One Key Characteristic Needed by all Architects in Educational Design

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One Key Characteristic Needed by all Architects in Educational Design
Educational design is a rigorous process that involves dedication, technical ability and skill. Developing successful school facilities takes years of work, between district representatives, architects construction professionals and the community. A vast array of talents are used in this type of work, but one key characteristic is needed for any architect in educational design.

One Key Characteristic

“One of the first questions, I ask a potential new employees is, “Why do you like this type of work?” We already know everyone likes collaboration and autonomy, but I want them to dig deeper than that.” says Angela Staedt, PHR, SHRM-CP, Human Resources Director at TDA. Educational design is a rigorous process that involves dedication, technical ability and skill. Developing successful school facilities takes years of work, between district representatives, architects construction professionals and the community. A vast array of talents are used in these projects, but one key characteristic needed for any architect in educational design.

Angie continues, “You can have the most amazing talent in the world and be technically impressive, but if you don’t have curiosity that fuels dedication, then you may not be a good fit in this industry.”

This characteristic informs everything we do as creative professionals and allows us to drive forward despite challenges. We accomplish more than we think because of it. And it is the defining characteristic of our best educators and administrators, so there is no surprise it’s in our architects too.

“Those people who deeply think about this characteristic and explore how it impacts them, they will succeed here. Working collaboratively and autonomously is great,” Angie answers, “but those who are passionate towards education, architecture and communities–they will succeed.”

TDA and What We Do

ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) is an architecture, planning and construction firm, located in downtown Willoughby, operating out of the renovated Junior High School building. During our over 60-year history, we have worked with over 120 passionate school districts in Northeast Ohio, partnering with them to develop unique, innovative, architectural designs that improve the education for the students and communities. Our work is characterized through facilities planning, new construction, building renovation and much more. Our staff is as unique as the districts we serve, and each one brings perspectives and experiences that complement the districts we work with. However, even though we are a diverse team, the one characteristic, passion, fuels all our educational designs.

Join our team!

ThenDesign Architecture is looking for collaborative, innovative team members for a variety of roles including Architects, Revit Modelers, IT Managers, Interior Designers, BIM/Revit Managers. Apply today!

Contact Angie at hr@thendesign.com.

"Passion" - A Key Characteristic

The meaning of the word “passion” has morphed significantly over the years, with it more recently surging in popularity. It is characterized as an “intense enthusiasm for something.” However, even though it now takes a much more positive tone, originally it was derived from the Latin root word “to suffer.”

This somewhat paradoxical meaning makes sense when we understand that our “passion,” that enthusiastic drive, is what helps us make sacrifices to push forward a good cause.

Author Brad Stulberg, describes this condition in his book “The Passion Paradox,” Using the lens of high-performance athletes, he explains that our challenge is to balance a burning desire to achieve, with “overwhelming our sense of balance.” He believes that “Passion isn’t a one-time thing. It is an ongoing practice,” in other words, we are constantly balancing the extremes of drive and sacrifice. That paradox is present in passionate people. Their desire to advance their cause, bleeds into everything they do. “Your passion should not come from the outside. It should come from within.”

This one key characteristic, passion, is a key indicator of success in architecture, especially around educational design. Whether a project manager, or intern, passion is what allows us to succeed.
"Many times we find that once architects start working on educational design, they discover their passion for this work. It's about giving to the generations of young people who will experience their architecture."
Chris Smith
President

What Does our Staff Say?

“This isn’t just something I believe, it isn’t something that comes from an HR book, but everyone from the administrative team to our designers have shared this common thread.” From her unique position in HR, Angie recognizes this characteristic in every team member she works with. “It’s coming from our staff who regularly work together as a team. They drive towards the same goal and develop close relationships with one another as well as our clients.

“Passion” is one key characteristic needed by all architects in educational design.

Claire Bank, RA – Project Manager

  • “I wanted to be in a field that benefited the community, designing buildings that benefited its users. Schools are ingrained in their community and have always served as hubs in some form. Now we are seeing more community aspects woven into them…A lot of people don’t realize how passionate I am about education. I taught Architecture at Kent State for a period of time and I’m also involved in the ACE Mentor Program. I am always trying to find other ways, besides designing schools, to weave education into my work. Maybe it’s genetic, my parents were educators, but I try to weave education into my career as much as possible.”

Ken Monsman, RA, NCARB, CCM, LEED AP BD+ C – Construction Administrator

  • “There is nothing like seeing students using the spaces we designed at their school. Sitting in class during academic time, using the collaborative areas during lunch and after working in little groups on projects. The space is very flexible and useful for them. Architecture has a profound impact on people. Whether you are experiencing the building as visitor or you use it regularly. It’s very exciting to have a big influence on students by designing their schools. It’s very fulfilling and I’m grateful to have made the decision to join TDA. It has been a good experience for me, there are great people, good management and great projects.”

Cynthia Haight – Interior Designer

  • “The design of schools is more important today than ever. We have to give our youth a place where they can truly learn and provide their teachers a place that is easy to teach in. That’s the only reason why I feel so passionate about this type of design, it’s fantastic.”

Adam Parris, RA – Project Manager

  • “When we are given a design problem by a client and solve it, we are appreciated by them. However, you don’t see all the people that are benefited by that space afterwards. In my mind, the best praise you can give to a project is someone who walks in the building, enjoys their time there and walks out feeling like they’ve done what they came to do, and want to come back. Seeing people enjoying the space drives me to continue designing.”

Mackenzie Kicher – Architectural Intern

  • “Being at TDA was the first time I was exposed to educational design. You most likely went through school but rarely thought about how it works, there’s just so much to it. Designing a science lab is completely different than designing a room for preschoolers or kindergartners. As a student, there is only so much that school can teach you, you just need to get into an office and see how it works. The experiences I have had, I didn’t even know I needed them to be a good architect. Now going back into school, I feel much more passionate about these spaces and confident since I learned them firsthand.”
"Working collaboratively and autonomously is great, but those who are passionate towards education, architecture and communities - they will succeed."
Angela Staedt, PHR, SHRM-CP
Human Resources Director

Developing this one key Characteristic - Passion

“Staff stay at TDA because they enjoy the people they work with almost as much as what they do every day. One common factor people love it here, is that they realize they are doing something for a much bigger cause creating purpose.” Angie has heard the same comments from many designers at TDA, “It’s something bigger than what they could do alone, it makes a difference in a community for decades, so our work is meaningful.”

If you have a passion or curiosity for educational design, our team would love to connect with you. Passion is a characteristic that can be developed over time but often comes from within. We have found that even if someone isn’t familiar with educational design, once exposed to it, their own passion is ignited and they see the tangible difference they can make in education.

“So this is a continual process, as we develop new skills we can take inspiration from others who have tried things a little differently. Those who drive design forward, and who are passionate about what they do, there is limitless possibility.”

If you are passionate for architecture, and improving the education in communities, both now and for decades to come, we want to hear from you. We are looking for passionate individuals, so visit our Careers page and see how we can work together.

Reach out, and let’s develop a future centered around the passion for good educational design.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

Memorial Junior High – An Adaptive Reuse Project

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Memorial Junior High School - An Adaptive Reuse Project
Downtown Willoughby is home to many historic structures, some of them going back to the 1800’s. Memorial Junior High School is one such building. Built in 1925, ThenDesign Architecture is adaptively re-using this building for our future headquarters. Understand what goes into the decision between renovating a historic structure or building something brand new.

“As architects, we have a professional responsibility to design environmentally sensitive buildings.  We also believe strongly in investing in our community.  Rehabilitating a historic school building for our new headquarters provided the opportunity to accomplish both.” stated Chris Smith, president of ThenDesign Architecture.  Specializing in educational design, and having extensive experience in historic preservation, TDA is perfectly suited to rehabilitate a historic school.  The project involved an adaptive reuse of Memorial Junior High School which was originally constructed in the 1920’s into TDA’s new offices.  Not only did TDA’s designers have to address concerns around costs, working with the city, planning commission and community, but had to consider the fine line between respecting the historic nature of the building and designing a modern office space.

Tough Decisions

TDA has operated out of historic buildings near Downtown Willoughby, for most of their history. The first building was the St. John House, an old home which the firm moved into in 1991. Then as growth continued, moved to the Carrel Building (1885) in 1998, and now the decision to repurpose and move to Memorial Junior High School (1925) in 2021. The team has always appreciated these spaces and both the aesthetic and historic quality they bring to the fabric of the community.

Memorial, or “Building B,” as many affectionately call it, sat empty for years. It being reimagined, the target of an adaptive reuse project, to become TDA’s new headquarters.

Exterior Photos - ThenDesign Architecture

However, when construction commenced and progressed, community interest has skyrocketed as did public support for the project. We greatly appreciate the outpouring of comments we have received since the beginning of the project.

  • “Thank you, TDA Architecture! I went there for 9th Grade, and my father-in-law attended the old Willoughby Union High School in the building. Beautiful structure and so many memories!”
  • “I have respect for any company that takes on such a monumental task to preserve and repurpose a school that is an important part of our city’s history. Thank you!”
  • “I’m so grateful this lovely, memory-filled bit of Willoughby is being given another opportunity to be a contributor to this charming city. It breaks my heart to see one representation after the next of the design and workmanship of American days gone by torn down and replaced by structures that have no heart nor character. Thank you to all of you who’ve made this happen.”
  • “So nice to see the building is being repaired and will be occupied by people who appreciate the historical value of the building.”
  • “What a wonderful way to share your enthusiasm with all of us who care about Willoughby’s charming perseverance! This was such a special place for so many people — including my late dad and brother. Thank you for update!!”

Early on, our staff studied the building and thought deeply about how this existing school could be reimagined and used as a headquarters by an educationally focused architectural firm. This thinking informed the interior spaces, finishes and the construction details. While the construction and renovation process has been challenging, keeping this landmark in the city, reusing the structure, and extending its life through good design has brought many concrete opportunities and intangible benefits for our firm.

Construction Photos - ThenDesign Architecture

"There's something very special about educational designers being able to repurpose an historic school. This is something symbolic for our team for sure."
Chris Smith
President of TDA

Construction Updates

A tremendous amount of progress has been made since work commenced in early 2020. After an office wide “Visioning Session” in 2015, the architectural staff worked closely with our interior designers taking feedback from the staff and transforming that into architectural designs. Incorporating technology, expanding workspaces for the designers, adding flexible meeting rooms for collaborative work, and individualized spaces for solitary work, greatly impacts how we can perform educational, planning, and architectural work in the 21st century. Focusing on a concept of education within the building, designers left the structure and utilities exposed. This allows occupants to experience it as a “living architectural museum,” understanding both historic and modern construction techniques.

The “Architectural Studio” is a two-story open space that houses our design teams. This open area supports both collaborative and individual work with room for expansion. Additional offices support additional departments such as Construction Administration, Accounting, Human Resources and Communications. Each one plays a crucial role in educational public design and architecture.

Windows on the façade were upgraded and restored to their original design, featuring rounded half arches. They provide additional insulation against the elements and replace the dated glazing installed in the early 70’s. This brings the building back to its original aesthetic. Utilities such as water, electric and data have been upgraded to support the growing activities of the staff.

An expanded “Flex Café” space provides the flexibility for large or small team meetings, video production and recording, design charettes, along with on-site client meetings that can take place safely when socially distancing.

While the space is nearing completion, the decision to renovate wasn’t an easy one. The team wrestled with whether to use this historic structure in their plans. Ultimately, Chris summed it up well, “Why would we do a renovation rather than just build a new office, especially in this area? Right now, it actually costs us more to renovate the building than it would have to build new, but I think it shows our commitment to the community and to Willoughby…Just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s better.”

Seeing the final renovated space come together, the impact of the reuse is striking.

The decision to renovate an old structure versus build new is a huge decision and one that we have helped many other communities face.

Construction Details - ThenDesign Architecture

Renovate or Adaptive Reuse versus New Construction?

In our K-12 educational design practice, we often collaborate with school districts who are facing the same question we did: “Should we renovate our existing facilities or construct a brand-new building?” This is a difficult question and one that’s not easily answered. However, facilities assessments are one of the many tools we have developed to help districts with this question.

The myriad of considerations are dizzying, but there are a number of overall points to consider.

Bob Orovets, a project architect with TDA, explains there are often three considerations in school design when deciding between renovation or new construction: “The decision sometimes comes down to cost, sometimes it’s the availability of land and sometimes it’s about timing.” He continues: “Often, the cost to retrofit and maintain a building exceeds that of a brand-new building. However, if you want to build a new building, its usually hard to find a piece of land big enough for a school and if you can, the question is, “Is it in the right spot to meet the neighborhood’s needs?”

In addition, architectural technologies have advanced drastically in the last 60 years. Systems for heating and cooling are now high tech, insulation in the walls and windows are much better with new construction and the longevity of roofing membranes is more durable using todays construction methods. Since many schools in Ohio were built in the 50’s and 60’s, environmental factors didn’t play as much of a role and the masonry walls weren’t built with energy efficiency in mind. These structures often lacked heating or cooling systems, so a portion of our renovation work consists of simply installing air conditioning systems into these historic structures. While this can be done successfully, aging building envelopes often leak conditioned air more readily. So, while cost savings happen through retrofitting, maintenance over the years can outweigh savings.

When it comes to both land and timing considerations though, it is a challenge to satisfy both of those at once. Bob recounts, “A lot of times we do schools on the same property, possibly in one corner of the site, so the existing school can operate and then when the new building is done, you can switch over because the school owns the land, and the new building is now finished. Then, the old school is demolished, and you can build sports facilities on this later.” Renovations to a school would mean moving students to an alternate facility to continue their education and if delays happen, it puts educators in a bind. He continues, “So sometimes it’s money-driven, sometimes it’s land-driven, and sometimes its timing-driven. If you are buying land for a new building, be prepared for a wait. It takes time to acquire enough parcels of land and consolidate them into larger portions. You might have to go through rezoning to get the school in a certain area and this could take years.” When it comes to educational design, finding a partner who has done it before is key. Bob, having been through many adaptive reuse, as well as new construction projects sums it up well: “It’s true that nothing’s easy!”

Architectural Character in the City of Willoughby - ThenDesign Architecture

"The project is a significant investment in our city, keeps a great group of professionals in our community and allows for future growth of this expanding design firm. This is a great adaptive reuse of a building that had no other practical use."
Robert Fiala
Mayor of the City of Willoughby,

Benefits of Rehabilitation, Renovations and Adaptive Reuse

Even though the renovation work at Memorial Junior High School has been challenging, there are several benefits.

Adaptively reusing a historic structure, breathes new life into a “place” in the community. Not only is it more environmentally friendly since there is less waste from demolition, it will potentially attract new activities to an area where they weren’t present before. For Memorial, we seek to extend the activity and energy from the downtown environment further south past Wes Point Park. For this area, it’s just a continuation of our efforts in developing and reenergizing this part of Willoughby.

Speaking about the rehabilitation project, Mayor Fiala of the City of Willoughby and founding partner of TDA who supports continued preservation of the downtown area, commented: “Memorial Junior High School was built in the 1920s. The building was purchased by TDA and is now being renovated. The project is a significant investment in our City, keeps a great group of professionals in our community and allows for future growth of this expanding design firm. This is a great adaptive reuse of a building that had no other practical use.

Buildings like Memorial are part of the historic and cultural fabric community. The construction materials match other surrounding historic buildings creating a cohesive “story” of the City. Since Memorial Junior High School was often photographed, the history of this building will be told well into the future. Many of Willoughby’s residents attended this school going back to the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, and appreciate the investment in. They view this adaptive reuse project as a way to keep a landmark in Willoughby well into the future.”

While those benefits may seem intangible, the impact on the architects designing future schools, in an historic school holds special significance for the designers. Chris concludes: “Just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s better. In a sense there is an obligation, a responsibility as an architect to be responsible environmentally and responsible towards our community, to retain that history if possible. And let us be honest, there’s something very special about educational designers being able to repurpose an historic school. This is something symbolic for our team for sure.”

Construction Details - ThenDesign Architecture

Key Takeaways:

  • When considering whether to renovate versus build a new structure, three major considerations are, cost, land availability and timing.
  • With historic structures that are rooted in a community, intangible factors, such as aesthetic value, environmental context and placemaking may provide reasons to maintain the building through rehabilitation or adaptive reuse.
  • "Adaptive reuse," or changing a structure intended use, is more environmentally friendly than demolishing and rebuilding. It uses fewer resources but could cost more in maintenance over the years.
  • Reimagining an existing structure has the potential to reenergize a neighborhood or community and bring added activity and attention to a locality or city.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.
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The Big Impact from a Little Green Roof

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The Big Impact from a Little Green Roof
Against the backdrop of one of Cleveland's most popular bars, a small environmental project has made big impacts on the design of a little green roof in dense urban environments.

Against the backdrop of one of Cleveland’s most popular bars, a small environmental project has made big impacts on the design of a little green roof in dense urban environments. In 2013, Claire Bank, an architect with ThenDesign Architecture (TDA), managed a green roof project that was installed on one of Cleveland’s popular “Bike Box” installations and sought to demonstrate a new way to think about sustainability in a concrete jungle. Now, this internationally recognized project has attracted hundreds of professionals annually, showing them a new way to integrate native plant species into an otherwise inhospitable environment.

Challenging Environmental Context

Deep in the Gordan Square Arts District, sits the Happy Dog, one of Cleveland’s most popular bars. This local joint established itself as one of the most welcoming live music venues in Cleveland. Situated on Detroit Ave, in a dense urban environment that historically hosted music and food venues, the owners of the bar, along with partners at the Gordan Square Arts District and local musicians have been able to attract talent from across the country. With a menu that eschews exotic items, they focus on their staple–hot dogs–and offer a dizzying array of homemade and unique toppings. So this menu, with live music and a monthly TEDx style talk with scientists, writers and academics, they maintain their status as an educational, community oriented location.

However, like many venues set in an urban context, this corner bar is adrift in a sea of pavement. Detroit Ave, is a heavily trafficked city street that runs parallel to Lake Erie, through the City of Cleveland, Ohio City and the Gordan Square Arts District. On this busy thoroughfare, semi-trucks, delivery vehicles, city buses, commuter cars, construction trucks and many other vehicles frequent the road. Adding to this activity, is a bike path in this corridor which provides alternate means of transportation and seeks to encourage more pedestrian use.

The impervious city pavement stretches as far as the eye can see. This ground covering is a slick surface that does nothing to slow or capture rainfall that rushes directly into city sewers. During rainy seasons, a common issue in Northeast Ohio, water streams across the road surface, creating flooding and taxes the city sewer systems. Additionally, during winter months, salt, from deicing frozen roads collects in pools and is deadly for most plant material. In addition, vast expanses of pavement contribute to climate change, as the dark asphalt holds on to heat another challenge in urban environments. An overhead canopy of utilities, old signs, fences and telephone poles choke out potential tree covering.

So while there is life and energy in the district, challenges facing most dense urban environments are present here also. However, through intelligent, sustainable design, we can provide nature a way to mitigate rainwater, reclaim runoff, provide shade and beauty.

Enhancing the "Bike Box"

Claire Bank is a registered architect working at TDA and in 2013 was attending Kent State, studying in the graduate Architecture and Urban Design programs. It was here, that her interest in urban design overlapped with Dr. Reid Coffman, an Associate Professor at Kent State, who focused on urban ecology. Since they were located near Cleveland, with its sprawling urban downtown, it was natural to explore ways to improve this environment. Together, they pursued a grant through the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District to fund a green infrastructure project: a small green roof in an unexpected place.”

Claire recounts: “I was doing a number of different research projects around green roofs, so I think the identification of the box and the opportunity came from Dr. Coffman, but I was working with him on a number of other research projects throughout the year, looking actually at green infrastructure for parking garages, which doesn’t sound the most exciting. We were looking at ways to bring green infrastructure into cities that just have so much hardscape and could really use more pervious surface to clean water.”

Thus, Land Studio’s “Bike Boxes” became an unlikely partner in their project. The “Bike Box” was a green transportation project spearheaded by Land Studio, who was focusing on improvements in urban environments. They worked with several local arts and non-profit organizations to repurpose steel shipping containers from Cleveland shipyards and transform them into bike racks in the city. Since each one takes up roughly a single parking space, its goal was to raise awareness for alternate transportation.

Claire and Dr. Coffman’s project centered on taking an existing “bike box” and retrofitted a green roof on it. This was in an effort to create a scalable solution that could mitigate water runoff, provide pervious surface and promote native plant growth.

“So [our] bike box is outside the Happy Dog. It sits in a pretty dense urban neighborhood. There’s a lot of businesses right around it and a lot of street parking of cars as well. So with the initial design and placement of the bike box, it was supposed to take over a parking spot and raise awareness for alternate transportation. It’s like, “Hey, this many bikes could fit in one parking spot” so it is “green transportation.” We also were considering the amount of hardscape and looking to add more pervious surface which gathers water, decreases the flow to storm sewers, cools the surrounding environment and cleans the water. It was the first time that we worked with other organizations pursuing grants to help pay for this improvement. Even the owners of the Happy Dog were excited about the potential to grow culinary toppings for hot dogs potentially on the green roof.”

The Happy Dog, which prides itself as a creative, community friendly, culturally focused venue is now adjacent to urban infrastructure that promotes alternate transportation, sustainable environmental stewardship and has become a laboratory for good design.

Images Courtesy of Kent State University

Green Roof Design

Minor modifications were made to the bike box, but with a small budget of a little over four thousand dollars, they had to make every penny count. “We just started out with the storage container that was turned into a bike shelter. Then we added sides to allow depth for the growing medium. Then we waterproofed it and did a layer of soil and varied the depths of soil to see if different plants did better at different depths. So not only was it designed to be a bike shelter, retain surface water and providing plant material it also was a place to perform plant life experiments in a dense urban environment.”

Many were surprised to learn the green roof doesn’t require much work to maintain it. “Green Roofs scare people, they think it’s going to take a lot of maintenance and that it’s going to leak, but it doesn’t have many layers to it. The planting medium was made of native species and that also doesn’t require maintenance. They survive here and in the years since it was installed they are surviving really well which is interesting.”

Project construction was a huge success due to the efforts of local contractors and volunteers. Claire had coordinated between multiple stakeholders at TDA, but this was one of the first times she took a leadership role. Tasked with finding economical solutions to construction problems, organizing and leading a team of volunteers, and interacting with community members was a big responsibility. Claire recalls, “When you’re planning the project, you think nobody’s going to see this. However, as we were constructing it, everyone in the community saw it and it was pretty obvious that it was good for the community. It was refreshing seeing people that lived in the neighborhood coming out and voicing their support.”

Claire, now a resident in the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood, sees the bike box regularly now. “It’s been rewarding in the summer, passing by and seeing a lot of interaction with our bike box.”

International Impact and Lessons in Sustainability

Since the project’s completion in 2013, this 149 SF green roof, is an example of sustainable design and was more recently won the “Award of Excellence” from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. In its small footprint, this green roof demonstrates how cost effective, living architecture in a dense urban environment can integrate with existing infrastructure. It provides stormwater management, reintroduces native plant life, a natural aesthetic and shade into an otherwise difficult environment. Each year, it’s visited by hundreds of professionals and students who are studying it to bring these sustainable principles into their projects. Now maintained by Kent State University, it has contributed to over a dozen research initiatives, including PhD dissertations, journal paper, masters studies and awards. It is a testament of collaboration among stakeholders that leads to a lasting community impact and serves as a laboratory for ecological conservation.

For Claire, as an architect focused on educational design, she draws a variety of lessons from this small project. “I find nature beautiful and that includes plants and vegetation. I’ve always been really interested in how the built environment interacts with the nature. That means integrating nature in the built world to mitigate the impacts of climate change. I think it’s a responsible way to minimize the built environments impact on the natural world.” In terms of deploying these techniques for educational architecture, she notes, “there is an opportunity to use green infrastructure in school districts. All the new schools that are co-funded [by OFCC] have to be LEED Certified. So naturally we’re building in sustainable practices into schools. There’s also more of an educational push for it, where people are aware of a building’s impact on the environment and they’re looking for ways to offset that, while educating those attending the school.”

For now, this small project illustrates how green initiatives don’t need to be pricy or complicated. By partnering with stakeholders, businesses and the community, their team was able to construct an excellent case study for environmental stewardship for use in cities that wish to integrate greenspace and vegetation into the streetscape.

“Having a small project like this, which has such a big impact, gives me hope that it’s achievable at a larger scale. There is no harm in trying to find these opportunities and develop them for the school districts we work with.”

To learn more about the project, visit: 

Key Design Points:

  • Develop a scalable solution that integrates a small (149 SF), sustainable green roof into the existing infrastructure of an inhospitable urban environment.
  • The project provides continuing education opportunities and is maintained by the ongoing efforts from Kent State University. It is studied by hundreds of AEC professionals annually. It has also been the subject of over a dozen masters studies, PhD dissertations, journal reviews and awards.
  • In an aesthetic package, provide a rainwater management solution, that can potentially reduce heat retention in the environment, provide shade to the city street and support alternate transportation.
  • It serves as a template for how sustainable solutions can be integrated into much larger facilities, providing ecologically responsible construction methods, mitigate rainwater and temperature impacts and use native plant life to soften an otherwise entirely hardscaped environment.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Recent Posts:

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.
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“Architectural Programming” – How a K-12 School Building is Planned

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“Architectural Programming” - How a K-12 School Building is Planned
"Just how do you plan a new school building?" We get that question a lot from districts and owners at the beginning of their projects. Through our relationships with clients across Northeast Ohio, we have developed systems for success that address the design process known as "architectural programming."

The architectural design process is intense and spans months, with designers considering a building from many perspectives. Naturally, many of our clients ask, “What is the most important aspect of designing such a big building?”

The answer surprises most of our clients.

A foundational element of building design isn’t in the architectural drafting, detailing or 3D modeling. It’s not in the problem solving sessions or even a thorough and detailed understanding of construction techniques. Those are all significant, but the most important aspect begins well before a building is considered. It is realized early on in the design process and revealed in simple conversations, it’s known as “Architectural Programming.”

Abby Rainieri is the Educational Design Lead at ThenDesign Architecture and regularly engages with districts and architects in the pre-design phase called “Architectural Programming.” Having completed many successful projects, she has developed flexible processes for this phase that include determining project funding, community surveys, public engagement and OFCC design compliance.

Abby recounts, “Many times, our clients come to us, not even knowing what to ask for. This leads us to help them discover what they need and what to ask for. We call it “problem seeking.” It’s a lot of listening, data collecting, assessing a facility and trying to understand the problems they are trying to solve. We encourage conversations and explore multiple solutions with the goal of putting projects on an overall path to success. A lot of the biggest things we need to grapple with as we move into programming and schematic design are established in early planning conversations about the project. It sets the tone for the rest of the design process.”

Design Phases Simplified:

A blog post image showing the design phases of an architectural project.

Master Planning and Architectural Programming

“Master Planning” proceeds “Programming” and is also a crucial time for conversation. During “Master Planning,” we seek to understand the unique educational needs of a school district, the condition of their existing facilities, their budgetary needs and any other curriculum requirements. Armed with this context, we have an all-encompassing understanding of who the project will serve. Only then, can we begin programming. 

To better grasp “architectural programming,” consider how computer programming works. Software designers need to consider how a proposed program should work, then write the complicated computer code to allow it to function. Throughout this process, they consider how an “end user” ultimately experiences that program and are responsible for making sure the features work for a wide variety of users. When updates are needed, they ensure these additions work cohesively with the existing software.

“Architectural programming” is quite similar. Early in the process, architects and designers work with future building users, clients and stakeholders to understand the features and functions desired for the finished building. Keeping in mind user experience, they create a list of ingredients, (square footage and spaces) that will make up the new building.

At this point, we aren’t even considering a building yet. We are brainstorming and talking through how the building should function in the future and its role in the community. We imagine the key activities inside and ensure enough space is allocated for those purposes. It’s only then that we can start to think about architecture. Once we have a clear idea for how the building should function and a list of needed spaces and their square footage to accomplish these functions, then we can start to think about architectural forms and materials.

The more effort put into the programming phase, the more likely the project emerges successful.

"Many times, our clients come to us, not even knowing what to ask for. So that leads us to help them discover what they need and what to ask for. We call it "problem seeking."
Abby Rainieri

“As we [document necessary spaces] we move into engagement and work sessions. Our “Educational Visioning Sessions,” are a piece of this, along with staff engagement. We take different user groups or a core team on tours of new buildings, so they can see how other districts have solved space problems. In this initial concept phase, we are getting further into planning and feedback. After that, we begin the traditional kind of architectural process of making diagrams and drawing plan iterations, then continue engagement with the community, the board and the staff.”

OFCC and Project Funding

How each project is funded also plays an integral role in the building process. Many districts find that partnering with the OFCC (Ohio Facilities Construction Commission) allows them to receive financial assistance and be able to build structures that would have been out of reach if they tried to do it alone.

Since 1999, the OFCC has provided over $700 million to districts across Ohio and has been involved in opening over 1,200 new or renovated school buildings. This is a common way districts pursue state funding based on their needs for future facilities. However, rarely does the OFCC fund a project in its entirety. District administrators still need to convince voters to approve school construction bond tax hikes to cover some building construction costs.

How does this impact the programming design phase? In order to qualify for assistance, the school design must follow guidelines directly from the OFCC to ensure the educational needs of the building are met. These guidelines come in the form of a “Program of Requirements” guideline or PORs. The POR is essentially a checklist of spaces and square footage that need to be allocated inside the building. Since each district is different, there are a number of POR options to consider. One option is a “Traditional POR.” This is the most rigid in terms of square footage and spacial requirements, another option is a “Partial Order Reduction POR,” this allows some flexibility in spatial requirements and allocating square footage. Another type of POR is the “High Performance Learning Environment (HPLE) POR” which gives the most flexibility in the design of educational spaces. However this plan needs to be accompanied by rigorous curriculum documentation and support from the district with professional development for teachers which include plans on how to use the spaces in their new curriculum. While flexible in design, this requires the most district planning early on to ensure the new space will work for students.

PORs directly influence architectural design, since they are the starting point–a list of spaces and square footages which need to be included in the building. It is the job of a creative designer to make the most of these spaces within the district’s given budget.

Engaged Learning Environments

“Within the traditional POR, there have been times when districts wanted to create extended learning areas. They wanted to create collaborative learning areas, but they’re not going to go through a documentation and educational visioning process for an HPLE. (Imagine a spectrum of traditional PORs on the left and contemporary student centered learning (HLPE PORs) on the right, some districts may fall in the middle of that spectrum.) We can work within the Traditional POR to make some extended learning spaces.

For the last five to ten years, a lot of districts have wanted to create extended learning areas or flexible learning spaces in their buildings. Since there wasn’t always a vehicle to do that within the “Traditional POR,” we carved away 10% chunks of some of the academic spaces, we’d gather those chunks up in what we called “donor square footage” and we would create those other types of learning spaces that they wanted. There are ways to manipulate and move within the Traditional POR and still design unique learning environments. Another example is to move the space dedicated to a media center or computer lab into classrooms or to other collaborative spaces, so students wouldn’t be confined to a central area but could access these resources in their classrooms. So, there is some flexibility in these plans, all of this planning and initial design takes place during architectural programming.”

Technically, programming is establishing the spatial relationships, quantities and functional solutions for an end user.
Abby Rainieri

Even though the OFCC is known for assisting with funding for public projects, they also help with comprehensive guidance throughout the project, from groundbreakings, to the demolition of old facilities, then to the completion and opening of the new building. They have resources to help smaller districts complete a large project such as a new school building.

“In order to ensure spaces are compliant with the OFCC standards, the architect partners with the OFCC, particularly in the early phases of design. “There’s either going to be a project administrator from the OFCC an OFCC planner, or what’s called an RPC (a Regional Programming Consultant) to check in on progress. So they’re essentially acting as eyes to review and make sure you’re following all the OFCC requirements. They’re the ones that are going to review square footages, and your overall building square footage once we start submitting drawings, to make sure you meeting requirements.”

Open Collaborative Learning Environments:

Architectural Programming: How a School Building is Designed

Having been through the programming phase many times as a registered architect, Abby places a huge important on this initial phase of design. “Technically, programming is establishing the spatial relationships, quantities and functional solutions for an end user.

As architects and designers, I think sometimes, we are too eager to jump into architecture. Sometimes the building owners are too. They’re excited, they want to see pretty pictures and almost immediately want to start planning a groundbreaking ceremony. However, if we set up an approach to program the building intentionally and with an open mind, we setup the successful integration between defining all the necessary spaces and the schematic design. We can create the best, most useful and interesting spaces this way. So that’s why I think architectural programming is so important.”

It's important to recognize how much of it is about communication and gathering and analyzing data ... ultimately we get to design something that serves, kids and young people.
Abby Rainieri

The design phase “programming” is key to a successful project. In this phase the architect, district, and community can imagine (or reimagine) what their building should be. Without being bound by costs, or materials, they can think broadly about how this structure can function, improving the lives of the community and students. Then armed with a list of spaces and square footage, the designer begins laying out diagrams to show relationships between spaces-which are the beginnings of successful architecture.

“Most of those actions, that I just described really don’t have anything to do with architecture. They integrate nicely with it, when we’re ready to go there. But it’s important to recognize how much of it is about communication and gathering and analyzing data. Then with the understanding that this is all K-12 architecture, ultimately we get to design something that serves kids and young people. I mean, come on, that’s just the coolest thing–and why I do this.”

Key Takeaways:

  • The pre-design phase know as "Architectural Programming," is a time for conversations focused on how the future space should work.
  • Conversations between the architect, owner and district are the key to success.
  • When working with the OFCC, their guidelines will affect what spaces are included in the final building.
  • As "Architectural Programming" is completed, architects build a list of necessary spaces and square footages for the building. From this information, they create diagrams noting the relationships between spaces.
  • This pre-design phase sets the tone for the rest of the project. Ideas and needs from these conversations will be "programmed" into the future building.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Citizen Architect – Robert Fiala, AIA

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Citizen Architect - Robert Fiala, AIA
Robert Fiala is the founding partner of ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) and the mayor of Willoughby, Ohio. He was recognized as a "Citizen Architect" by the American Institute of Architects and featured in an article detailing his path from architecture to public service.

Citizen Architect - Robert Fiala, AIA

Robert Fiala is the founding partner of ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) and the mayor of Willoughby, Ohio. During his 40-year career in architecture, he has been primarily involved with publicly funded projects, with an emphasis on K-12 educational facilities and civic architecture. Recently he was recognized as a “Citizen Architect” by the American Institute of Architects and featured in an article detailing his path from architecture to public service.

TDA continues to be driven by an “insatiable desire to learn” and the need to improve communities through relationship building, public engagement and design. These principles were the foundations for starting a business with a focus on enriching lives through design. This evolved into a love of public service.

Much of his time was spent designing public works and engaging with communities. This gave him a unique perspective on the positive social and economic impacts of planning and design. This has greatly informed his mayoral role.

“Those opportunities were my testing ground, they showed me that I loved public service and that there are many ways to be a voice and an advocate.”
-Robert Fiala

Recognized as a "Citizen Architect" by the American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects defines a “Citizen Architect” as a member who uses their talent, insight, and experience to make positive contributions to their community. This is done primarily through engaging in the administrative and legislative political process and embodying the ideals of public service.

The article recounts his path working as an architect and his transition to public service.

The public service bug had bitten Fiala years earlier, however, as his firm worked with leaders in education throughout the state to plan new school projects. “I felt the excitement of engaging with the community,” Fiala said. “I also had an epiphany: I realized that, as architects, we are trained to problem-seek and -solve, then to communicate our solutions. However, with the unique tools that we, as designers, possess, we are rarely at the table in public policy and planning discussions and decisions.”

Through its founding and early years, Fiala made sure tda was built on a different operating model. In fact, under his direction, TDA’s design philosophy—“Think, Design, Act”—had a community- and public policy-oriented feel. The firm is driven by an “insatiable desire to learn” and “to create tailor-made design solutions.” In other words, to accomplish what public officials attempt to accomplish: identifying and executing a shared vision.

Read the full article here.  

To learn more about ThenDesign Architecture and our work, visit our blog and subscribe to the newsletter.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in a corporate video environment and brings a production mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the Ohio parks system.

New Educational Wickliffe Campus

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New Educational Wickliffe Campus
Wickliffe City Schools has been ambitiously planning the new educational Wickliffe Campus to house students in a Pre-K through 12th grade facility which will replace the aging city schools in their area. We are honored to present a video animation of the new facility, narrated by Wickliffe High School students.

Wickliffe City School District has been ambitiously planning the new educational Wickliffe Campus to house students in a Pre-K through 12th grade facility which will replace the aging city schools in their area. Engaging with the community, the district has been presenting their educational vision which seeks to address the challenges that students face, ensuring they receive the best educational opportunities possible.

Working together with Wickliffe City School District, we are honored to present a video animation of the new facility. Narrated by Wickliffe High School students, viewers can get an inside look at how the new facility will impact future attendees.

Education in Wickliffe, Ohio:

In a News Herald article in early 2020, Wickliffe School District Superintendent, Joseph Spiccia identified his “four E philosophy, Employed, Enrolled, Enlisted or an Entrepreneur” and focused on ensuring these are present in every graduating class. These beliefs are part of a larger motivation to build a future ready education model for all students going through Wickliffe Schools. He and Julie Ramos, the Director of Strategic Innovation, are driven to develop student outcome and seek to expand the format and educational opportunities in the district.

In 2019, voters approved a $60 million bond issue, which allows for the construction of a new pre-k through 12 educational campus which will serve as the single school building for the district. It will replace the aging elementary, middle and high schools. The two story, 204,000 SF building incorporates spaces that will greatly expand opportunities for the curriculum, provide students better collaborative spaces, flexible classrooms and athletic areas, adjacent to a new performing arts center that seats 500. In addition, the new facility allows expansion of the Family Resource Center, a community center that offers free services to many who are in need. 

“We need to make sure the curriculum and the programs are broad enough to meet the needs of this diverse group of students."
Joseph Spiccia
Wickliffe School District Superintendent

“Our priorities are to ensure our students are future ready,” states Superintendent Joe Spiccia. “We need to make sure the curriculum and the programs are broad enough to meet the needs of this diverse group of students. Another priority is to create a culture and environment that takes great advantage of the wonderful tradition of the community yet moves the community forward progressively.”

Project Renderings:

Construction is slated to begin in late spring of 2021 and will take around 2 years to construct. The new facility is scheduled to open for the start of the 2023-2024 school year. We appreciate the opportunity to work with districts to realize their educational goals and develop spaces, such as the new educational Wickliffe Campus which will serve students for decades to come.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

Memorial Junior High School – Evolution of an Historic Building

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Memorial Junior High School - Evolution of an Historic Building
Historic buildings often have very storied pasts. What might have started as one type of building may eventually evolve into something very different. When dealing with these structures, architects can find imaginative and creative ways to repurpose them. Memorial Junior High School in Willoughby, Ohio is one example of the evolution of an historic building.

Space to Work, Collaborate, Mentor and Lead

Memorial Junior High School in downtown Willoughby is the future home of ThenDesign Architecture. We are rehabilitating this structure, modernizing the spaces and technology, restoring damaged surfaces and finishes, intending to move our offices here and experiencing firsthand the evolution of an historic building.

Public architecture is rich with opportunities to collaborate with stakeholders. At the start of most of our projects, we advocate for “Educational Visioning Sessions.” These collaborative events bring together a variety of stakeholders including, educators, students, administrators from the school district, architects and the community to imagine what their new building could be. To kick off our own rehabilitation project, we did the same.

The Historic 1923 Building

According to the initial plans of Memorial Junior High School drafted in 1923 by architect Franz C. Warner, a popular educational designer in Cleveland, the building was relatively simple in design. This 2-story symmetrical building resembles an arrow in its floor plan. Four classrooms are located on the first floor, one being a “Domestic Science,” space, another dedicated for “Manual Training” and another 2 generic rooms were situated at the front of the building. These rooms were all connected by a corridor which led to the boys and girl’s locker rooms, along with the main gym. Through the years, this gym served as a lunchroom, a large gathering space and athletic space. The second floor largely replicated the first, with 4 classrooms, a small library and space for additional student lockers.

Future additions were designed at the ends of the building, but these were never completed in the original structure.

Since beginning the project, we have received dozens of stories from people in the community who recount stories of their time in this building. The school made an impact in the lives of the students who traversed its halls, first as a Junior High School, then a high school annex and finally a career center.

With that in mind, great care was taken to preserve this local landmark in Willoughby, as the historic building goes through its next evolution in our area.

Staff Visioning

In 2017, TDA conducted a visioning session with our staff to identify the best ways to utilize the new space. Held at the Paradigm Center, a professional development center at Mentor Public Schools, key design team members prepared presentations and activities to engage the staff on how we can use our new building. This opportunity allowed us to put our “visioning sessions” into practice in a personal way. The day long activity engaged our staff to identify the challenges and opportunities in the new space.

We engaged our staff with a variety of questions, like “How do we want to gather?” “How do we want to share?,” “How do we want to communicate?,” How do we want to produce?,” “How do we want to focus?” and “How do we want to organize?” All this was to draw out feedback on how the new space could be used as a modern architectural office.

Throughout the day, we created lists of existing challenges, needs and requests. Then as an exercise, drew solutions on site and floor plans to address these points.

While we may never get the jacuzzi, on staff chef, weekly DJ, fireplaces, video games or a bank of lava lamps but it never hurts to dream.

However, a key question in engagement was “How do we want to work?.” This question touched on many aspects of the interior of the space and three key points became apparent.

Identifying Building Challenges

First, redesigning the building to support flexible spaces was key. Our design teams work on a variety of projects and each has their own schedules, needs, meetings and stakeholders. So, having a building layout that supports spontaneous meetings and demonstrations was important. Many designers appreciated their dedicated workspaces, but in collaborative design, there isn’t always a need for privacy. So, to support this, we created a variety of spaces that could be used for private individual work or repurposed for open team meetings.

Second, technology plays a huge role in our architectural efforts. Computer infrastructure stores CAD drawings, project imagery and administrative documents which need to be accessible at all times. High powered computers render animations, exporting video productions and graphical presentations. These need to be accessed both locally and remotely. With this in mind, preparing a building that was designed circa 1923, to accept all the modern, internet connected devices is a huge challenge. Since faster and more comprehensive technology was needed, extra time was spent developing a connectivity plan. Ethernet cable runs, the number and placement of Wi-Fi hotspots, conference room connectivity and signal transmission through old construction materials was closely considered. Seamlessly retrofitting technology in the school was a big part of the project and these needs certainly weren’t considered in the 20’s when the building was constructed.

Third, even though the architecture industry is moving towards being paperless, modern architects still have to print and lay out large format multipage documents for review. We still have a large need for storage and spaces to layout these documents and mark them up. (Anyone who has seen our current space understands how important that is!) In addition to this, over half of our staff wanted to find ways to move around during the day. Anyone working in a modern office can attest to fatigue from sitting all day. In order to satisfy this, the over 20,000 sqft building allows for large areas for document review, outdoor spaces, stairs for exercise, a materials library and plenty of open space in the studio allows designers to move freely, reviewing hardcopy work in designated areas while focusing on digital work at their desks.

Having identified the challenges with our current space, we could better understand how to respond to the changing nature of architectural work in our new office.

The Evolution of an Historic Building

In order to incorporate these challenges and opportunities, we developed interior spaces to satisfy each need.

Reception: The new entryway is designed to display a modern space to greet clients and showcase our work. Adjacent to it is a proper mail room for incoming and outgoing drawings and communications. With over a dozen projects running concurrently, we regularly send document packages, RFQ’s, printed boards and other time sensitive materials. Dedicated spaces for these two functions makes for a much better first impression!

Architectural Studio: The largest space in the building is designed as an architectural studio. Located in the former gymnasium, we removed a large portion of the ceiling, making it a 2-story space and allowing for visual connection between the two floors. It is where the majority of architects, interior designers and planners have their desk spaces. It can be creatively reconfigured to accommodate either social distancing or to fit a more employees as needs dictate.

Mezzanine: On the second floor, it hosts additional designers along with separate work areas or “caves” located at the back of the space. Designed with private work in mind, they provide a flexible space for conference calls or where isolation and focus is required.

Flex Café: This large space is the result of combining two historic classrooms together. This flexible open area allows staff to gather as a creative team in discussions, design charrettes, large scale teaching activities or areas for team meetings, demonstrations and training. It also provides a different venue for a flexible work area to move around, when you need to get away from your desk.

Kaehr Conference Room: This conference room is our largest and where client meetings and conference calls are held. Located on the front of the building, this technologically advanced room is equipped with the A/V gear needed to broadcast our larger internal teams and connect them to our clients offsite.

While these plans may evolve in terms of color or texture up until we move in, these spaces depict how the Memorial Junior High School continues to show the evolution of an historic building. We look forward to moving into the space showing its completion next year.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Recent Posts:

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

“Educational Visioning Sessions” – Imagining Better Ways to Educate

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"Educational Visioning Sessions" - Imagining Better Ways to Educate
Educational Visioning Sessions are collaborative planning events, that allow architects, educators and students to ensure a future school construction project is successful. Working together, they identify goals, priorities and design solutions from a wide variety of perspectives. A robust Educational Visioning session encourages attendees to imagine better ways to educate generations of students through good design.

“Educational Visioning Sessions” are collaborative events that allow architects, school districts and the community to imagine all the ways a new school facility can provide better student opportunities. Early in the design process, they establish project goals, design challenges and priorities, along with introducing the architects and solidify relationships between stakeholders. It also provides a glimpse into how these new spaces will further the school district’s curriculum. During Educational Visioning Sessions, we are free to think openly, unencumbered with budget numbers, square footage totals and headcounts. We can imagine how this new building will positively affect our district, our educators, and the future of our community.

Facility Design - A Big Decision

According to the 2020 Facilities & Construction Brief by Spaces4Learning, educational spending has continually increased since 2013. As of 2019, the United States spends $98 billion dollars on educational construction projects annually. As the US population increases, so does the need for schools, colleges and research institutions. With the educational landscape shifting rapidly over the last several years due to technology changes, updated facilities are a necessity, attracting the best students and educators. Even though capital investment has generally increased, facilities’ needs have outpaced funding. The project backlog is unending and makes relationships between educational institutions and the AEC industry more important than ever.

While the decision to begin a new school construction project (including renovations to existing buildings) is thrilling, it is also incredibly stressful. Often years of preparation go into it, with dozens of people involved. Steps such as securing funding, passing bond issues, levies, existing facility assessments and master planning all lead up to the decision to build a new school. Since all budgets are limited, it’s necessary for every dollar spent to bring the maximum return for each district.

"Problem Seeking"

Abby Raineri, a lead designer at TDA regularly engages with districts and architects early in the design process. She is familiar with seeking out the needs of each district.

“Many times, our clients come to us, not even knowing what to ask for. So that leads us to help them discover what they need and what to ask for. We call it “problem seeking.” It’s a lot of listening, data collecting, assessing a facility, and trying to figure out the problems they are trying to solve. We encourage conversations and explore multiple solutions with the goal of putting projects on an overall path to success. A lot of the biggest things we need to grapple with as we move into programming and schematic design, are established in early planning conversations about the project. It sets the tone for the rest of the design process.”

If communication between the district, community and architect aren’t realized, then the project is primed for failure. These relationships drive a projects success. By getting a wide variety of perspectives and identifying any roadblocks early on, it ensures the new school satisfies both the present and future needs of the community.

Educational Visioning Sessions

Early phases of design include an Educational Visioning Session. These unique events bring teachers, students, administrators, board members, local safety forces, community members and clergy together to discuss the project and ultimately serve as the genesis of the design. It’s not uncommon to have over 100 people in attendance taking part in these initial conversations. Ideas for the future building generated by participants are shared in round-table discussions and other interactive group activities. Grassroots ideas from those who will use the new structure are distilled and streamed into future plans. This is a time for architects to listen and capture the concerns and goals from these groups that will inform our design process.

They are a collaborative activity that results in a comprehensive planning tool for an educational institution. This session, often scheduled for the project kickoff, runs concurrently with the programming phase, usually long before we are thinking about the building’s shape. Everything is thrown against the wall (before we have designed walls to throw things at).

While all Educational Visioning Sessions are uniquely tailored to our clients, they can range from a few hours or last an entire day, depending on needs. They include presentations from the design team on the current state of education, the district’s desired curriculum, the current facilities and their limitations and cover plans for the future facility. The team presents case studies for how similar districts have handled facility upgrades, before we break out into small group discussions and other hands-on activities. These activities are designed to capture unique ideas for design solutions and get a sense of the visual direction for the project.

While our current circumstances don’t allow us to meet in large groups in the same way, we have a fully staffed communications department that enables us to perform these engagement sessions through staff polling, video production and other digital feedback activities.

This collaboration is why districts return to us again and again to provide architectural and planning services. We listen to our client’s needs and empower them to drive the initial designs and produce a completely unique building. This diversity of input is a hallmark of our design strategy and one element that strengthens our portfolio.

"Many times, our clients come to us, not even knowing what to ask for. So that leads us to help them discover what they need and what to ask for. We call it "problems seeking."
ABBY RAINERI
Registered Architect

Continuing Education

Engagement doesn’t stop at the Visioning Sessions early in the project but continues throughout the design process. During the planning and construction phases of design, TDA engages educators in training sessions as the project’s completion approaches. At these events, project designers, along with future occupants, attend a series of meetings dedicated to coaching and professional development. These sessions also include, brainstorming activities and interactive projects, that are geared towards training educators and administrators on ways to engage students in their new building. They are invaluable for collaboratively rethinking the way educational spaces can be used to promote student learning. This crucial component is a link between the early Educational Visioning Sessions and a fully occupied building.

Abby notes the importance of continually mining feedback from stakeholders. “Early on during the “programming phase” of building design, we move into engagement and work sessions. Our “Educational Visioning Sessions,” are a piece of this, along with staff engagement. We take different user groups or a core team on tours of new buildings, so they can see how other districts have solved space problems. In this initial concept phase, we are getting further into planning and feedback. After that, we begin the traditional kind of architectural process of making diagrams and drawing plan iterations, then continue engagement with the community, the board and the staff.”

Then, through exit interviews and teacher surveys, we measure how these architectural designs impact the education experience. We have found significant benefits such as reduced behavioral issues in the classroom, increased teaching time, and additional opportunities for student collaboration. All of these ensure that each student receives the best education possible.

We encourage student engagement throughout the process and have led student oriented charettes allowing them to help design new playgrounds, walk the construction site for facility updates and take an active role in construction by placing stones in a structure’s foundation before the floor slab is poured or by signing their names on beams before installation.

In addition, we hold community meetings during Schematic Design and Design Development to update the public on the building layout, getting their feedback on how the exterior of the building develops. We believe that professional educators should influence the design of the interior of the building and the community determines the exterior aesthetic. We have developed a number of interactive exercises to gauge what aesthetic the community feels most strongly about.

In short, we intentionally emphasize the needs of people and their experience as much as the building itself.
"So, it was a process of even delineating which goals were important to them or not. The architect shouldn't necessarily drive the stakeholder’s goals. It's their building, so they need to tell us what's important."
ED SHEARSON
Registered Architect

Ideas Come from Anywhere

We find that great ideas often come from very unconventional places. Chris Smith, TDA’s president recalled an instance where ideas on school security came from a third-grade student. He recounts: “We believe good ideas can come from anywhere and that means from anybody…We’ve had the strangest ideas come from the coolest places. When we were investigating school security and the potential of armed intruders, we were on the forefront of designing those guidelines. We actually got an idea from a young student in one of our collaborative processes and our Educational Visioning Sessions. They came up with an idea to color code the building so that if there was an intruder in their elementary school, they could say “the bad person is in the red part of the building or the blue part of the building.” That led to some very intuitive design standards that are still enforced today and it came from a third-grade student. So, the educational design process with school buildings in general is a very collaborative process, not only collaborative with our own designers but with the public at large.”

In another instance on the recently opened Garrett Morgan High School, the idea to split the building into two sections [public and school related functions] with a connecting bridge, came from a councilman involved at an educational visioning session. Jeff Henderson, a lead architect on the project mentioned: “We were on a very urban, commercial street, Detroit Ave. There was a desire not to have parking along the street, but still keep the front entrance there. That would force occupants to park on the opposite side of the site and walk all the way around the building. The councilman that was involved says, “I don’t want anybody to have to walk around the building, I want them to walk to the front door, which wants to be on Detroit Ave.” So that comment in part, resulted in the solution where we fractured the building into 2 sections and put a bridge on the second floor. This allowed everybody to circulate right from the parking lot, underneath the building and into the front door. So that was a big design challenge that was addressed in a collaborative session.”

Ed Shearson, who served as Project Manager on that building recalled: “There was a large stakeholder meeting early on in the project and it involved representatives from Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), the City of Cleveland, Gordon Square Planning Commission and local residents. We developed an inventory of goals for the site and they voted on that. Just because the architect notes a goal, that doesn’t mean it’s a goal the stakeholders share. So, it was a process of even delineating which goals were important to them or not. The architect shouldn’t necessarily drive the stakeholder’s goals. It’s their building, so they need to tell us what’s important.”

We believe that this collaboration and relationship building makes our process unique and successful. Educational Visioning Sessions establish a clear vision forward and how a district can use their new building to benefit students. It is an opportunity to build trust, develop support and champions for the project and incorporate the needs of the stakeholders into the finished building.

Key Takeaways

  • Relationships and communication (especially early on) are crucial to identifying design problems and implementing solutions.
  • "Educational Visioning Sessions" are key to brainstorming how a new building project will impact the community. This is also a time to talk through the district's goals for implementing the curriculum in their new spaces.
  • By engaging in a variety of interactive activities, among various stakeholders, we can ensure everyone's voice is heard and the concerns are prioritized.
  • Educators should take part in these important sessions. It allows them to provide direct input on future designs of their new building. They can also see how new spaces could be used to enhance their education plans.
  • Interesting design ideas can come from anyone, not just professional designers. By including a wide variety of stakeholders, (students, administrators, parents, and community members) these sessions grant additional perspectives on large projects and ensures the final designs are tailored to that community.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.