Page 24 - School Planning & Management, May 2017

In South Carolina, Richland School District Two’s new, LEED-accredited Lake Carolina Upper Elementary School includes flexible learning spaces that coexist with new Immersive Learning Environments. These spaces are inclusive of traditional classrooms with multiple, smaller breakout spaces that open to large commons areas used for flexible team teaching, project-based learning and collaboration.
“The new school continues to receive rave reviews from the students, faculty and, most notably, the parents,” says Martha Jones, director of strategic partnerships for Richland School District Two. “Everyone is en- joying the new campus model, the state-of-the-art design and the innova- tive layout of the classrooms.”
The classrooms and breakout spaces are defined by large glass doors that provide physical and visual connectivity to the larger commons area that, by design, encourages team teaching and relationships or associa- tions between the different groups. In turn, defined teacher work areas are integrated within the neighborhood cluster of learning spaces to enhance supervision, utility and teacher support.
According to Marchisen, the supervisory element is also part of the de- sign team’s architectural considerations. “Teachers should be able to position themselves in the neighborhood and effortlessly see through an interior win- dowpane or open doorway to adjacent learning areas. In essence, the design yields a good amount of visual connection for teachers and students alike.”
Tim Williams, AIA, associate vice president, senior architect with Ste- vens & Wilkinson, S.C., stated the design team met with Richland School District Two’s leadership to help them develop goals and objectives, in order to create a mission statement for a design concept that became known as the “Treehouse for Learning.”
This unique concept, similar to the Immersive Learning model, encom- passed multiple design challenges, supportive of the learning environment, such as how to best approach the school; how to instill a sense of explora- tion; and how to stimulate imagination and encourage collaboration. The Stevens & Wilkinson, S.C. project team helped revise the Richland School District Two’s detailed program. The team was ultimately invited to design a new pre-K through 5th-grade elementary school reflective of the district’s revised philosophy for flexible and multifaceted instructional space.
Former board chair of Richland School District Two’s Board of Trust- ees, Calvin “Chip” Jackson believes the building will serve the school and district well for decades to come. “Everyone enjoys the school’s collabora- tive work spaces and natural lighting. It is handsome, colorful and energy- efficient, all aspects the community are proud of,” he says.
Emergence of Immersive Learning Environments
While the narrative of fewer walls and greater visual connectivity can often give rise to mistaken perceptions of noise and student control, the benefits become obvious when the spaces are active with students, and teachers can fully utilize the range of space options. Once these concepts are embraced and implemented, everyone involved — teachers, students and staff — easily realizes the positive impacts and potential of the new de- signs that address the wide variety of teaching and learning opportunities.
To accelerate the transition to Immersive Learning environments, school authorities have a leading role to perform. In both Georgia and South Carolina, school districts are considering ways to incrementally add new learning environments to existing conventionally designed schools and new school buildings. In fact, the move to embrace the concept is beginning to take shape throughout the region and country.
“As designers, we believe in the Immersive Learning concept. As school leadership boards and administrators explore the possibilities and see the benefits, we would like to see the concept evolve and become even more successful,” agree both Marchisen and Williams.
Architectural and interior design are integral parts of the development of Immersive Learning Environments. Through the design of more varied neighborhood-oriented spaces, learning happens in a community context. Visual transparency contributes to greater connectivity between groups of teachers and students. Together, these are transforming the way our next generation of leaders are being educated for a promising future. SPM
>> Kirk Marchisen, is principal and vice president of Stevens & Wilkinson in Atlanta. Tim Williams, AIA, is associate vice president, senior architect with Stevens & Wilkinson in the Columbia, S.C. office. Don Eberly is president/CEO of Eberly & Collard Public Relations.
24 ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATIONS
MAY 2017 / WEBSPM.COM
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