Showcasing Creativity in School Construction: New school designs are supporting the academic goals of educators—and in some cases, pushing the boundaries of K-12 architecture.
Flexible learning spaces, enhanced technology, environmentally friendly features, and co-location are all characteristics being incorporated into innovative new school buildings and projects.
"Schools are actually becoming more sophisticated learning environments," said John Dale, a principal and studio leader at the architecture firm Harley Ellis Devereaux, based in Los Angeles. "They're more nuanced and doing a better job at taking into account the different ways in which learning takes place." "Green schools," for example, save energy and money, and often educate students about their methods and provide opportunities for study. New buildings that move away from long hallways with closed classrooms toward more interactive spaces promote collaboration around instruction and learning.
One of the hottest trends in new school construction is co-location, said Sarah Luchs, a program officer at Next Generation Learning Challenges, which often works with schools that are transforming academically—and sometimes architecturally.
Schools are being built on the campuses of technology companies, in libraries, and in conjunction with other educational programs.
"These schools promote a connection to the community and often have business partnerships to offer a lot of applied learning," Luchs said. "It used to be either an academic track or a career track, and now the two are mixing."
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