Page 38 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

spaces4learning BUILDING BLUEPRINTS
PARTNERSHIPS TO
PIPELINE: A NEW MODEL
FOR HIGH SCHOOLS
Fountain Inn High School, Greenville, South Carolina
By Aimee Eckmann, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, ALEP and Steve Turckes, FAIA, LEED AP, ALEP
DISRUPTIONS TO THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN AND the prospect of worker shortages well into the future have underscored the importance of increasing job-readiness and hands-on learning opportunities for students. A 2021 Deloitte study warns that 2.1 million U.S. manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030. At Greenville County Schools, district leaders enlisted the support of local industry partners such as Michelin, BMW, Stueken and others—all in need of highly skilled employees—to plan a new model of high school that begins to address this labor pipeline challenge.
Many comprehensive high schools around the country integrate career and technical education programs into their curriculum. Advanced manufacturing differs from traditional career and technical education programs in that it focuses specifically on technology and innovation to improve products and processes. Traditionally in school planning, career and technical spaces have been located far away from core academic classes.
At Fountain Inn High School, located in Greenville,
S.C., partnerships with area manufacturers directly informed the layout of the school and its “Institute of Automation & Engineering,” which is at the core of the curriculum and the planning. Fountain Inn’s advanced manufacturing spaces are visible at the front door and physically embedded in the heart of the academic area to provide high visibility to students,
parents and business partners, and to underscore that the curriculum is central to the school’s mission.
The design process and outcome from Fountain Inn High School can inform the future design of advanced manufacturing programs across the country:
• The business workforce partners were heavily involved in
early meetings for the project, helping the design team meaningfully understand their needs. This engagement, along with that of the district and designers, led to the prominence of advanced manufacturing spaces in the building design.
• Locating the advanced manufacturing labs with visibility at the front of the building underscores the importance of the curriculum. Placing a project display area prominently near the entrance sends the clear message that Fountain Inn High School values the hands-on work of students.
• The spaces within the school are designed with flexibility in mind: They can change over time based on new equipment
or programming needs. This is essential to the success of the curriculum, ensuring that spaces won’t become outdated as technology changes. Teachers don’t “own” a classroom; they
can check out rooms and create spaces from studios to labs for specific student projects, while having a dedicated teacher touch down space for focused work and professional collaboration.
• Advanced manufacturing classrooms connect to open collaboration areas and the core academic classrooms, making it easy for students to work across subjects. Since today’s careers are not compartmentalized into siloed subject areas, it is important for students to grow accustomed to working across disciplines and seek inspiration from diverse groups of colleagues.
Fountain Inn’s curriculum focuses on project-based, personalized learning centered around integrated and advanced manufacturing pathways such as integrated production technology and mechatronics. Students can earn certifications, degrees and other credentials that set them up for future
The high-bay advanced manufacturing space was designed as an open, utility-rich Dedicated teacher touch down areas offer in space to maximize flexibility, anticipating programmatic changes over time. educators while incorporating passive superv
38 SUMMER 2022 | spaces4learning.com