Page 43 - spaces4learning, Fall 2020

ifying drywall for most of the school. Two school years in, some dings and scuffs do appear, but the approach gen- erally has worked.
Yet there’s more to the walls there: At Gargiulo, some walls have openings that reveal building systems, an inter- esting feature also found at the afore- mentioned Portage and at Manassas Park Elementary in Virginia. Most of interest here: not wasting a spatial mo- ment, if you will; in other words, uti- lizing walls as teaching opportunities. At the Virginia school, walls also bear thematic informational signs keyed to the space, such as a brief explanation of the history of basketball in the gym- nasium.
Furthermore, walls can take advan- tage of such spatial moments by serving as a canvas for word cloud art, school logos, creative new art of inspirational figures such as school namesakes, and even graphics showing current and re- cent student achievers, as inside the main entrance at Ballou High School in Washington, D.C. Further, reserving some wall and floor space for student art creates credentials for young people while expressing their sense of owner- ship and school pride.
Ceilings
Those steps and others can play out in various spaces. Take multi-purpose rooms, for example. Such large spac- es — common necessities for districts and frequently used by the communi- ty as well, such as cafetoriums or din- ing commons — can have acoustical issues. However, wall and ceiling ele- ments, such as clouds, panels, baffles and blades, along with flooring systems, in addition to sound amplification, are responses that help create options for such bustling areas. In so doing, those elements can simultaneously enhance the design of the space while simulta- neously suggesting spots for programs, presentations and performances.
Wherever they appear, ceiling clouds, working in concert with flooring de- signs, can help define spaces for a variety of purposes while housing lighting and providing acoustic benefits for student
lounges and study areas, among others. Defining areas in such a manner, without walls, also maintains the flexibility of the space.
Marshalling materials, finishes and vi- sion to best serve the mission of a school today and for years to come is not an easy task. It may all boil down to what
Zitt adds succinctly about the Gargiulo school: “It’s a good design. They put it all together pretty well.”
Scott Berman is a freelance writer with experience in educational topics.
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