Page 41 - School Planning & Management, November 2017

engineers and interior designers. The proj- ect was inspired by Loudoun County Public Schools’ commitment to creating a facility where applied learning experiences supple- ment classroom instruction provided at the comprehensive high schools, along with the rising demand for advanced STEM and technically trained graduates.
The academies’ curriculum emphasizes learning-by-doing to prepare students for futures in industries like construction, engineering and automotive technologies, as well as high tech fields like robotics, information technology and scientific re- search. To support this type of curriculum, the facility includes a maker space that incorporates computer numerical control (CNC) and 3-D printing technologies, and standard tools like hand saws, so that students can build prototype models of their ideas. There will also be a communi- cations studio that incorporates animation, graphics and a full television production facility, as well as a multi-use theatre that is anticipated to host robotics competi- tions. Other specialized areas within the Academies include a central “innovation commons,” a “learning stair” that doubles as a spontaneous classroom or presentation space, breakout spaces, rooftop classrooms and commercial greenhouses.
The Academies of Loudoun is a visionary setting for learning that reflects a growing trend to reimagine second-
ary classroom environments around the requirements of applied learning, in which rigorous academic and industry-informed technical work occurs.
Hands-on, accessible learning is car- rying across other fields as well, like at Ross Shaw Sterling Aviation High School in Houston, Texas. Houston Independent
School District’s replacement high school houses a unique aviation magnet program that will educate the next generation of pilots, aviation mechanics, operations engineers and industry leaders by provid- ing specialized, career-focused training in combination with core academic courses.
Stantec designed the $47-million, 237,000-square-foot high school, which re- places the former Sterling High School with one that builds upon its existing aviation program with a comprehensive 21st-century learning environment unlike any others
in the state. The state-of-the-art facility’s specialized lab spaces are equipped with current industry tools and technology, allowing students to earn credits toward a pilot’s license, and train in aviation opera- tions, mechanics and logistics.
Classrooms are centered around a two- story, 7,100-square-foot hangar lined with large windows, giving passersby a direct look at the activity going on within. As the school’s main focal point, the hangar has space for two single-propeller planes and
17 aircraft engines, all of which the students can work with directly. Sterling High School also includes two flight simulators, mechani- cal air frame studies, and maintenance edu- cation to integrate work-world experiences into the anything-but-ordinary curriculum.
Additional classrooms on the second and third floors comprise a total of four technology-rich neighborhoods arranged
by aviation program focus (airframe, operations, logistics, and core curriculum), which can be reorganized down the road
in order to serve multiple generations with minimal disruption. Sterling High School also has an impressive neighbor to inspire its students — airport traffic can be seen and monitored at the William P. Hobby air- port from a third-floor observation deck.
The aviation-focused features garner
a unique reaction from first-time visitors. “They are in awe of the way the runway con- nects the entire school, and they are amazed to see the hangar with students working in real time,” said Ross Shaw Sterling Aviation High School Principal Justin Fuentes.
As science and technology program- ming becomes more prevalent, its influence on school design is undeniable. Modern science has become a social activity, and by adapting lab spaces to be more collabora- tive and hands-on, the exchange of ideas can flow more freely and result in produc- tive teamwork. Schools that offer students the opportunity to participate in work- world training through unique science, lab and research spaces give them a glimpse of a career in the science and tech industry, and provide inspiration along the way. SPM
>> Derk Jeffrey is a senior principal with Stantec Architecture’s Arlington, Va. Office, and Jennifer Henrikson is a principal with Stantec Architecture’s Houston office, both specializing in educational design.
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