Page 26 - spaces4learning, Fall 2024

s p a c e s 4 l e a rn i n g WALLS, CEILINGS & FLOORS
DESIGNING
FOR THE
STUDENTS
OF THE FUTURE
IMAGES COURTESY OF TREVELINO KELLER
By Jay Lanier
WHEN ONE OF THE OLDEST SCHOOLS in Oklahoma
City’s Putnam City School District, James L. Capps Middle
School, needed to be refreshed, the district saw an opportuni-
ty to try something new. Instead of building an environment
of closed classrooms and hallways with limited lines of sight,
the district looked toward the future of education and, work-
ing alongside educators and educational leaders, set out to build
something different. They wanted to create a school that en-
couraged connection—not just with each other, but with the
environment around them.
“If you do the same thing, you’re
not going to grow,” said Principal
James Burnett. “And we knew set-
ting out that we wanted to do things
differently in order to grow as educa-
tors, to encourage the growth of our
students, and to grow the field of ed-
ucation.”
The Perfect Place
to Set Down Roots
The first thing the district did dif-
ferently was selecting the property.
They purchased a former neighbor-
hood park in the center of a residen-
tial area. It was a long, skinny parcel
of land thick with trees and bisected
by a small creek. It wasn’t a conven-
tional choice for a building site, and
that was intentional.
Putnam City Schools wanted
a design rooted in educational re-
search, and biophilic design was of
particular interest. Biophilic design
aims to create healthier, more pro-
ductive spaces by creating a strong
connection to the environment by
using natural and nature-inspired
elements. Studies have shown that
incorporating more natural light,
outdoor views, greenery, and organic
materials can improve the well-being
and productivity of students.
While walking the site, design-
ers took note of the natural color
palette—the green of the plants,
26 SPRING 2024 | spaces4learning.com