Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus – Preliminary Design Unveiled

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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus - Preliminary Design Unveiled
On Thursday January 13th, the community, school district and professionals from ThenDesign Architecture and Hammond Construction met to deliver an update on designs for the new 6-12 Campus.

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus - Preliminary Design Unveiled

On Thursday, January 13th, the community, school district and professionals from ThenDesign Architecture and Hammond Construction met to deliver an update on designs for the new 6-12 Campus. This presentation gave an overview of the schedule and provided a glimpse into key spaces for the new building. Inside the Cuyahoga Falls High School Auditorium, over 200 community members attended either in-person or online to hear the update and ask questions about the project.

The new $113 million, 365,000 square foot facility will serve grades 6-12 and was funded by a voter approved Bond-issue in 2019 along with funding from the state of Ohio, through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The goal of the project is to create a facility that provides strong, innovative programs for students, a safe and secure learning environment, and work as a gathering place for the Cuyahoga Falls community.

At this event, conceptual renderings and a site plan were shown and discussed with the community.
Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Preliminary Site Plan
Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Preliminary Site Plan
“This design puts academics first, and that's the most important part of the project. We are building new facilities because we believe they will help us provide better education to our students."
Anthony Gomez
Board of Education President

Project Timeline

In 2015, the Cuyahoga Falls City School District laid the foundation for future buildings by assembling a master plan. Planners examined the existing conditions of school buildings, student enrollment projections, and the needed square footage to serve future populations. This was then submitted to the OFCC in a report that is used to assess funding options for the District.

Then, in fall of 2019, community members approved a Bond issue that would provide $80.6 million for the project and the state would commit $33.6 million. As the Covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020, the state froze funding for new projects and the team was forced to delay until early 2021.

This is when design officially started with Educational Visioning happening in April.

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Project Timeline
Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Project Timeline
“This project will mean the world for Cuyahoga Falls. This current building has been here a long time, and has its challenges. Having a new facility will be a huge shot in the arm for this community.”
Russell Chaboudy
Interim Superintendent of Cuyahoga Falls City School District

A Challenging Construction Environment

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, construction material prices are inflated across the country. It is not unique to Cuyahoga Falls, or the state of Ohio. All school districts currently involved in a building improvement program have been affected. Supply chain shortages, labor scarcity and market conditions haven’t existed like this in recent history and challenge school construction projects everywhere.

In August of 2021, as schematic design was completed, TDA acquired two cost estimates for the project. One was from Hammond Construction, the Construction Manager at Risk and another from an independent provider. While both estimators agreed on costs, due to market conditions, initial designs were 20-25% over budget.

The team spent the next several months refining designs and making the building more efficient. A variety of design strategies were used to alleviate costs. A few examples of cost cutting measures included minimizing site work by incorporating the natural slope of the land in the stadium, reducing the building footprint by grouping some academic spaces into a 3-story structure rather than a 2-story structure and developing a more efficient building exterior. These modifications have lowered costs significantly from the initial estimate.

Board of Education President Anthony Gomez commented: “I think the community is concerned about the cost overages but recognizes the reality of the economic situation we’re in due to Covid-19.” He continues, “They feel that when you say something, you do something about it. We have to continue to look at our options that will make a difference in this project.”

While significant progress has been made on initial designs, the current 10% overage resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is still being addressed.
“In Cuyahoga Falls we have always faced challenges; our current buildings present some of those. This building project is a big deal for us and we will do it right. And we have to make the public understand that we're doing it for the benefit of future students."
Cuyahoga Falls Resident

Moving Through Design Development

Over the last several months, the District and design team have been outlining three pathways to solve the budgetary challenge. All three elements will be pursued simultaneously and evaluated through the next two phases of design.

  1. Examine alternate phasing and bid strategies for the locally funded initiatives (LFI’s). This means, bidding out locally funded initiatives separately, possibly at different times, to capitalize on construction efficiencies and capture potentially lower material prices when construction begins.
  2. Identify additional funding options that may be available to the District to help with overages. This could include grants, additional funding by the state or creative methods of leasing equipment and other items during the construction process.
  3. Continue to refine the current scheme in terms of design and construction methods to implement value engineering, making the school design as efficient as possible.

At this time, the building is being designed to its full scope, with all the academic elements of the building, along with the auditorium and stadium. By focusing on these 3 simultaneous pathways the District is hopeful to provide a path forward, solving the uniquely challenging budget conditions.

“I'm a Cuyahoga Falls graduate and now a freshman at Akron University and I think this is a really cool opportunity which is long overdue. I love the Falls, but I would love to see this plan built. It makes me want to go back to high school!”
Cuyahoga Falls Graduate

A Glimpse of Key Spaces in the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus

To better understand the site and design, the team developed a scaled model to display the current building scheme. This rough model has been a valuable tool to quickly assess site conditions, building massing, spatial relationships, and site visibility.

Interim Superintendent of Cuyahoga Falls City School District, Russell Chaboudy commented, “From my experience, a new building will bring people back to our schools and it creates new excitement for the teaching staff and students. I think it will benefit the student’s education and will mean so much to the kids in the community. You will see good things happening as a result.”

By working quickly between a massing model and conceptual renderings of the building, we can begin to imagine what the final building will look like. While imagery is still conceptual and being refined, the following perspectives provide a glimpse into the final design.

13th Street Entrance

13th Street Entrance
13th Street Entrance Rendering

West Entrance

West Entrance
West Entrance Rendering

Academic Space

Academic Space Model
High School Collaborative Rendering

Auditorium

Auditorium Model from Portage Trail
Auditorium Lobby Rendering

Stadium

Stadium Model
Stadium Rendering
“It is exciting to see the ideas of having outside areas and courtyards for student dining, learning areas and these beautiful plazas. Isn’t that what we learned with COVID-19? You should be outside as much as possible to benefit your mental health.”
Cuyahoga Falls Parent

Next Steps for the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus

Over the next several months, the District and architectural team will be meeting with educators to continue developing the interior of building. This will include the layout of academic areas, shared and collaborative spaces along with discussing interior finishes and furniture.

The whole team is committed to developing the best facility to provide greater educational value for Cuyahoga Falls City School Students and meet the needs of the 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.

Richmond Heights Upper School – A School in Flight

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Richmond Heights Upper School – A School in Flight
The Richmond Heights Upper School is an 88,000 sf educational facility located in the city of Richmond Heights, Ohio and serves 420 students in grades 7-12. Designed with the concept of "aviation" in mind, this modern school uses a mixture of curved metal panels and light brick to evoke feelings of lightness, movement, and flight.

Richmond Heights Upper School – A School in Flight

The Richmond Heights Upper School is an 88,000 sf educational facility located in the city of Richmond Heights, Ohio and serves 420 students in grades 7-12. Adjacent to the Cuyahoga County airport, the school was designed with the concept of “aviation” in mind. It uses a mixture of curved metal panels and light brick to evoke feelings of lightness, movement, and flight. It is home to School Board offices and a branch of the Cuyahoga County library , which is a major component for students and the local community. Technology and flexibility play a major role in the school’s design which is evident in the extended learning area and other student oriented spaces. The new school expands District athletic capabilities with two gymnasiums for the high school and middle school, along with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) focused areas such as a “Clean Makerspace ” and “Technology Commons.”

Superintendent Dr. Renee Willis, who led the project for the District feels this facility has the opportunity to transform the community. “It’s the crown jewel of this community and has become a catalyst for a renaissance in Richmond Heights, which is on its way to ‘bigger and better.’ The students, the community, and the library all rallied around this project and made it become a reality.”

This educational facility becomes a technological focal point for Richmond Heights students to further their education, collaborate with peers and receive training in many STEAM related programs.
"It's the crown jewel of this community and has become a catalyst for a renaissance in Richmond Heights, which is on its way to ‘bigger and better.’"
Dr. Renee Willis
Superintendent at Richmond Heights Local Schools

Educational Visioning for the Richmond Heights Upper School

In January of 2018, the District and TDA hosted an Educational Visioning session with Richmond Heights Local Schools to explore the educational goals for the new school. Held in the gymnasium of the existing Richmond Heights High School, dozens of educators, designers and District administrators participated in a series of exercises which would serve as a foundation for the design of the new school. They identified the successes and challenges of existing facilities, documented goals for the new building and collaborated in an interactive exercise that allowed attendees to layout the new site and explore spatial relationships between the main components of the building.

James Cowan, the project manager for the Richmond Heights Upper School recalled: “First, we listened to the community and made sure we understood what was most important to them. In terms of spaces and usage but also in terms of safety and security.” Considering security in a building that had both “public” and “private” areas was paramount, “This was a huge component to consider from day one. We had to understand how to best separate public spaces like the gymnasium, Media Center and Student Dining from the more private academic oriented spaces.”

Many of these relationships were established in the Educational Visioning Session and many community meetings throughout the design process.

“Through an Educational Visioning Session and multiple community meetings, we listened to feedback and incorporated their concerns into the design. This was in terms of safety and how spaces should function, even at different times of day.”

Richmond Heights Upper School, Educational Visioning
"In this school, we provided a blend of modern and traditional spaces for the District to educate their students in."
James Cowan
Project Manager

Design Concepts and Features of the Upper School

Since the school is located adjacent to the Cuyahoga County Airport, this provided the inspiration for building materials and design cues. Sweeping curved metal panels accent the exterior and create a feeling of lightness. This gives the sense that the structure could “take off” at any moment and roots it in the aviation aesthetic. This sense of dynamic movement is carried over into the interior using a central corridor which connects the major spaces in the building. This central spine is activated by full scale wall graphics and provides select views into more public spaces through glass curtain walls. Furniture in public spaces includes soft seating that compliments the modern environment.

A partnership between Richmond Heights Local School District and the county airport allows for additional academic programs that introduce high school students to the aviation industry. Space in the school is dedicated to teaching aviation by providing hands on experience with unmanned aerial vehicles and flight simulator equipment.

“Students are excited because they’re engaged in new programs,” said Dr. Willis, she is particularly excited about these new programs for students. “There’s no longer just traditional reading, writing, and arithmetic, you now have innovative electives that excite students. Our teachers are also connecting those electives to their core teachings.”

The architecture combined with new programs, elevates educational opportunities for students in the District.

One challenge that designers faced with this project was incorporating a significant 9′ elevation change from the north end of the site to the south. To prevent costly extensive sitework, the central corridor was constructed to slope across the building. This slope, being ADA compliant, eliminated the need for stairs at various points in the school and further emphasized the concept of movement throughout building.

The school responds to the site elevation changes and its contextual surroundings. Near an existing elementary school on the east side of the site, the Richmond Heights Upper School reduces to a single story so as not to tower over the shorter school . The circulation paths were designed so elementary school students could have access to the new upper school. It also takes advantage of existing traffic patterns, using existing roads for bus transportation and library access. Additionally, the schools’ new athletic facilities and locker rooms were carefully placed to allow students easy access to the existing track and field.

Richmond Heights Upper School, Classrooms and Building Details
"It's surreal, because I remember stomping the streets, knocking on doors, speaking to homeowners’ associations, trying to sell a vision and now the vision has come to reality."
Dr. Renee Willis
Superintendent at Richmond Heights Local Schools

Cuyahoga County Library

A unique feature of the new school is the inclusion of a branch of the Cuyahoga County Library. This public space provides opportunities for both community access and student collaboration. During design, the Richmond Heights Local School District, along with the Cuyahoga County Public Library provided input on the library’s design. The location of this 5,600 sf branch was carefully chosen, and allowed the library to have its own separate entrance while also connecting to the Upper School’s entrance lobby. The library features small group rooms for use by the community , including the YMCA’s Silver sneakers program, with technology-rich connectivity. Easy parking is provided for public access, even while school is in session.

At the “Unity in the Community Back-to-School Extravaganza,” an open house for the school, educators, students, vendors and community members all came to tour the facility, to learn more about the District, support local businesses and celebrate National Night Out, among other activities.

At the event, Superintendent Willis talked about her hopes for an impact on the broader region. “People in the community are excited about the school and hopefully other ideas come from this because I want it to be a city school collaborative.”

The school having been designed with a focus on technology, flexibility and collaboration presents many future opportunities for student and residents.

Richmond Heights Upper School, "Unity in the Community" and the Cuyahoga County Public Library

Designed with Flexibility in Mind

A hallmark of the Richmond Heights Upper School is flexibility. The student dining space is an excellent example of this. During the school day, the space is used for student dining, while in the evening, it can transform into a community space that can be rented out. This assembly space is outfitted with wall mounted mechanized seating for 210 people. A raised platform serves as a stage with lighting and acoustics to support both school or presentation functions.

Middle School academic spaces feature overhead doors that can open into an extended learning area. Educators can open their classrooms and combine with other educators to collaborate on large group projects.

The school’s “Technology Commons” provides a flexible environment for students to meet in smaller informal groups and use the learning stair for presentations. Connected to the Tech Commons is a “Makers Lab” that includes 3D printers, and other modern digital creation tools. These spaces further promote the concept of movement and activity since glass curtain walls allow visibility to the central corridor.

“How do we transform what was yesterday, into what see today…and what we want to see tomorrow?

James Cowan believes that flexible building design can help students incorporate technology to face challenges they will see in the future. “It is hard to respond to changes in technology since it moves so quickly, but we can definitely provide space for students to explore technology. In this school, we provided a blend of modern and traditional spaces for the District to educate their students in.”

James credits the wide variety of stakeholders and leadership from the District.

“This is partially a result of the input we had from stakeholders such as the school board, superintendent , community, students, educators, consultants and interior design teams. Everyone was asking themselves—‘How can we have a balanced, realistic approach for a unique school district like Richmond Heights Local Schools?’

Richmond Heights Upper School, STEAM focused "Clean Makerspace" and the new gymnasium facilities.

"There's no longer just traditional reading, writing, and arithmetic, you now have innovative electives that excite students. Our teachers are also connecting those electives to their core teachings."
Dr. Renee Willis
Superintendent at Richmond Heights Local Schools

Impacting the Community with the Richmond Heights Upper School

“A student’s experience is the most important part of school design, thinking about that is the “bread and butter” of an educational architect’s work.” reflected James on the design process. “There was a point in design where we presented an animation of the building before construction. A middle school student who wasn’t a part of Richmond Height’s Upper School yet, was brought in by the Superintendent to watch the animation. I won’t forget the look on his face, and he said ‘Wow, I can’t wait to see that building next year!’ and that really pumped me up. He is probably attending the new school now.”

The superintendent echoed the same sentiments in bringing that vision to the community during design.

“It’s surreal, because I remember stomping the streets, knocking on doors, speaking to homeowners’ associations, trying to sell a vision,” Dr. Willis commented standing in one of the extended learning areas in the new school, “and now the vision has come to reality.”

Good architectural design can positively impact a community in multiple ways.

“It’s not just about transforming an environment,” commented James, “the school can bring new energy.”

The motto at Richmond Heights Local Schools is: “It’s a new day for the Richmond Heights Way,” James reflects, “I feel like this building embodies that saying. ‘It’s a new day.’ We hope to transform the community with this new beacon for Richmond Heights.”

Project Design Challenges:

  • Develop an efficient 7-12 facility that aesthetically ties into its immediate site, while taking cues from the surrounding site, such as an existing elementary school and residential areas.
  • Incorporate a 9' elevation change running north/south in the school without disrupting circulation on the interior.
  • Develop a 5,600 sf branch of the Cuyahoga County Library inside the school, allowing it to be easily accessible to the public during school operation.
  • Provide clear spatial separation between middle and upper schools and emphasize safety and security measures while also maintaining an open and dynamic interior environment.
  • Utilize existing site circulation to service both the Upper School and Cuyahoga County Library.

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

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

Get our newsletter with insights, events and tips.

Facebook Linkedin Twitter Instagram

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.

Student-Centered Learning: A Catalyst for Revolutionizing Contemporary Education Design

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Student-Centered Learning: A Catalyst for Revolutionizing Contemporary Education Design
Student-Centered Design” is an architectural strategy in K-12 educational facilities that provides students a variety of spaces for individual and group work, flexible furniture, and modern technology. This empowers them to adapt their environment to how they learn best. Districts across the U.S. are incorporating these strategies into both their curriculum and schools while experiencing greater student satisfaction, fewer disciplinary issues and increased academic time.

Student-Centered Learning: A Catalyst for Revolutionizing Contemporary Education Design

All educators are challenged with identifying the best ways to teach and engage their students. New curriculum methods, school design and academic programs are tested and deployed to capitalize on how kids learn. Recently, more research has been devoted to understanding how a student’s academic success can be impacted by the layout of their physical space. This model, known as “Student-Centered Design,” empowers students to learn how they are most comfortable while providing flexible spaces for collaborative activities. It is currently being adopted by school districts across the United States.

The North Royalton City School District, located in Northeast Ohio, performed extensive Educational Visioning and community engagement to understand whether this style of facility would work for their community. They then embarked on a capital improvement program to develop their schools to support a “student-centered” learning approach. The program incorporated an addition and renovations to their high school, renovations to their middle school, and a consolidation of their 3 elementary schools into one new building. The North Royalton Elementary School is a $35 million, 148,000 sf, building that embodies these principles in its architecture and demonstrates how good educational design benefits each student’s educational outcome.

North Royalton Elementary School: Education in Motion
"I am excited for the kids who will have a combination of a traditional school arrangement and options for flexible activities in the collaborative spaces. I love what this building provides for our teachers and our kids."
Michael Laub
Superintendent of North Royalton City Schools

Developing Educational Environments

Trends in teaching styles, curriculum and school layout have changed over the decades, with “traditional” double loaded corridor schools appearing in the 50’s and 60’s, more “open concept schools” appearing in the 70’s and 80’s, and more technologically advanced buildings replacing blackboards with computer labs and white boards in the 2000’s. Each generation attempts to improve the educational opportunities for their students. Methods that served communities decades ago may not be relevant in today’s fast paced, technologically rich environment.

Since so much time is spent in a school, it is important for educators and architects to work closely together while determining how to best design a learning environment to serve a community’s needs for decades to come.

This is where using a model of “Student-Centered Learning” helps determine timeless priorities that will serve students no matter the decade.

Supporting the Educational Vision: North Royalton City Schools

What is "Student-Centered Learning?"

“Student-Centered Learning” is an educational model that focuses on how students retain information by encouraging collaboration and “active learning” in their day-to-day routines. This model emphasizes small group work between students and opportunities to work “hands on” with their peers and take a more self-directed, sensory approach to education. Students and teachers are encouraged to adapt spaces and furniture to accommodate small group discussions, large presentations and find new ways to collaborate.

“Many districts we talk with are moving towards a “Student-Centered” approach,” reflected Claire Bank, an architect with ThenDesign Architecture who worked on North Royalton’s new ES. “No one has a crystal ball to see the future, but it’s important we build flexibility into the space so it can transform as education transforms.”

In the past, spaces were designed to primarily support lecturing students, who were expected to retain information by listening and taking notes. As student retention has been studied and better understood, spaces have evolved to support the types of activities that help students to learn.

Different Approaches to Education

Education in the 1950's
Education in the 1990's
Education in the 21st Century

The Architectural Approach for "Student-Centered Learning"

In terms of architecture, a “traditional” school layout is characterized by similarly sized classrooms joined by a corridor. In this model, educators teach in a classroom with rows of desks facing the front of the room. Generally, it is inconvenient to rearrange furniture without wheels for small group activities and access to other spaces is limited. The traditional arrangement is good for “lecture style” learning but doesn’t provide easy options for collaboration and active learning.

Architecturally, “Student-Centered Design” calls for a range of flexible spaces that students and educators can easily adapt to change over time with new needs.

One major characteristic of this model is incorporating variously sized spaces and movable furniture specifically designed to accommodate the intended activities. This may include an open collaborative space with flexible soft seating for larger presentations and gatherings, a small group room that supports discussions between smaller groups of students, classrooms with movable walls, and project labs with high-capacity cabinetry and durable furniture to support creative projects. Each space incorporates modern technology including internet connected devices, touch screen projectors, powerful Wi-Fi, and other collaborative tools.

“I think back to our old buildings, and we loved our time there, but they were all the same, classroom after classroom,” recalls Kirk Pavelich, Principal of North Royalton Elementary School. “You come into our learning communities now, and there are all these different types of projects going on. We never could have done this before.”

The result of this model is educational spaces that provide teachers and students dynamic environments that can be easily adapted for movement and specialized lessons.

Traditional School and 21st Century Learning Models

Traditional Classroom Layout
21st Century Classroom Layout
"The new school is good for the community because it provides such a great space for their kids to learn. It's comfortable, it's flexible, and it makes the students excited to go to school and learn."
Claire Bank
Architect

North Royalton City Schools, Educational Visioning

The North Royalton City School District serves around 4,000 students. Faced with aging infrastructure, they decided they wanted to update their curriculum and facilities. For over a decade, the District conducted planning, educational conversations, and community engagements on what the future of education should look like for their community.

In 2015, an Educational Visioning session was held to explore this question and work through ideas with community members, teachers, city officials and District administrators. The result was a forward-thinking plan to redesign their high school as well as consolidate their elementary schools, combining them into a single educational facility to house PreK-fourth grade. Here principles of student-centered learning were discussed.

North Royalton City Schools: Educational Visioning Session

Leading up to and during the design process, ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) gathered information from the School District on how they envisioned education in their community. This crucial exercise provided insight into how the new facilities would be laid out.

It was here that a “student-centered approach” was adopted for both their curriculum and architecture.

TDA began laying out spaces to meet the vision shared by the District. Meeting regularly in building focus groups, educators at each grade level shared how they wanted the spaces to function for their students. Decisions from these groups were incorporated into the building designs. Operable partition locations, furniture choices, “teaching wall” placements, and storage options for classrooms were discussed and incorporated. The spaces were tailored to how teachers from those grades would operate.

These focus groups also toured facilities in surrounding districts, to see how they approached their new buildings.

Transitioning to this type of building model must be deliberately approached. Teachers in a learning community have to coordinate with their colleagues about use of the new spaces. Professional development for the District is often undertaken by educators to prepare for the transition and ensure they are ready to use the new spaces.

The District sponsored professional development to prepare educators for this new model of education when the facility was completed. This was performed over two years and consisted of collaborative staff meetings that involved faculty from three elementary buildings. The team worked through the concepts of student-centered learning and shared flexible spaces, all while striving to develop the teams they would be working with once in the new building.

Vision in a Word

"It's all about the kids. From the moment I started teaching, to being an administrator, it's only what's good for the kids. It starts with getting great educators in the classrooms, but then providing the best facilities to teach in. This facility allows them to move from good to great.”
Greg Gurka
Former Superintendent of North Royalton City Schools

North Royalton Elementary School Layout

The North Royalton Elementary School is a $35 million, 148,000 square foot building that supports over 1,450 students and replaces three elementary schools.

The school resembles a capital letter “E” laid on its back, with 2 large outdoor spaces between each wing. Students are divided into separate learning communities spread across Kindergarten to Fourth grade. Each grade is divided into 3 communities, each with 4 teachers and approximately 100 students. Students spend the majority of their time inside their learning community of 100 students, which allows the young students to thrive in a large facility.

“This is a great facility because we deeply thought about how to meet the needs of the community and flexible workspaces,” commented Greg Gurka, the District superintendent during the design of the facility. “When you see what we have done with the design and construction team these spaces can change year-to-year or week-to-week based on the needs of the students. This building will do that for generations to come.”

Spatially, each community consists of an open collaborative space, 2 classrooms, a small group room, and a project lab. They also have access to the central two-story student dining at the heart of the building, music rooms, art rooms, a gymnasium, and media centers which feature collaborative stairs. Minimized corridor space between areas, creates a more efficient floor plan and results in more usable educational square footage per student.

The perceived scale of the new school was reduced by dividing the large building into smaller communities, limiting the number of people students interact with daily. This prevents them from being overwhelmed but still provides opportunities to collaborate with other learning communities.

North Royalton Elementary School: Space Breakdown

The North Royalton Elementary School hosts a wide variety of spaces that educators make use of daily. Below are a few examples of the new spaces offered in this facility and how they are used.

Student "Community"

This 5-space grouping is the foundation of where students spend the majority of their academic time. The open collaborative space joins individual classrooms and features an open area for educators to rearrange students’ desks to accommodate lectures, group activities, technology use and reading activities. Circulation is located on the edges of the space, with most furniture being on wheels to be easily rearranged. The collaborative is designed for active group work and dynamic activities.

Classrooms are a technology rich environment, with interactive short throw projectors and operable walls to join the classrooms together when doing group work.

Student Dining

Student dining is a hub of the school. Connecting to the servery and kitchen, this 2-story tall open space can fit 1/3 of the student population at once, with a large collaborative stair that can fit an entire grade level. The multitiered floor gives students interesting options to sit with friends, with both hard and soft seating options. Students can access one of the main outdoor spaces. A large collaborative stair is equipped with professional stage lighting, and can serve as a stage when in use as an auditorium space.

Media Center

The school is equipped with two, open media centers. These spaces serve as shared libraries for media storage and are used for classes who need quiet reading times. During the day, students rotate in and out of the space to promote reading, literacy discussions and to relax with a good book. The stair is carpeted so students feel more comfortable lounging there or on the soft furniture in the space.

Travel Zones

During lunch periods and in between classes, travel zones are designated throughout the building. Since traditional corridors have been minimized, students often pass through occupied collaborative areas. Colors of the floor and furniture layouts quickly direct students through these spaces easily and quietly.

Morning drop-off from 36 busses is facilitated through designated doors along the main circulation spine of the building. All 1,450 students can enter and navigate to their communities in under 15 minutes. This feat wasn’t possible in the previous schools.
"This school is different from what some may have experienced, but the kids come right in, get used to it and love to learn in this environment. We can take their passion and energy and provide them with facilities to be successful at anything they aspire to.”
Kirk Pavelich
Principal of North Royalton Elementary School

A Student-Centered Learning Approach

The “Student-Centered Learning” model presents many opportunities for current and future children. The flexible and collaborative design allows students to engage with their peers and teachers more actively while adapting their environment to learn in a more natural way.

School buildings are used by and supported by their communities for decades, and they influence the thousands of students who use them. Having a building that can transform to meet the needs of education in the future is paramount. Focusing on a student’s needs first ensures them a better foundation as they advance in their educational careers.

“I think education is the great equalizer. It’s not our job to teach kids what to think. It’s our job to help kids learn how to think, how to make decisions, how to problem solve and how to work together,” commented Superintendent Laub. “This is what helps them become successful contributors to society as they grow up.”

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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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus, Academic Design and Construction Estimation

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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus, Academic Design and Construction Estimation
Progress continues on the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus. Learn about the schematic intent behind the academic design and how cost estimations play a part of the architectural process.

Academic Design and Construction Update

Since the October 19th “schematic intent” event was cancelled, below is a brief snapshot from that presentation.

Progress continues on plans for Cuyahoga Falls’ new 6-12 school and stadium complex. The Cuyahoga Falls City School District, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), Hammond Construction and ThenDesign Architecture have been engaging with the school district administration and staff, board members, community members, city officials, and various specialists through meetings, engagement sessions, surveys, and presentations. Each of these parties have helped to shape the design of the new school and are committed to creating a facility that provides strong, innovative programs for students, safe and secure learning environments, and a gathering place for the Cuyahoga Falls community.

The design process involves three major phases: schematic design, design development and producing the final construction documents. Schematic design involves the overall look of the building, preliminary floor plans and the layout of the building on the site. The design development phase includes refining the look, selecting materials, and designing the building systems.

A Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Planning Committee Meeting

Site Plan

The site is a 45 acre plot in Cuyahoga Falls, where the Bolich Middle school, the old Newberry Elementary, LayBourne Field and Newberry Park are located. Bolich Middle School (opened in 1954) was the first junior high school in the Cuyahoga Falls City School System. It became a middle school in 1983 and since then has housed grades 6, 7 and 8. Newberry Elementary School, which was originally built in 1956, is a single-story building that has been leased by Summit Christian School and Summit County Educational Services since 2005.

Bolich, Newberry and Laybourne Field are scheduled to be demolished with the new 6-12 building planned to occupy the site, along with a Performing Art Center and new athletic facility. During Educational Visioning, the community identified goals for the site, which included maintaining some of Newberry Park and allowing the new building to have a visual presence on Portage Trail, with athletic facilities being located towards Newberry Park. These ideas are being incorporated into the design.

The Existing Site for the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus
The Existing Site for the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus
The District does a great job with their facilities, but this will be the "missing piece" to our city. Everything will be complete because the campus environment is perfect."
Don Walters
Mayor of Cuyahoga Falls

The Bond Process and Educational Visioning

While design officially started in April after an Educational Visioning Session, this project stretches back to the Spring of 2015, when the school District filed a master plan with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. In November 2019, the Cuyahoga Falls community approved a Bond issue that provided $80.6 million of the project, while the OFCC will contribute $33.2 million to the overall project. State funding was released to the district in May 2021, another large milestone that allowed all the team members to officially begin design.

The new facility is scheduled to open for the 2025-2026 school year. The Mayor of Cuyahoga Falls, Don Walters has called this project, “the missing link of the city,” in an interview earlier this year. The much-anticipated project will offer residents and students a modern environment and expanded educational opportunities.

Cuyahoga Falls City School District Educational Visioning

Architectural Design is an Iterative Process

Starting in April 2021, ThenDesign Architecture, the Cuyahoga Falls City School District and the OFCC have been developing schematics for the new structure. Throughout the spring and summer, a variety of engagements with community groups and educators have taken place. This has allowed the team to receive feedback from community members, teachers, and administrators that are being actively incorporated into the design process.

Architectural design is an iterative process. It involves generating many potential solutions, then quickly refining and testing the best ones, while dismissing those that don’t satisfy projects goals. For those working in the creative fields, this is a familiar process, and the development of the new school is no different. A variety of schemes have been developed, tested, and refined to best understand if they meet the needs of the district, while staying within budget.

We look forward to sharing more specifics on the 6-12 campus in the coming months.

Development for "The Whole Child"

Developing the "Whole Child"
Developing the "Whole Child"

Educational Foundation of Building

A great deal of time has been spent on the inner workings of the building with the schematic intent for the academic design being outlined. Classrooms follow a “pod” structure, with various grades broken down into small communities known as “neighborhoods,” “villages” and “communities.” Each of these differently sized pods represents a self-contained learning environment where students will spend most of their time. “Neighborhoods” are the smallest and contain classrooms, an open collaborative space and small group room. “Villages” and “communities” are larger but contain a similar academic design.

Educational research indicates that each person can maintain 150 meaningful social relationships at once. Dividing spaces in this way allow students to remain with a core group of their peers. This diminishes the overall building scale, while allowing all grades to efficiently share the common areas such as student dining, the gymnasiums, and performing arts center.

Examples of the neighborhoods include the three-6th grade learning “neighborhoods.” These small educational pods are separated from the middle and high school. This way sixth graders enjoy a welcoming and safe environment as they navigate the crucial transition out of elementary school. This new pod environment allows them to acclimate naturally to the new educational environment, while eliminating another jarring facility transition in future grades.

Similarly, the middle school “villages” are separated from the high school pods and the middle and high school have separate entries. It is best to think of this complex as two separate buildings under one roof. While there are opportunities for to share common spaces, students will remain separated in their academic areas but still benefit from pooled educational resources in a single building. This is the direction that many school districts are moving in and a lot of research demonstrates its effectiveness in public education.

A Design Team Meeting

The Role of a Construction Manager

As we move through the phases of design, Hammond will provide cost estimate analyses, ensuring the design stays within the financial commitment made to the community.  With the current economic climate, the construction industry is facing several supply chain issues, labor shortages and inflationary concerns. Our team is currently working to identify all potential risks to the project, and will develop mitigation strategies into the final plan.

You will soon see activity on the site, starting with abatement of the Newberry School. In the next few months, the district will be hosting an online auction to sell various loose items in the building. The abatement of the building will follow, which includes the removal of specific materials prior to demolition of the facility.  Once abatement is complete, the building services will be discontinued, and the school will be locked and secured through the remainder of the winter months. Final demolition of the building will be a part of the full campus site development work to be completed next year.

When will my child be in the new building?

Next Steps:

We look forward to releasing more information on the building as details around the floor plan, interior spaces and exterior renderings are developed. In the meantime, if you have specific questions, feel free to reach out to: cf_nichols@cftigers.org.

Download the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus - October Update​

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.

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus – Summer Design Update

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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus: Summer Design Update
Over the summer, the design team continued to hit milestones in the design of the new Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus. A variety of recent engagements have allowed the team to develop initial “schematic design drawings” that will be further developed in the months ahead.

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus: Summer Design Update

Since Educational Visioning in late April, the Cuyahoga Falls City School District, construction professionals, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and the design team at ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) have been working to develop solutions for the new 6-12 Campus. After initial engagements with the community and educators, the team has been busy cataloging and incorporating feedback into strategies for the new school. Now, after hundreds of hours of meetings, conversations and collaboration over the summer, they are hard at work integrating that input from stakeholders and drafting plans for the new facility.

District officials met with designers from ThenDesign Architecture at their office in Willoughby Ohio, for design meetings.

Important Aspects of Design from Educational Visioning

The Educational Visioning session in early May was critical to lay the “conceptual foundation” for the new school. At this event, around 100 attendees from the community, district and the design fields outlined key design points for this new “hub of the community.” These findings were outlined in the Educational Visioning Report, released in June.

A Recap of Those Key Points:

    • Flexible, collaborative spaces designed to promote independent student education.
    • Traffic circulation needs to be improved at the high school and other locations.
    • Identify opportunities where spaces can be shared between the middle and high school students.
    • Integrate outdoor learning areas and have collaborative spaces designed with an abundance of natural light.
    • Building entrances on site should be easily identifiable and promote community access.
    • Integrate athletic facilities with the building to maximize usage.

An Education Visioning Session in Cuyahoga Falls in early May.

"We had a great cross section of our community at Educational Visioning. We will have a building that provides the absolute best opportunities for our students."
Dr. Todd M. Nichols
Superintendent/CEO

Partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission

To build the school, the district is funding $80.6 million of the project, which was generated from a 2019, community approved 9.83-mill tax levy, that included a 5.33-mill, 36-year bond issue. Additionally, the district is participating in the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP). By participating in this program, the OFCC will provide an additional $32.8 million in project costs and participate in building’s design.

To qualify for this assistance, designers will follow guidelines from the OFCC that ensure the educational needs of the building are met. These guidelines come in the form of a “Program of Requirements” (POR). This is essentially a checklist of spaces and square footage that must be met inside the building.

This way, the OFCC ensures key academic spaces are included, sustainability goals are met, along with a variety of other priorities.

There are several standard POR options to choose from. One is the “Traditional POR.” This is the most rigid in terms of how square footage can be allocated, another is a “Partial Order Reduction POR,” this allows some flexibility in spatial requirements in how square footage is allocated. Another type is the “High Performance Learning Environment (HPLE) POR,” which is the most flexible design plan.

For the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus, the district is working off the High-Performance Learning Environment POR, based on Educational Visioning and academic feedback. Doing so, ensures maximum spatial flexibility with how spaces are arranged to deliver a collaborative and modern curriculum. Using this POR allows designers more freedom to program collaborative, student-centered spaces alongside core academic areas.

Designers at ThenDesign Architecture incorporated feedback from the Educational Visioning Session into the new facility.
"We heard how welcoming and central the school is to parents, students and residents. So we really are designing it to become a "hub of the community."
Abby Rainieri
Educational Design Lead

Sustainability Features and the Eco-Charette

Each project the OFCC funds is required to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USBGC) LEED Silver rating. The USBGC oversees Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED) standards which is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. LEED provides a working framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving buildings.

Within the program, there are several tiers that a building can achieve by employing eco-friendly features. The four tiers are: certified, silver, gold and platinum and are determined by a structure’s ability to achieve points on LEED project scorecard. This scorecard is designed to measure how the building responds to its location and transportation options, sustainable site features, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resource usage, indoor environmental quality, and other innovative design elements.

To determine the 6-12 Campus’ desired environmental features, the design team met early in the summer for an “eco-charrette.” Here the team outlined a strategy to meet the LEED Silver Rating.

Project Manager, Scott Alleman describes the eco-charrette, “It’s a work session where the district, educators, designers and construction professionals set our goals for the environmental and sustainability items we want to pursue.”

Specific features could range from adjusting the buildings orientation and windows to take advantage of daylight, minimizing windows on southern exposures to prevent excessive heat intake, better insulation in the building envelope, improved exterior lights to limit light pollution and rainwater management systems.

Alleman continues, “Sustainability is important to school projects. When you have a 350,000 sf building, we want to make sure it’s designed to be as thermally optimal as possible while making sure mechanical systems are laid out and operating as efficiently as possible.”

For Cheryl Fisher, an educational planner on the project, achieving this rating is a balance between managing costs and the districts goals for sustainability.

“I’m impressed at the level of detail that goes into this part of planning,” Fisher notes, “the manual guiding these scorecards are 600+ pages. We want to achieve the district’s goals for sustainability, while scoring points that make the most budgetary sense. It’s a challenge.”

Engaging early on sustainability goals affects the building’s early design.

Cheryl continues, “We want to gain all the points we can while protecting the overall budget. To achieve all the points, would impact the budget greatly. If we decided to add underground parking, covered by greenspace, that would significantly impact both the design and budget. We need to be realistic about what we can achieve.”

An eco-charrette was hosted in the Cuyahoga Falls High School to set sustainability goals for the new 6-12 Campus.
"Sustainability is important to school projects. When you have a 350,000sf building, it needs to be designed to operate as efficiently as possible."
Scott Alleman
Architect

Visual Preference Exercise

Early in the summer, the design team held a “Visual Preference Exercise” to receive input from the community on how they think the exterior of the building should look. During this engagement, over 800 community members provided feedback on various exterior styles for the building.

Many participants expressed a strong affinity to various buildings in Cuyahoga Falls. Notably, the Natatorium and downtown Clock Tower were beloved architectural examples.

The design team found the community preferred a mix of exterior architectural styles, while identifying the importance of defined, “contemporary entrances” while maintaining some characteristics of Cuyahoga Falls’ more “traditional” architecture.

A "Visual Preference Exercise" was held in the Cuyahoga Falls High School Auditorium to gather input on the exterior design of the new facility.

"I love this city, I moved back to the Falls recently and can't wait to see this project built. The buildings down on Portage Trail are my favorite, they have so much character."
Cuyahoga Falls Resident
Visual Preference Exercise

Building Tours and Educator Engagement

Also over the summer, the district and representatives from the construction leadership team had the opportunity to tour schools in neighboring communities that have transitioned to new, more collaborative, student centered facilities. Facilities toured included schools in the Willoughby/Eastlake District and North Ridgeville City Schools among others. They walked through collaborative spaces, classrooms, and student dining areas, while hearing educators’ overall impressions of them in use.

Visiting these facilities provide valuable insight into the spatial layout of 21st century educational environments and how other districts planned and executed their building projects.

District officials and TDA designers toured educational facilities in the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District.

The design team facilitated a series of engagements with educators from the Cuyahoga Falls High School, Bolich and Roberts Middle Schools designed to gather input on the new school’s interior layout. Teachers discussed their current classrooms, assessed storage needs, and adjacencies between departments. These sessions allowed staff to explain key points for inclusion in the new building and helped the district understand better how curriculum can be advanced in the new facility.

Some key findings included:

    • A desire to collaborate more among educators. There was excitement over consolidating into one facility that would make collaboration between educators easier.
    • An interest in interconnected rooms that could make co-teaching a possibility for classes in the same department.
    • Using the architecture itself as a teaching tool by exposing building systems in limited areas for students to examine and explore.
    • Including flexible spaces outside the classroom so students could divide up for a variety of activities in small groups.
    • Connecting some science classrooms to exterior space for outdoor experiments. Possibly integrating exterior courtyards into the building for natural lighting and access.
    • More options for equipment storage and space for some long-term science experiments.
    • Organizing the new facility by department, instead of classrooms spread out across the school.
    • Flexible spaces big enough to host 2 different classes to interact and have mixed assignments.

Educators were engaged early in the process to better understand how they could use space in the new facility.

Schematic Design Continues

With Educational Visioning, OFCC input, educator feedback, visual preferencing, and sustainable features outlined, this has allowed designers to put “pencils to paper” and develop a building layout. This initial set of conceptual designs are known as “schematic drawings” and helps the process in a variety of ways.

First, these drawings detail how the “Program of Requirements” (or list of necessary spaces and square footage) is applied in the new school. This milestone took hours of collaboration among the Cuyahoga Falls City School District, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, ThenDesign Architecture and Hammond Construction. Areas of the building such as classrooms, collaborative spaces, athletics, student dining and other keys spaces are all incorporated into the design.

Secondly, these drawings allow the team to begin exploring building materials, colors, and textures for the final structure. This submission also shows how feedback from the early informational gathering process has been applied. This will continue to be refined and adjusted with further conversation.

Thirdly, the initial drawings allow the team to better examine building costs and validate budget decisions. While “rule of thumb” costs have been applied throughout the process, these drawings can be analyzed by the construction manager to provide more accurate feedback on material availability and project cost breakdowns.

The schematic drawings will continue to be developed as the design project continues.

Countless hours have been spent developing schematic drawings for the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus.
"This building is a reflection of the community, the district's educational goals and input from many other stakeholders. We are excited to present what we have developed."
Scott Alleman
Architect

Next Steps in the Design Process

With this information gathered and schematic designs in development, the team looks forward to providing an early glimpse of the conceptual design of the building in late October. These designs will be refined in the months ahead and this initial release will give community members a glimpse into the direction of the design.

Your input on this project matters! Feel free to reach out to Dr. Todd Nichols, cf_nichols@cftigers.org, with any questions or comments on the design’s progression. Watch the Cuyahoga Falls City School District channels for details on when the schematic designs will be released. Currently this is planned as both an in-person and online event on October 19th. We look forward to seeing you there!

Download the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Design Summer Update​ Brochure

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.

Oberlin City Schools Elementary School Ribbon Cutting

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Oberlin City Schools Elementary School Ribbon Cutting
The Oberlin City School District celebrated a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for their new Pre-K through fifth grade elementary school. Attended by the community, district officials and other dignitaries, the new elementary school provides a modern, collaborative learning environment and features environmentally friendly features that make it a model for sustainable school design.

Oberlin City Schools Elementary School Ribbon Cutting

The Oberlin City School District, community, dignitaries along with construction and design professionals gathered on September 12th, to celebrate the opening of the new Oberlin elementary school. This 62,000 sf, 21st century learning facility, features collaborative spaces and advanced environmental control systems. Interior spaces can be reconfigured to meet the changing needs of the district and provide educational opportunities for students of all ages.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. David Hall commented, “Oberlin City Schools embarked on a journey almost 10 years ago to redesign our pre-K 12 facilities. This journey was led by instrumental community leaders,” referring to previous superintendent John Schroth and former OCS Board President Barry Richards. “A facilities team was formed consisting of community members, staff, parents and administrators to make that vision a reality. It implements 21st century teaching strategies across a new facility and all of these stages were critical points to move the district forward.”

Dr. Hall thanked the community for their support of the longtime project.

Superintendent of Oberlin City Schools, Dr. David Hall, gave an opening address, along with Oberlin City Schools Board President, Jason Miller and Ohio State Representative Joe Miller and architect, Brad Gellert.

"Oberlin City Schools embarked on a journey almost 10 years ago to redesign our pre-K 12 facilities. This school implements 21st century teaching strategies across the new facility and all of these stages were critical points to move the district forward."
Dr. David Hall
Superintendent of Oberlin City School District

Celebrating a New, Sustainable Elementary School

The facility cost $17.8 million dollars and was a collaborative project that brought together Oberlin residents, Oberlin City School Staff, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, City Government, Oberlin College, Greenspace Construction, and ThenDesign Architecture. The project responds to the schools IB curriculum and includes a number of forward-thinking design elements.

Project Manager, Brad Gellert commented, “The district and community had a goal in mind of creating a building that met current the needs of Pre-K through 5th grade students and also the future student needs by constructing a building that could be reconfigured due to changing conditions.”

As a result, the building features a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Lab, an extended gymnasium space, open and flexible classroom spaces, advanced environmental controls, and an emotional sensory room.

Dr. Hall spoke about the importance of the building’s environmental impact, “Sustainability is important to the district and our community.” Continuing the theme of a collaborative design project, Dr. Hall recalled, “We created a sustainability committee which provided valuable information on our new Pre-K-5 sustainability initiatives.” These initiatives included, a solar installation that provides 80% of the building’s energy needs, electrical power vehicle charging stations and an environmental dashboard that monitors energy use.

This environmental dashboard, which was partially funded by a grant from Oberlin College Green Edge Fund, can be used by future students to better understand how the building’s energy use affects the environment.

Other low-cost sustainability measures included enhanced insulation in the building’s envelope, orienting the building so its longest side faces north, while also adding larger windows to that façade. This minimizes heat gain and the need for greater cooling.

Attendees included community members, dignitaries, school administration and students.
"This is a prime example of what we can accomplish together, not by working in silos, but working in unison. No one person or institution has the answer, but the unity of the whole is needed for success."
Jason Miller
Oberlin City Schools Board President

Oberlin's "All Inclusive" Public Education

The ceremony was also attended by Ohio State Representative, Joe Miller. Miller, who also attended the building’s groundbreaking ceremony commented on the historic importance Oberlin placed on public education, “It didn’t matter whether students were black or white, Christian or Jewish, it just didn’t matter.” Miller continued, “The Oberlin community said, “We will educate all (185 years ago),” this was public education at its best, they pioneered it and that’s something to be proud of.”

Miller, a former high school social studies teacher, is a strong advocate of public education, and felt Oberlin’s example of inclusion and diversity was admirable.

“Together we will provide education for all children, their zip code doesn’t matter, their socioeconomic status doesn’t matter, where they’re from originally doesn’t matter. They all have an equal shot. You have provided a facility to meet everyone’s needs. I’m so proud of you for doing that.”

After the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Dr. Hall who is passionate about educating Oberlin’s students commented, “I’m blessed, this is the job I want to do, and can’t think of anything else I would rather do. The last year has been an obstacle, it’s been challenging, but we are overcoming that and looking forward to the future.”

The New Oberlin City Schools Elementary School Opened for Tours

"These designs are a long-term commitment. It's not like writing a book report, it's a 10-year effort. Oberlin stuck with it and when you tour the building, you will see the results."
Brad Gellert
Architect

Oberlin City Schools conducted a dedication ceremony for the new Oberlin Elementary School on Sept. 12. From left: Ohio State Rep. Joe Miller, Oberlin City Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hall, Oberlin City Schools Board President Jason Miller, and board members Farah Emeka, Anne Schaum, and Oberlin City Schools Vice-President Dr. Ken Stanley.

A Successful, "Forward-Thinking" Project

Brad Gellert, the architect on the project commented on why it was successful, “We built it on a very tight budget and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to introduce many new sustainability features like a solar array that powers 80% of the building, the electric vehicle charging stations and the environmental dashboard. These are all very innovative initiatives for a school.”

Sustainability and collaborative learning are the hallmarks of this new educational facility and display how elementary schools can embody these principles.

“To create positive change in the world, you must work collaboratively with others,” said Brad Gellert adding “spending years assisting the district with this project is personal. We are proud to be part of that collaboration, and know you will enjoy the building for many years to come.”

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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Silver Lake Elementary Playground Engagement

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Silver Lake Elementary Playground Engagement
In early May, students at the Silver Lake Elementary School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio gathered with architects, teachers, and district administrators to design a new playground for their school. While it may be easy to overlook such a small project, seeing a playground through a student's eyes helps designers deliver a project that fits the needs of the district and students.

Silver Lake Elementary Playground Engagement, Cuyahoga Falls

In early May, students at the Silver Lake Elementary School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio gathered with architects, teachers, and district administrators to design a new playground for their school. This new playground, which is a part of the capital improvement program in Cuyahoga Falls, adds updated equipment for the young students at this longstanding neighborhood school.

Since collaboration is a foundational principle of TDA’s architectural design process, including the stakeholders who use it most—in this case, elementary school students—is important. This collaboration allows them to enjoy their new playground and take pride in having a hand in its design.

See the students "in action" during the playground engagement:

"I love being able to work on the playground with my friends. I know we won't get all of this [equipment], but it's so cool to be involved in this project!"
Silver Lake Elementary School Student
Fourth Grade Student

Interactive Design Activities

To get feedback from students, architects held a design “charrette” to gather information and jointly develop a site layout with students for this project.

A design “charrette” is a collaborative activity, where stakeholders gather to map solutions on a challenge they face. In this project, the stakeholders were the elementary students and educators, and the challenge was deciding on playground equipment and how it would lay out on their site.

Silver Lake Elementary Playground Engagement

Designers created three primary activities to work out solutions with the group.

  • The first activity focused on surveying students on their favorite games at recess. These conversations provided valuable insight into what types of activities the students liked doing on their playground. Questions like, “Do students use equipment like swings and climbing walls the most or do they prefer open space for games of tag and other outdoor activities?” guide overall layouts.
  • The second activity was designed to gather information about students’ favorite equipment and how these would be used alongside their favorite outside games. Using sticky dots, students identified what equipment they preferred and whether it promoted climbing, swinging, jumping, or running. This allows designers to select equipment that will be used most.
  • Finally, the third activity challenged students to think like designers and develop their own playgrounds. Then, they would present their solutions to their peers. Using simple materials in small groups, they built a version of their playground on their site. This gave them the chance to think “outside the box” with equipment types, color, texture, and ground materials. With this information, architects could more easily understand spatial relationships between pieces and what types of materials students preferred.

These three activities provided valuable feedback to guide the overall design of the playground. It gives these young “stakeholders” a chance to take responsibility for their environment and how they could best use the space on their site.

While students may not get all the equipment they planned for, such as swimming pools, pirate ships or rocket blasters, they can think creatively about space and how they would use it for themselves.

Silver Lake Elementary School students designed their own playgrounds and presented to their peers.
"I'm looking for climbing things, stuff you can flip on, and hanging equipment too!"
Silver Lake Elementary School Student
Second Grade Student

Value of Collaboration

Gathering input from a variety of perspectives and ages better informs the layout of architecture, site plans, educational design and even playgrounds. Like Educational Visioning, where community members provide feedback on their priorities for a new or renovated school, this idea also applies on a small scale, as with playgrounds or sports fields.

While it may be easy to overlook stakeholder engagement in such a simple design, seeing a playground through a student’s perspective helps designers more effectively plan the space, and address both budget and time constraints.

This helps architects deliver a playground that fits the needs of the district, the surrounding community and the kids who will be using it the most.

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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North High School – Mind, Heart and Body

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North High School – Mind, Heart and Body
North High School in Eastlake Ohio is a 9-12 facility that embodies the educational ideals of the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District. Conceptually organized around the idea of unifying a student's "mind," "heart" and "body," this unique structure brings “student centered” learning to its lake front community.

North High School, Eastlake Ohio

North High School in Eastlake Ohio is a 9-12 facility embodying the educational ideals of the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District. It promotes student/teacher collaboration and integrates advanced technology, enhancing education in the region. This 2-story, 187,000 sf facility serves its 1,100 students and houses a state-of-the-art performing arts center that seats 500 guests. A central “Student Union” acts as the main circulation hub which leads to a competition gymnasium, media center and dual academic collaboratives. Having been developed in parallel with its sister school Willoughby South, North High School is a 21st century learning facility that exemplifies the district’s goals of modernizing its curriculum and provides flexible spaces to support student centered learning.

Innovative Learning

Innovative student education is nothing new for the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District. Having renovated a training building on the former Eaton Corporate Campus in Willoughby Hills, they began experimenting with modern forms of student engagement and teaching. This educational initiative is known as the Willoughby-Eastlake School of Innovation.

The School of Innovation was a testing ground for the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District and they began implementing a “student centered learning model” with select students on a small scale.

Instead of the typical double loaded corridor which connected relatively small classrooms and focused on teachers lecturing students from the front of the room, this new educational model focused on “project-based learning,” where students were encouraged to collaborate with each other in small groups. With a more flexible open environment, educators were able to teach in a way that traditional educational facilities didn’t support.

As this program developed, the district began seeing successes in the form of student satisfaction and greater engagement in coursework. From these positive early results, they knew this “student centered” approach would be a good fit for their community.

The district then began to create a facilities plan that would address each school in their community, bringing this new model.
"Everything that's happening in public education right now is very exciting... Good design really facilitates many different methods of learning."
Abby Rainieri
Educational Design Lead

Educational Visioning

ThenDesign Architecture assisted the district by conducting an educational visioning session. This event brought together community members, district administration and students to define how they wanted to address education in their area. This session identified a vision for education and helped lay the groundwork for how future buildings would be designed.

After passing a bond issue to fund the project, the district decided to create three new buildings, Longfellow, a PreK-5 building, two new high schools (North High School and Willoughby South) and then renovate the rest of the existing schools.

This community-wide update changed the course of education in the district.

Abby Rainieri, Project Manager for North High School commented, “I think student centered learning is very effective at the high school level, because at this stage of education, every student is different. Whether their path takes them to higher education, or right into a career, these spaces are tailored to suit that direction.”

North High School

Located off Stevens boulevard, in Eastlake Ohio, the curved and sweeping exterior uses metal panels and brick to mimic the dynamic forms of Lake Erie in this lake front community.

North was conceptually organized around the idea of unifying a student’s “mind,” “heart” and “body.” A centralized “Student Union” is the entryway to the school, includes student dining, and serves as the “heart” of the building. This space was named after the historic “Union High School,” and is the largest collaborative space which leads to all other locations in the building. The gymnasium and performing arts spaces are the most active learning spaces and symbolize the “body” portion of the building, while the academic spaces symbolize the “mind.” These 3 components, mind, heart, and body are the organizing principals and serve as a “living diagram” for the building.

The academic spaces are divided into the STEM and Humanities programs. Each one is organized around an open collaborative space and likened to the right and left halves of the brain–two necessary elements of a functioning whole. Classrooms in each collaborative are connected to their hub by overhead doors which allow the common space to become an extension of the classroom. Architecturally, the STEM and Humanities hubs are linked by a circulation bridge which overlooks an outdoor “learning commons.”

The second floor of these hubs host small group rooms that are separated by glass walls with integrated technology. The glass provides a visual connection, while maintaining privacy to allow teachers the ability to work with individual students, or for groups of students to prepare and rehearse presentations in a more formal setting.

"Students are free to use the collaborative areas to suit their needs. They want to interact with their friends like at a coffee shop or in their house."
Abby Rainieri
Educational Design Lead

Interior Finishes

Similar to the deep collaboration among district administrators, community members and designers, both the architectural and interior design teams blended together. Designs for interior circulation and educational program integrated with color schemes, interior textures and furniture.

Within the Humanities hub, warmer colors and soft surfaces were used to reflect a learning style that promotes conversation and idea sharing. In the STEM collaborative, building systems were exposed, harder textures were used along with cool colors. This way the architecture mimicked the science and math fields practiced there. In addition, both academic wings have access to a central learning courtyard where students gather to perform outdoor experiments.

Commenting on how the flexible spaces are used by students, Abby explained “What is rewarding is seeing students using those spaces in ways we didn’t foresee.” Students are free to use the areas to suit their needs and feel personally connected to them. “They figure out how to use spaces in their own unique way. They don’t want to sit in the rows all day. They want to interact with their friends like at a coffee shop or in their house.”

The school can be a beautiful and functional hub where students want to stay and work together.

“They might be sprawled out on a learning stair, or laying down on carpet, or leaning back on an ottoman, and that mimics how they naturally want to interact with each other and learn”

When students are free to explore and personalize the space, they take better care of it and make it their own.
"There are often two full classes in the collaborative areas. They may be stretching out and writing, sitting on the soft seating. The students are far more productive that way. As long as they are engaged, what difference does it make where they learn?"
Steve Thompson
Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools Superintendent

Performing Arts Center

Since both North and South High School were developed in parallel, they mirror each other in terms of academic program. However, South High School received expanded athletic facilities, while North High School enjoyed an expanded performing arts and music space. In the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District, students can choose which school they would like to attend based on interest.

Just off the main entrance of the school is an anteroom for the main auditorium. This community focused performance space can be accessed through its own separate entrance after hours, or opened during the school day, extending the student union.

The auditorium includes state-of-the-art lighting and acoustic treatment, seating up to 500 guests. Adjacent to backstage is a set construction lab, which is connected both to the exterior and interior by overhead doors. This way large “set pieces” can easily be moved from the construction bay to the stage by students.

North High School Fulfilling the Educational Goals for the District

With the district having identified and tested educational programs through the School of Innovation on a small scale, they were able to scale this program and develop an architectural solution that ensured it would benefit the broader student population.

For Abby, the design at North High School represents an opportunity to create flexible space where students are free to use spaces as they see fit. “I think you have to learn in the way that’s best for you, whether that’s being a visual or auditory or kinetic learner, you know the way works for you. These flexible spaces “level the playing field” and allow you to be successful regardless of your learning style.”

This project allows students to learn how they are most comfortable and prepares them for their future.

Abby is optimistic about the future of education, “Everything that’s happening in public education right now is very exciting. Good design supports education by creating different types of spaces, different types of furniture, allowing access to new technology, and making easy access to the outdoors. It really facilitates many different methods of learning.”

Project Design Challenges:

  • Develop North and South High Schools in parallel so their program of requirements matches, but are designed specifically for their site.
  • Incorporate the "student centered learning" principles gleaned from the Willoughby-Eastlake School of Innovation into the spacial layout of the high school.
  • Organize the building layout around a series of "collaborative hubs" that serve the curriculum in the school.
  • Align the architectural design, interior finishes and building color to support the coursework in that particular area.

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.