As school districts explore new ways to reach the broadest number of students, myriad teaching methods—some with one foot in psychology and the other in commerce— are seeping into the educational bloodstream. As a result, AEC teams are being asked to design and build schools with enough flexibility to adapt to changing pedagogies.
Architect Richard Berliner singles out a K-8 charter school in Lancaster, Calif., that “doesn’t have a single traditional classroom.” It follows the teaching blueprint of ILead—for International Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development, inspired by Stephen Covey’s book and program “The Leader in Me.” At USC Hybrid High School—a personalized college-prep program developed by the charter management organization Ednovate and affiliated with the University of Southern California—teachers weave yearlong themes (such as “Know Yourself ” or “Know Your World”) into their students’ coursework.
Last September, 10 campuses nationwide (from among 10,000 applicants) received $10 million each to create “a high school of the future” through XQ: The Super School Project, an organization of educators and engineers launched last year by Laurene Power Jobs, the widow of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs.
Like other XQs, Vista High School, in the North San Diego area, has a year to implement its plan and five years to incorporate XQ’s program. The details of what this will mean for the physical school are still being worked out. Right now, some Vista classes are conducted in modular trailers. But the campus has 50 acres, “so we have lots of room to maneuver,” says Ashley Johnson, Architectural Designer at Berliner Architects, which is designing Vista’s XQ campus. The firm envisions a high school with dedicated classrooms interspersed with rings of flexible and common spaces.
The high school will retain its Personalized Learning Academy, a school within a school that replaces conventional classes with individualized coursework and online curricula. The school has contracted with software developers to design an app that will chart students’ progress in mastering skills and completing projects.
Related Stories
Building Tech | Jun 26, 2019
Modular construction can deliver projects 50% faster
Modular construction can deliver projects 20% to 50% faster than traditional methods and drastically reshape how buildings are delivered, according to a new report from McKinsey & Co.
K-12 Schools | May 17, 2019
Tall schools, tight spaces: Giving students access to the outdoors requires considerable creativity
Verticality has some plusses, according to AEC firms that have engaged such projects recently.
K-12 Schools | Apr 25, 2019
How outdoor environments provide value to K-12 learning, health, and safety
Outdoor spaces at school offer students key opportunities to learn, problem solve, and mentally refresh.
K-12 Schools | Jan 21, 2019
Safer K-12 design: School should feel – and look – like school
In an age during which stories of bullying, school shootings, and mental health concerns are all too common, designers have a critical role to play in crafting K-12 schools that simultaneously promote engaged learning and student safety.
K-12 Schools | Nov 5, 2018
Modernizing schools is paying off in creating better learning and teaching environments
A new paper reports on a recent study of nine schools in Washington DC that gauged occupants’ perceptions.
K-12 Schools | Jul 26, 2018
K-12 market trends 2018: Common areas enable hands-on learning
Modern designs emphasize social and collaboration spaces outside the classroom.
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: From micro schools to tiny houses: What’s driving the downsizing economy?
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), micro-buildings design expert Aeron Hodges, AIA, explores the key drivers of the micro-buildings movement, and how the trend is spreading into a wide variety of building typologies.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
K-12 Schools | Jan 25, 2018
Cost estimating for K-12 school projects: An invaluable tool for budget management
Clients want to be able to track costs at every stage of a project, and cost estimates (current and life cycle) are valuable planning and design tools, writes LS3P's Ginny Magrath, AIA.
K-12 Schools | Jan 24, 2018
Hawaii’s first net-zero public school
G70 is the architect, planner, and civil engineer of record for the project.
