The evolution of libraries for elementary and secondary schools has seen these spaces emerge as media centers of learning and collaboration for their students. However, library spaces, as they’ve been configured traditionally, don’t always lend themselves readily to that kind of transformation.
“The flaw of outdated space is that the design of the media center may not reflect or support” the current learning experience, states Wold Architects and Engineers, the Minnesota-based firm, in a recent white paper titled “From data retrieval to data creation: trends and opportunities for modern media centers.”
That white paper positions media—“the system and organization through which information is spread to a large number of people”—at the heart of a school’s learning. “No other space in a school is better situated to impact all learners and spark innovation,” the white paper states.
The flexible design of modern media centers can accommodate both personalized and project-based learning, different spatial options, as well as information access through a variety of technologies. Spaces can be “zoned” for both private study and communal student interaction. Media Centers “are less about retrieval” and more about “access and inclusion for any type of information for communication,” says Vaughn Dierks, AIA, LEED AP, a Partner with Wold and one of the white paper’s coauthors.
BOOKS AND ACTIVITIES DECENTRALIZED
Dierks cites as examples several recent media center projects his firm has been engaged in. For a new high school for Hermantown Community Schools in Minnesota, Wold created a “deconstructed” media center called Digital Commons, which has become the school’s hub. Bookshelves were scaled back and books placed in high-density storage that takes up a fraction of the shelf space. Students reserve book online and are supported by IT and Media specialists who are located at help desk/information stations. The entire media center is open space surrounded by classrooms and labs.
At Centerview Elementary School in Spring Lake Park, Minn., students can self-checkout books that are distributed to areas near clusters for classrooms. The Media Center opens to an adjacent cafeteria, with learning “stairs” and performance space as central elements.
The Media Center for the Prairie View PK-8 school for Independent School District #728 in Otsego, Minn., includes collaborative spaces adjacent and open to the cafeteria. The in-between space has come to be known as “The Living Room” and is accessible to the school’s community. Secure spaces for books and technology are behind an operable glass wall.
In Idalia, Colo., the Idalia PK-12 has dispersed previously centralized books and other resources to spaces adjacent to classrooms that support different grade levels.
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | May 15, 2024
A new Alabama high school supports hands-on, collaborative, and diverse learning
In Gulf Shores, a city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, a new $137 million high school broke ground in late April and is expected to open in the fall of 2026. Designed by DLR Group and Goodwyn Mills Cawood, the 287,000-sf Gulf Shores High School will offer cutting-edge facilities and hands-on learning opportunities.
K-12 Schools | May 13, 2024
S.M.A.R.T. campus combines 3 schools on one site
From the start of the design process for Santa Clara Unified School District’s new preK-12 campus, discussions moved beyond brick-and-mortar to focus on envisioning the future of education in Silicon Valley.
K-12 Schools | May 7, 2024
World's first K-12 school to achieve both LEED for Schools Platinum and WELL Platinum
A new K-12 school in Washington, D.C., is the first school in the world to achieve both LEED for Schools Platinum and WELL Platinum, according to its architect, Perkins Eastman. The John Lewis Elementary School is also the first school in the District of Columbia designed to achieve net-zero energy (NZE).
Biophilic Design | May 6, 2024
The benefits of biophilic design in the built environment
Biophilic design in the built environment supports the health and wellbeing of individuals, as they spend most of their time indoors.
K-12 Schools | Apr 30, 2024
Fully electric Oregon elementary school aims for resilience with microgrid design
The River Grove Elementary School in Oregon was designed for net-zero carbon and resiliency to seismic events, storms, and wildfire. The roughly 82,000-sf school in a Portland suburb will feature a microgrid—a small-scale power grid that operates independently from the area’s electric grid.
K-12 Schools | Apr 29, 2024
Tomorrow's classrooms: Designing schools for the digital age
In a world where technology’s rapid pace has reshaped how we live, work, and communicate, it should be no surprise that it’s also changing the PreK-12 education landscape.
School Construction | Apr 22, 2024
A school district in Utah aggressively moves forward on modernizing its schools
Two new high schools manifest nuanced design differences.
Fire-Rated Products | Apr 16, 2024
SAFTI FIRST launches redesigned website
SAFTI FIRST, leading USA-manufacturer of advanced fire rated glass and framing systems, is pleased to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website, safeglassforschools.com.
K-12 Schools | Apr 11, 2024
Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK
Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK Architects, Houston.
K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024
A San Antonio school will provide early childhood education to a traditionally under-resourced region
In San Antonio, Pre-K 4 SA, which provides preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and HOLT Group, which owns industrial and other companies, recently broke ground on an early childhood education: the South Education Center.
