Page 34 - School Planning & Management, May 2017

Building Blueprints { FACILITIES IN FOCUS }
Successful Designs Inside and Out EXPERIENTIAL AND ACCESSIBLE ENVIRONMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. by JAKE KELLY-SALO AND JASON MELLARD, AIA, LEED-AP
EDUCATION IS A GATEWAY TO the world. Children use their senses and logic to gain knowledge, wisdom
and reasoning to be equipped and empowered to impact their environment. Campuses, inside and out, must respond to the senses to maximize learning and expression.
A focus on tangible experiences and expression is especially important for special needs programs,
most of which rely on
instructional strategies
outside of the tradi-
tional classroom format.
Successful programs
engage students through movement, color, touch and sound. School design should promote these experiences and make them accessible to all students. To allow this to happen, physical barriers must
be eliminated. When considering each portion of a student’s day, from drop-off
to pick-up, both sensory learning and ac- cessibility should be evaluated.
From Home to School
Clarity, comfort and safety, both physically and emotionally, are needed as students transition to school from a famil- iar home environment. Low-scale rooflines with overhanging eaves, soft landscaping
and a clear main entry help to support this approach. Parents and students, when arriv- ing on campus, benefit from covered parking at
smaller entries near classroom wings to al- low them ample time for exiting the vehicle on hot, cold or rainy days, with limited travel distance to classrooms. Entering the school, clear circulation and wayfinding elements, such as color-coded corridors, simple floor patterns and handrails help
direct students to their homeroom. Hav- ing views to the exterior along the path of travel can also help orient students.
Automatic opening doors, lighting levels and travel distances should improve upon code minimums. It’s important
to reduce floor level changes as much as possible and oversize ramps and elevators to promote accessibility, using durable
34 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MAY 2017
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ADA AND ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES DAVIS SMITH , AIA