Page 3 - School Planning & Management, July/August 2017

NEWS & VIEWS { FACILITIES | SECURITY | TECHNOLOGY | BUSINESS } Putnam High School
>> Putnam High School, in Putnam, Conn., recently completed a $36.6 million, 98,000-square-foot, renovate-as-new project began in the fall of 2014. The scope of the project included replacing windows, renovating science labs, expanding the gym- nasium, transforming the existing library into a multi-media center and upgrading the mechanical infrastructure of the 60-year-old building. The project team included construction manager O&G Industries and project architect Drummey Rosane Anderson (DRA Architects).
For more information go to webspm.com/putnam.
Ask the Expert
This Month
Classroom Furnishings
DOES DESIGN IMPACT
STUDENT SUCCESS?
IT SEEMS LOGICAL THAT THE SPACES IN
which students learn can have a strong influence on their scholastic performance. Intuitively, many of us believe this. However, until recently, the evidence was fragmented. Thanks to a research paper published in the journal Building and Environment, that impact is now better understood. In the journal, the authors report that classroom design can have as much as a 25-percent impact on a student’s progress over a school year. The research found that the difference between the best- and the worst-designed classrooms could result in a full year’s worth of academic progress.
The study was conducted in 34 classrooms with over 750 student participants. Many environmental factors were studied. Beyond the expected impacts related to acoustics and air temperature/quality, some of the more intriguing elements included: color within the room, complexity (appropriate level of stimu- lation without being cluttered), flexibility (ability to support varied learning activities), natural and electrical light quality, and how characteristics of the room allowed a sense of ownership by the students.
While there is no silver bullet for designing the perfect classroom, the study suggests
that we must think holistically when planning learning spaces. Consider designing classrooms which include furniture that is mobile and can easily be reconfigured. Choosing chairs that enable students to interact with each other, and with the instructor, can improve the op- portunity for connections and building social skills. Providing a variety of furniture types can support personal choice and ownership. In summary, designs which support the institu- tion’s teaching methods, as well as pupils’ comfort, will result in environments that set a student up for success.
>> Lisa Schmidt, LEED-AP, is the Learn-
ing Marketing manager at National Office Furniture. She can be reached at Lisa.Schmidt@ NationalOfficeFurniture.com.
Renovation
EDspaces Conference and Expo 2017
EDspaces is the gathering place for architects, dealers, preK-12, colleges and universities, independent manu- facturers’ representatives, exhibitors and corporations to learn about trends and experience the latest products and services to enhance student learning. It is organized by the Education Market Association. If you’re planning educa- tion spaces for the future, this is the
conference where you can get a year’s worth of CEU credits, training on new products, and network with the industry who’s who. Numerous education ses- sions, tours, and hands-on learning experiences have been developed to meet your needs by architects of the AIA Committee on Architecture for Educa- tion. EDspaces will take place Oct. 25 through 27, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo. For more information about EDspaces, or to register, visit www.ed-spaces.com.
NOW ON WEBSPM.COM
{ KEEPING YOU UP-TO-DATE }
NOW ON DEMAND
School Planning & Management offers free information, including webinars and white papers, archived articles in a searchable database and much more, accessible to you at webSPM.com under the Resource Center tab.
WEBINARS
Safe & Secure Schools
To register, go to webspm.com/1707
Healthy Facilities: The Physical & Fiscal Benefits
To register, go to webspm.com/1705
{ CONT. ON PAGE 8 }
JULY/AUGUST 2017 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 3