Building Hope, One Bag at a Time

In an earlier blog post, we described the innovative building technique known as earthbag construction that is being used to build schools in the rural countryside of Nepal. We shared the details of our own earthbag construction project that we are designing with Edge of Seven. And we invited you to celebrate with us as we commemorate the transition for Sparky Millikin from TruexCullins Managing Principal to Himalayan mountain climber.

Well, these is one more surprise we have in store. To build excitement for our earthbag construction project in Mankhu Village in Nepal, we are building a wall of our own in our offices at 209 Battery Street in Burlington.

LET’S BUILD THIS TOGETHER

FILL A BAG FOR A NEPALESE SCHOOL

The “earthbags” will come together during Sparky’s retirement party on Thursday, May 9th. For a $50 tax-deductible donation to Edge of Seven, we will place your name on a polypropylene bag like the ones we will use to construct a new community center for Nepalese girls. As our wall rises, it will symbolize our collective efforts to lift up these girls out of poverty and raise opportunities for all.

In Nepal, your donation will go far to educate and empower girls and break the cycle of poverty. Edge of Seven is a non-profit organization that works closely with local NGOs to ensure that all projects are carried out in a cost-effective manner. In 2010 and 2011, less than 10% of donations went toward administrative costs.

Donate Today!  You can make a donation through our crowdrise site at: http://www.crowdrise.com/truexcullins-nepal


And please join us on May 9 to celebrate Sparky’s lifelong career and support the work of the Edge of Seven in Nepal!

Building Hope for the Women of Nepal

Last week we announced an exciting new campaign with Edge of Seven, a 501(3)c non-profit organization that works to build infrastructure and provide opportunity for women and girls in rural Nepal. Edge of Seven typically partners with local groups in Nepal to facilitate their projects and ensure that they are community focused and locally driven.

Edge of Seven joined one such group, The Small World, and together they have introduced an innovative and sustainable building method for the construction of new schools for Nepalese villages.

A SUSTAINABLE BUILDING SOLUTION

EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION

Earthbag construction uses readily-available polypropylene rice bags filled with dirt as primary building blocks. The bags are laid in courses, like bricks, and covered with chicken wire and plaster.

This building method is environmentally friendly, sturdy and earthquake-resistant. Building with earthbags is affordable and requires less skilled labor than traditional masonry construction, allowing community volunteers to participate in the construction.

The first earthbag school in Nepal was built in the village of Phuleli, completed one year ago in February 2012. The facility, located in Nepal’s Everest Region, houses classes 7 and 8, enabling more students to receive an education in a safe and healthy learning environment closer to home.

Phuleli is a community plagued by poverty. 90% of families live off of subsistence farming and many families cannot afford to send their students to school. Previously, classes 7 and 8 had to walk 2 hours daily to a neighboring village to attend school. Many families chose to keep their girls at home, concerned about the large volume of household chores and the time away from the fields.

Another project was recently completed in the village of Basa. Up until this time, there had been only one higher secondary school in the Everest region of Nepal to serve 34 Village Development Committees and a total population of 107,686 people. The Government of Nepal approved the addition of a second higher secondary school in Basa, one of the largest communities with a population of approximately 4,000, to educate 150 students per year.

This is a two stage building project that is constructing two structures using the earthbag method. Each building is a two room structure that can hold up to 45 students per room. Again this project is being built in partnership with the local community and Nepali NGO, The Small World.

We are happy to share the stories of these successful projects by Edge of Seven, but our real interest lies in another project with them, one in which TruexCullins is taking a more active part.   More on that next time...

TruexCullins Wins Awards for School Design

Anglo-American School of Sofia, Bulgaria

TruexCullins Architecture recently won national awards for their design of the Anglo-American School of Sofia (AAS), an authorized International Baccalaureate World School located in Bulgaria. TruexCullins was hired to create the “Vitosha Wing”, the new home for the middle and high school programs.

The $8 million expansion, included  site planning and building design developed by Architect and Managing Principal David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP and Associate Architect Diantha Korzun, AIA, LEED AP. Epstein Leads the K-12 and International Education Studios at TruexCullins.

TruexCullins worked closely with the AAS; listening to the needs and desires of the administration, faculty, students and parents. “The project is a result of unique community effort,” shares Marchella Ignatova, Business Manager of the AAS. “Students, parents and teachers worked with the TruexCullins providing feedback and ideas for these buildings.”

The significant expansion, which doubles the capacity of the school, includes new classrooms, sports facilities and plans for a new performing arts complex. The campus layout was crafted to foster smaller learning communities within the larger school community.TruexCullins designed the new 8,500 sq. meter middle school and high school facility to incorporate green building features including storm water management and reuse. This is accomplished through the use of green roofs, constructed wetlands and ponds. Other green features include daylight harvesting, solar hot water, photo-voltaic roof covered parking and extensive use of local materials. The project is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is expected to earn LEED® Gold certification.

TruexCullins’ building design earned first place at the National Building of the Year Awards in the Education Category and runner up in the Bulgaria Building of the Year in the Green Category.

The Bulgarian Chamber of Architects also awarded it first place in the Bulgarian Building of the Year – Education Category. It also received a second place award in the Bulgarian Building of the Year – Green Category.

“AAS was a great partner to work with," shared David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP. " They were truly interested in creating a facility that fosters collaboration, community, and engaged learning. And they were fiercely committed to sustainable design solutions. We are fortunate to work with clients with great vision."

Digital Crayon: Article 12- School Design for the Whole Child

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

 

For a few years now, we have been giving a presentation entitled “Design for the Whole Child”, which describes our view of the goal of school design. The thesis is this: the mission of schools has expanded to address the needs of the whole child: academic, social, emotional and physical.  When we design schools, we need to be thinking about how the design affects these four aspects of the whole child.

Historically, schools focused primarily on academic and physical needs. This is why so many older schools consist of mainly classrooms and gyms (cafeterias too). Now schools are working to develop children into good community members and global citizens, imbuing them with a sense of social mission. They are concerned with a child’s emotional well-being as well.  Teachers often remark how positive classroom dynamics makes for a more effective educational experience. This focus on wellness encompasses physical education as well, where kids are learning about healthy lifestyles, including fitness, diet, drug/alcohol awareness, and meditation. Typically, we present these ideas to the entire school community at the outset of the planning process. We find it gets the staff’s juices flowing and helps them think beyond their own experience.

School design can address these broad goals in many ways. Here are but a few examples:

• Academic: A school can meet its students’ academic needs by facilitating “21st Century Learning” concepts (see Articles 5 and 10). This includes providing ample space for collaboration and meetings in multiple configurations.

• Social: A school can demonstrate its social mission by embracing sustainable design (see Articles 8 & 9). It can also be designed for easy use by the broader community.

• Emotional: School design can create a sense of place using scale, form and color elements that help children feel connected and give them a sense of well-being.  Natural light and views to the exterior can also contribute to this feeling.

• Physical: Schools can provide spaces such as fitness and movement rooms that teach kids long-term healthy lifestyles. They can be located in walkable communities and provide bike racks and access to public transit.

These are but a few examples. The reality is that every part of a school should address the four components listed above. We find that the Whole Child approach reminds us of the true goals of school design. It guides our thinking as we work with schools around the world to design creative buildings where young people thrive.

Last Article 11 - Aligning Existing Facilities with 21st-Century Learning

Next Article - Flexible Learning Environments

Digital Crayon: Article 11 - Aligning Existing School Facilities with 21st Century Learning

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

In the last article, we discussed how greening an existing school is often more difficult than building a new school. The same could be said for integrating 21st century learning concepts into an existing facility.  Despite the challenges, I would say this is a goal of every school we work with so we are happy to share our insights.


We discussed 21st Century Learning as it is called back in Article 5. The term “21st Century Learning” has come to describe the paradigm shift from teacher-centered instruction to student-centered inquiry, recognizing that schools must provide multiple pathways to learning to accommodate the different learning styles of students. This often translates into more project-based curriculum, interdisciplinary themes, and collaboration between teachers and among students.

The kinds of spaces that support these activities include project rooms, small group meeting spaces, larger team meeting spaces, etc. The bottom line is that if your existing facility is at capacity, incorporating these features requires adding more space to your facility.

Many schools, especially middle schools, are organized in grade level teams. Organizing support and instructional space in a way that supports this concept, such as pods or clusters is challenging in an existing facility. Often the end result is a compromise between the ideal and the reality of the geometry of the existing structure, availability of expansion space, cost and disruption to normal operations.

There are several strategies worth considering. If your classrooms are sufficiently large, it is sometimes possible to insert small group spaces between classrooms. Other times a whole classroom can be transformed into a suite of smaller spaces.

To create a team environment, it may be possible to remove the wall to the corridor of one classroom to create a common space serving the surrounding classrooms. If there is enough exterior space, a new classroom can be added to the exterior of this common space, creating a suite of three classrooms with a common space.

Another technique is to outfit an existing classroom as a project room. This includes adding sinks, storage, sufficient electrical and data, work tables and durable flooring and wall materials.

Probable the simplest strategy to encourage collaboration is to add a connecting door between classrooms. This allows for easy flow and communication between teachers and students on the same team.

Last Article: 10 - Greening Your Existing School Facility

Next Article 12 - School Design for the Whole Child

Digital Crayon: Article 10 – Greening Your Existing School Facility

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

In our last article, we discussed the sustainability in a general way as viewed through the lens of the LEED Green Building Rating System. I am sure many of you are wondering: how do I green my existing facility. Here again, looking at LEED’s Existing Building: Operations + Maintenance (EBOM) program is instructive.

As you might imagine, greening an existing facility is much harder than building a new one to green standards. For starters, the new construction program is a single event while the existing program is an ongoing process. This process includes changing the way you purchase materials, food, furniture and even how you clean the building. In short, it requires institutional behavior changes, which is often harder to do. And the EBOM system requires recertification every five years.

Many of the other credits in the EBOM system are similar to the new construction program: storm water control, water and energy efficiency, etc. But rather than speak in generalities, let’s drill down into a few topics to see how it works. First up: energy efficiency.

Our approach to making a new or existing structure energy efficient can be summarized in three steps. Step 1: Make the building envelope well-insulated and air-tight. This helps reduce loads on your heating and/or air-conditioning equipment, allowing them to be sized smaller. Next, specify energy- efficient equipment with options like heat-recovery and free-cooling. Third, is to specify smart controls. These include occupancy and CO2 sensors, dimming and multi-level lighting. The idea is to only run the lights and HVAC when you have to. Educating the users of each space to assist with these goals helps too!

Now some of these measures may cost additional money up front. The key to successful implementation of green design is to look at the life-cycle cost analysis of the proposed system. This is done by computing the energy costs of the proposed system vs. a baseline system and determining the when the energy savings have paid for the incremental cost difference of the upgrade. It’s always helpful to have a criteria (ex: 10 years) beforehand – just make sure is it shorter than the life of the equipment being considered!

Just as we discussed with new buildings, sustainability addresses much more than energy consumption. For example, a key quality of sustainable design is good indoor air quality. In an existing building, this can be improved in several ways.

The primary way is to ensure there is adequate fresh air ventilation of the space. This can be done with passively with operable windows or mechanically with ventilation equipment. Beware that the split system air conditioners, so popular for retro-fits, only recirculate air and do not provide fresh air. Indoor environmental quality can also be improved by using low-VOC paints, furnishings and finishes. Cleaning practices, too, should be examined to avoid using toxic chemicals or dust creating practices. Green Guard Environmental Institute (www.greenguard.org) certifies cleaning and other products as environmentally friendly and is accepted by LEED.

In addition to considering the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) content in each product, the type and percentage of recycled content, location of origin and renewable nature of each choice must be considered to lower your school’s environmental footprint. Changing your purchasing selection criteria is an important way you can green your school – with or without a construction project.

Last Article: Article 9 - School Safety and Security

Next Article: Article 11 - Aligning Existing School Facilies with 21st-Century Learning

Anglo-American School of Sofia Grand Opening

This fall the ribbon was cut and the doors swung open on the new $8 million expansion project for the Anglo-American School of Sofia in Bulgaria.

TruexCullins first developed a master plan for the school’s growth from 350 to 650 students, then provided Design Guardianship services as the new building addition took shape.  Under the leadership of David Epstein and Diantha Korzun, the school doubled its classroom space, which serves middle and high school students from 44 countries.

The project also includes new sports facilities, a performing arts complex, and an outdoor amphitheater built into the naturally sloping site.  The new wing has a green roof, solar power collection, and greywater recycling.

The existing wing received LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings, and the new wing is currently being certified under LEED for New Construction.  The school is the only LEED Gold-certified building in Bulgaria.

The project was completed in August and the reviews are now coming in.  The Anglo-American School received Building of the Year 2006, and Sustainable Building Project 2010 by the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria. The project was also profiled on the Interior Design website in October.

If your Bulgarian is up to par, you can follow along with this video from the opening ceremonies.  The event was attended by school officials, dignitaries, and plenty of happy students and parents to mark the opening of their new school.

Digital Crayon: Article 8 - Sustainablity

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

Sustainability, Green Schools, Environmental Design – it goes by many names these days. Everybody wants it for their schools, but few schools understand what it means and the level of commitment required to make it happen. We believe sustainable design is a great fit for schools because it creates healthy productive environments that help students excel and are resource and earth-friendly facilities that are durable and energy efficient. With so many schools teaching environmental stewardship and global citizenship, it is a unique opportunity demonstrate its commitment to these concepts. At its highest level, we can create buildings that teach these fundamental ideas through their thoughtful design.

We use the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System as the starting point in our discussions. Over the past several years, it has become the defacto green building credential.  It provides a useful conceptual framework by which to assess environmental design opportunities at a school.

LEED is divided into  five primary categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality. There are also Innovation and Regional credits available as well. In each of the five categories, there are credits that are mandatory and some that are optional. The idea is to select the credits that make sense for your project. Each credit is documented and reviewed by the LEED accrediting group. Based on the number of credits accepted, a project can receive a Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification.
What does LEED look for? In Sustainable Sites, credits are available for projects to be located in dense area near mass transit, on brownfield sites, to maximize open space and restore habitat. LEED also encourages responsible storm water management. This is a big issue when storm water runs on the surface or in pipes directly to nearby waterways, carrying pollutants, fertilizers and pesticides with it. In this case, green design is about being good for the environment. Implementation costs money and there is no financial payback. This is when commitment to the goals of sustainability is strictly about environmental impact and the future of our communities.

The Water Efficiency credits encourage the reduction of potable water use for landscaping, wastewater and process water use. The Energy and Atmosphere section addresses energy performance, and is where the mother lode of credits are available. Central to LEED’s approach to energy performance is the use of a computer energy model, that predicts the building’s energy performance. This interactive tool allows the design team to optimize the building performance by looking at the interrelationship of the building design envelope, HVAC systems, and site orientation. On-site renewables and green power are also encouraged.

In Materials and Resources, the emphasis is on using regional, recycled, low-emitting and rapidly renewable materials.

The Indoor Environmental Quality section tends to start quite a conversation, especially in international schools. Here LEED shows its U.S. bias, where mechanical ventilation in classrooms is common. In most of the world, however, it is not. In these places, ventilation is achieved with operable windows. The issue becomes in the winter, when the heat is on and windows are closed. The same is true in the summer with schools that have split system air-conditioning, which does not bring in fresh air.  We breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.  In these sealed environments, the carbon dioxide level can build up resulting in drowsiness. We believe effective ventilation strategies in all temperature conditions are key to creating healthy, productive environments.

LEED is but one path to making our buildings more sustainable. In the UK, they use a similar system called BREEAM. In any case, we always the welcome the opportunity to talk more about this important issue, so don’t hesitate to chime in.


Next Article - Article 9 - School Safety and Security

Last Article - Article 7 - Technology in Schools

Digital Crayon: Article 7 - Technology in Schools

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

In our last conversation, we looked at the Learning Commons (aka Library) and started discussing technology. This is a subject worth spending a little more time on. While schools we work with are all increasingly integrating technology into the learning experience, they are all at different parts of the journey. Some have one-to-one laptop programs, some have laptop carts, others a few hardwired computers in each classroom. Some have all of the above!

A decent percentage of the schools have a technology plan. Like a strategic plan, this plan lays out the school’s goals and approach over a fixed period of time. However, the technology is changing so fast that these plans often become obsolete quickly

Let’s first talk about laptops. The first issue affecting facilities was the need for charging stations. Some schools have carts, others  have put outlets in lockers. Recently, we have heard of some schools who put the responsibility on the students to do this at home. This depends of course on battery life. We suspect with the advent of solid state hard drives and longer battery life, this issue will go away.
Laptops generally run on a wireless network. Concern has been raised by some schools about the health effects of wireless technology. As far as we have read, the evidence is not conclusive. However, the concerns are real. Wireless technology can be less reliable than wired networks and can’t support large file transfers as readily.

Laptop carts have become quite popular. This is a mobile cart holding 20-25 laptops that several classes can share. As a result, we have been converting some computer labs back into classroom space. The two areas where this is not possible is with young students (Pre-K, K, 1) and High School video editing labs. The younger kids can’t carry the laptops around easily. Video editing requires fairy robust desktop computers to process the large files.
This brings us to tablets. To date, we have not seen wide spread adoption of a one-to-one program with a tablet but we are sure it's coming. With their relatively low cost, low weight and long battery life, they seem a natural for the school environment.

Many students, especially in high school, own their own device(s) and prefer using them to school issued equipment. As a result, some schools have a BYOD (bring your own device) approach to technology, investing their resources in an infrastructure that allows many types of devices to access the network, digital curriculum and printing options.

In this rapidly evolving environment, the key to a successful approach is flexibility. Focusing on providing the infrastructure to support multiple platforms will help keep the school ready for the next new device. Easy access to power and data outlets, wireless, network resources, internet, printers and most importantly the school’s educational and communication tools are always good investments amidst the changing digital landscape.

Next Article - Article 8 - Sustainability - Coming in two weeks!

Last Article - Article 6 - The Learning Commons

  

Digital Crayon: Article 6 - The Learning Commons

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

Last article we discussed 21st century learning concepts and their impact on school design. Nowhere is this more relevant these days than in libraries. It seems as though every one of our schools is grappling with how to transform their libraries into a “Learning Commons”. 

In our work and research, we have come to understand the learning commons as a place where students can learn in a variety of settings. Those settings can range from an active social space with food and comfy furniture to quiet spaces for individuals and groups. Technology is widely available to support their learning, including printing, copying and tech support. Learning Support services may also be located in the Learning Commons. This concept, while in flux, is in contrast with the notion of the Library as a repository of knowledge (i.e. books).

There is no recipe for the Learning Commons and each school approaches it different ways. It may be possible to co-locate a school wide feature such as a café near the library to create a social space. Think of retail bookstore design a la Barnes & Nobles. This is a case where successful commercial ventures are leading the direction of library design. Other schools are looking for an outdoor component for their Learning Commons experience.

One area where there is widespread head scratching is the role of technology in the new library. How many books should there be? What is the role of e-books, tablets and computers? Our experience is there are fairly divergent ideas about where we are heading. More on that in the next installment.

Next Post - Article 7 - Technology in Schools 

Last Post - Article 5 - 21st Century Learning

Digital Crayon: Article 5 - 21st Century Learning

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

Another key driver behind school change is the need to align facilities with the way schools now teach  (or at least want to). The full spectrum of changes in education these days is generally termed “21st Century Learning”. This term refers to ideas like student-centered learning, project-based inquiry, interdisciplinary themes, etc.  The goal is to either build or adapt school environments that facilitate this kind of learning.

As you know, many of our schools were built post World War II and consist of a small office area, multipurpose space, library and classrooms. They lack the kind of spaces needed for the modern teaching paradigm.

What exactly does this mean? Well first of all there is less emphasis on lecture based instruction, especially at the younger grades. There is more work in small groups and more project work. At the same time, there is more collaboration among teachers which results in the need to bring grade level teams together for presentations, meetings, etc. As a result, we consistently hear about the need for small spaces for small group work and large spaces for team gatherings. These are spaces that a post-War school just doesn’t have.

21st Century Learning concepts also recognize that kids learn in different ways and as a result, need different modalities in their school spaces to optimize learning. Some students are very hands-on learners, others require quiet space for deep immersion, while others thrive in a social environment. Creating flexible environments that provide multiple pathways for learning is key in supporting student learning.

As you can probably surmise, incorporating these concepts requires more space than the traditional school. After all, nothing is more space efficient than rows of tablet chairs. In fact, when touring a school, we often look at the furniture. The kind and arrangement of the furniture in a classroom often hints at the kind of learning taking place. We often engage our interior design team to assist with selecting furniture that best needs the needs of the school.

Next Digital Crayon - Article 6 - The Learning Commons

Last Digital Crayon - Article 4 - Traffic and Safety

Digital Crayon: Article 4 - Traffic and Safety

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

Our last article was about growth and community. Another big issue with virtually all schools we work with is on-site traffic congestion and safety. Everybody is driving their kids to schools these days. This results in backups and delays, both on and off the school grounds.  Because of this, people park everywhere and kids cross through travel lanes, between cars – it’s a wonder accidents don’t happen more often.

There are many design strategies that can be employed to mitigate the problems, but often there are just too many cars. We often gently suggest what’s known as “demand side management” which is an effort to reduce car usage with techniques such as improved bus service, incentives, sidewalks, bike racks and/or carpooling. This is often met with resistance, especially in international schools where safety is a big concern. People like to drive their cars!
In addition to physical improvements, there are a few things that can be done operationally that we have seen help. One is having helpers available to help small kids exit and enter their car so that the driver does not to have to get out. This seems to speed up the pickup and delivery process. One school we work with even calls out the students names so they are ready when the car arrives. In the end, the key to decreasing congestion is improving flow.

One of the key concerns, and rightly so, is safety. This can be improved by separating bus and parent drop-off areas. If there is not enough space for this and students must cross a travelled way, it should be only at well-marked designated areas. To ensure this happens, we often have to create barriers between parking areas and travel lanes to guide pedestrians to the safe crossings. We try to do this with landscaping when we can, but sometimes a nice looking fence will have to do!

Next Digital Crayon - Article 5 - 21st Century Learning

Last Digital Crayon - Article 3 - Growth and Capacity

Digital Crayon: Article 3 - Growth and Capacity

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

 

First let’s talk about some of big drivers behind a facility project. Ideally, these are defined in a strategic plan, but that is not always the case.  Having a strategic plan as starting point gives the school leadership team a clear mandate for pursuing its primary facility goals.  Often, however, needs emerge from the planning process itself. We might start with growth issues, for example, and find out that collaborative spaces are a dire need on campus.

Growth and capacity issues are classic drivers of a facility project, especially with international school these days. Understanding the parameters around the issues is important.  Is it to meet market demands, or provide richer program offerings? How big does the school want to grow? Over what period of time? Is it likely to expand evenly across all grades or only in certain areas? Having answers to these questions will help clarify the planning task ahead for the architect.

Let’s spend a little more time on the growth issue. Many times we are asked by our clients: what is the capacity of our campus? How many kids can we accommodate? Our answer is often: depends.  We say this because we have worked with schools with little to no green space. They bus their kids to shared fields.  We know we can fit a lot of program on a site, especially if multiple story buildings are allowed. The question for the school is: can it live with these impacts to its open space? To be clear: the architect’s job is to show the extent of the expanded facilities so the school can determine if these impacts are acceptable.

Another issue with growth is sense of community. Universally, we hear that people love a small school feel, meaning a sense of community where everyone knows each other. Maintaining that feeling becomes difficult as a school grows. Many of the larger schools tackle this by creating schools within schools.  A middle school, for example, can work hard to create a sense of belonging among its students and teachers. This can be reinforced by design. Providing separate entrances and social spaces within the “smaller” school can support a sense of identification with that entity. Likewise, a single campus entrance can reinforce the notion of the community as a whole.

Enhancing the sense of community is a common theme for schools these days. And not just among students. Schools are looking for spaces for teachers to connect and collaborate with each other, and places for the larger community to gather together.

Next Digital Crayon - Article 4, Traffic and Safety

Last Digital Crayon - Article 2, The Planning Process

Please post your thoughts and suggestions!

Digital Crayon: Article 2 - The Planning Process

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP



Last article we discussed getting started on a facility project. In this article, let’s discuss how the master planning process might work. If it is an existing building or campus, we generally divide up the process into three components: Facility Analysis, Programming and Concept Design. If it’s a totally new project, then of course the Facility Analysis is not applicable. In this case, an analysis of the site might be more appropriate.

In the Facility Analysis, we evaluate the building and site systems in terms of maintenance, improvement, or replacement with our team of engineers and produce a report.

In Programming, we interview all of the user groups of the building and create a Space Needs Program, which lists all of the existing and proposed spaces, their sizes and important adjacencies and environmental requirements. We also include a narrative describing existing functional deficiencies and the important driving forces behind the space requests.

Finally, in Concept Design, we develop several design alternatives based on the programming work. The selected approach is further refined and becomes the final master plan. I should note at this point that these drawings are conceptual and sketchy in nature – the 30,000 foot view. But they provide a roadmap for campus or building development that can be developed over time. The entire master planning process can take a semester, sometimes longer. Needless to say, it’s wise to have the master plan approved before there is a significant board member change over.

Along with this planning scope of work there are several options of course. Sometimes we are asked to provide cost estimating services. Often we include a sustainability review using the LEED Green Building Rating System. But more on that next time!

Next Digital Crayon - Article 3 - Growth and Capacity

Last Digital Crayon - Article 1 - Musings on School Design