Page 3 - School Planning & Management, October 2017

NEWS & VIEWS { FACILITIES | SECURITY | TECHNOLOGY | BUSINESS } Addition, Renovations Inspire
21st-Century Learning
>> DLA Architects is currently leading classroom renovations at Kennedy Elementary School in Schiller Park, Ill. The school will be redesigned and remodeled to accommodate progressive 21st-century learning and the technology that accompa- nies it. The ultimate goal of the addition and renovation is to encourage active learn- ing, with easy to rearrange furniture and break out spaces for small-group collabora- tion. The redesign will also offer more opportunity for educators and students to be collaborative and experience hands-on learning. Transparent walls will be imple- mented to provide further security while simultaneously putting learning on display. “Our primary focus when partnering with educational institutions is to stand behind our philosophy ‘Form Follows Learning’ and implementing it to fully meet the needs of 21st-century learners,” states Carrie Matlock, president of DLA Architects. To read more, visit webspm.com/articles/2017/09/01/kennedy-elementary-school.aspx.
Ask the Expert
This Month
Pest Control
RODENTS: HOW ARE THEY GETTING IN, HOW DO WE STOP THEM?
IT’S CRITICAL THAT PEST PROBLEMS BE
identified and addressed as quickly as possible because rodents breed quickly — a single pair of rats can multiply into 640 within a year, and mice can multiply to over 1,000. Stopping them for good means finding the points of entry and seal- ing them up to prevent future invasion. Below are some of the most common entry points and exclusion solutions. Remember, when conducting your inspection, mice can fit through a gap of about 1/4 inch and rats through a gap of 3/8 inch.
Common Entry Points and Solutions:
· Exterior doors — Damaged or worn out sweeps are one of the most common entry
points. Most standard brush or vinyl sweeps keep out the weather but not mice and rats. All doors should be fitted with specialized rodent-proof door sweeps.
· Vents and grilles — Protect them with screen or mesh and ensuring any voids or gaps around them are filled with a pest exclusion material.
· Drain pipes — Rats are excellent swim- mers. Make sure exterior drain and sewer access points are covered with an appropri- ate metal cover. Openings surrounding the drain should be patched or filled.
· Verticalwiresandpipes—Miceandratsare excellent climbers. Circular rat guards should be placed around all vertical wires and pipes.
· Utilityandotherbuildingpenetrations— Check places where pipes, wires or HVAC enter the building and fill any gaps with pest exclusion material.
Ensure the exterior of the building, especially around the foundation, is free from harborage areas such as shrubs and ground cover, and eliminate any “bridges” to the roof, like overhanging trees.
>> Drew McFadden is director of Marketing for Xcluder, and can be reached at drewf@gmt-inc.com.
Grant Wood Elementary School Construction Underway
Construction has begun on Grant Wood Elementary School, which will replace a 57-year-old facility of the same name. The old Grant Wood was dark and operationally
inefficient, plus it had severe space shortages that restricted the curriculum and limited community use. The 62,500-square-foot replacement school is nearly 70 percent larger than the previous facility. It allows an increase from two to three sections and is
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Buildings as a Teaching Tool
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OCTOBER 2017 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 3