31 Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering $1,000,000
32 OLA Consulting Engineers $976,000
33 RMF Engineering $850,000
34 Karpinski Engineering $810,000
35 Jensen Hughes $750,000
36 CJL Engineering $726,128
37 Zak Companies $690,375
38 SSOE Group $678,365
39 G&W Engineering $615,500
40 Vanderweil Engineers $591,000
41 KLH Engineers $580,716
42 Newcomb & Boyd $556,032
43 I. C. Thomasson Associates $510,000
44 ME Engineers $500,000
45 Cardno Haynes Whaley $476,525
46 CTLGroup $400,000
47 Larson Design Group $395,365
48 Davis, Bowen & Friedel $361,203
49 Arup $266,381
50 Environmental Systems Design $254,052
51 Mazzetti $158,731
52 Dunham Associates $150,000
53 Wick Fisher White $117,000
54 GRW $105,329
55  Spectrum Engineers $98,304

 

 

TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS

  Company 2014 K-12 School Revenue ($)
1 Turner Construction $487,394,480
2 CORE Construction $321,022,373
3 Gilbane Building Co. $299,244,295
4 Balfour Beatty US $298,793,841
5 Skanska USA $245,681,551
6 Barton Malow $212,395,000
7 McCarthy Holdings $207,151,453
8 Kraus-Anderson Construction $197,000,000
9 JE Dunn Construction $140,673,512
10 Whiting-Turner Contracting, The $131,028,860
11 Bernards $129,000,000
12 Swinerton Builders $115,569,000
13 Adolfson & Peterson Construction $112,832,110
14 Consigli Building Group $103,449,970
15 McShane Companies, The $89,260,239
16 Lend Lease $74,341,000
17 Hill & Wilkinson $69,675,128
18 Flintco $65,800,000
19 LeChase Construction Services $64,000,000
20 Yates Companies, The $61,400,000
21 Shawmut Design and Construction $52,500,000
22 Ryan Companies $50,072,265
23 PCL Construction $48,472,010
24 Wight & Company $37,763,321
25 Suffolk Construction $37,503,531
26 Haselden Construction $34,179,809
27 Sundt Construction $33,641,526
28 S. M. Wilson & Co. $33,110,800
29 Power Construction $32,000,000
30 Beck Group, The $30,717,952
31 Clark Group $28,643,045
32 KBE Building Corp. $26,411,401
33 Structure Tone $25,000,000
34 Manhattan Construction $24,287,000
35 O'Neil Industries $23,587,752
36 Pepper Construction Group $23,571,000
37 W. M. Jordan $18,946,109
38 LPCiminelli $18,375,567
39 Walbridge $17,830,000
40 C.W. Driver $16,630,000
41 Leopardo Companies $16,337,962
42 Coakley & Williams Construction $16,174,783
43 Stalco Construction $15,800,000
44 Batson-Cook $15,513,744
45 Boldt Company, The $14,884,526
46 James G Davis Construction $14,646,094
47 Kitchell Corporation $13,549,571
48 Brasfield & Gorrie $12,229,410
49 Bette Companies, The $11,569,819
50 Fortis Construction $11,000,000
51 Robins & Morton $11,000,000
52 HITT Contracting $10,000,000
53 Hill International $9,000,000
54 EMJ $5,950,247
55 Walsh Group, The $5,858,389
56 Weitz Company, The $4,979,000
57 Doster Construction $4,914,214
58 Linbeck Group $4,000,000
59 BlueScope Construction $2,870,000
60  James McHugh Construction $2,489,680

 

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