When Intrinsic School, a 60,000-sf public charter school, opened last August, it represented a first for Chicago: a school designed from the ground up to blend instruction, collaboration, and technology. Each grade (7–12) is separated into a STEM and Humanities pod. Each pod has its own isolated space, either a lab or a Socratic seminar space.
Each pod has five learning environments whose names—Coastline, Exchange Table, Pop-up Class, Genius Bar, and Study Lounge—hint at the kind of individual or collaborative learning at work. “We wanted to give each space its own identity,” says Daniel Wicke, Project Architect with Wheeler Kearns Architects.
TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
2014 K-12 Revenue ($)
1. DLR Group $47,750,000
2. PBK $44,800,000
3. Stantec $33,419,099
4. Huckabee $32,000,000
5. Parkhill, Smith & Cooper $22,211,000SEE FULL LIST BELOW
TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
2014 K-12 Revenue ($)
1. AECOM $42,950,000
2. Jacobs $32,915,000
3. WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff $19,669,921
4. STV $14,260,000
5. Wendel $12,188,430SEE FULL LIST BELOW
TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
2014 K-12 Revenue ($)
1. Turner Construction $487,394,480
2. CORE Construction $321,022,373
3. Gilbane Building Co. $299,244,295
4. Balfour Beatty US $298,793,841
5. Skanska USA $245,681,551SEE FULL LIST BELOW
Last year, $14.2 billion in school construction was completed, up 5% from 2013, according to School Planning & Management. Whether new or reconstructed, schools must meet new demands that emanate from the real world.
“School buildings and classrooms must be able to rapidly adapt to different instructional and learning modes, including teacher-centric lectures, quiet and reflective self-study and testing, and group collaboration,” says Ronald C. Weston, Vice President of Architecture at Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor.
Tom Rogér, Vice President and K-12 Leader at Gilbane, says 21st-century schools typically include larger spaces for student-centered learning, distributed technology throughout the building, and smartboards configured for student use.
Design needs to allow learning to happen anywhere in the school, says Irene Nigaglioni, AIA, CEFP, LEED AP BD+C, Partner/National Planning Director at PBK. Walls that used to separate classrooms from hallways are being opened up to expand collaborative spaces. Libraries and cafeterias are melding together into “learning hubs,” supported by robust wireless technology.
What’s new about all these design concepts is that more school districts are willing to try them out. The reason: pushback from business leaders. “Employers are starting to complain that kids have lost the ability to be critical thinkers,” says Sandy Kate, LEED AP, REFP, Senior Educational Facility Planner at HMC Architects.
The convergence of teaching methodologies and new design practices is impacting K-12 school design. Spaces for STEM and Next Generation Science Standards require students to apply the same Design Thinking skills that architects use.
“Today’s students don’t just learn about robotics: they build robots,” says Greg Monberg, AIA, CEFP, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Design Research at Fanning Howey. “As architects, we must design environments that catalyze this Design Thinking approach to education.”
Design Thinking is at work in the Milan (Mich.) Center for Innovative Studies, a 23,000-sf project-based learning environment for high school seniors. Specialty labs surround a central “innovative zone.”
The space serves as a laboratory for student projects: building and marketing solar-powered boats, building and programming robots, and designing a load-bearing structure that withstands earthquake-like forces. Students and teachers access the labs and collaboration spaces as needed, based on each day’s activities.
TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
| Company | 2014 K-12 School Revenue ($) | |
| 1 | DLR Group | $47,750,000 |
| 2 | PBK | $44,800,000 |
| 3 | Stantec | $33,419,099 |
| 4 | Huckabee | $32,000,000 |
| 5 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | $22,211,000 |
| 6 | HMC Architects | $21,107,084 |
| 7 | Fanning/Howey Associates | $19,623,313 |
| 8 | Perkins+Will | $19,240,000 |
| 9 | Heery International | $17,190,567 |
| 10 | FGM Architects | $16,601,809 |
| 11 | NAC|Architecture | $16,095,124 |
| 12 | Corgan | $15,660,000 |
| 13 | Moseley Architects | $15,609,087 |
| 14 | Perkins Eastman | $14,632,000 |
| 15 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | $14,379,782 |
| 16 | LPA | $14,211,122 |
| 17 | Quattrocchi Kwok Architects | $13,860,000 |
| 18 | Hord Coplan Macht | $13,100,061 |
| 19 | HMFH Architects | $11,911,364 |
| 20 | Integrus Architecture | $11,769,378 |
| 21 | HKS | $9,680,472 |
| 22 | Shive-Hattery | $8,328,659 |
| 23 | GWWO | $7,935,937 |
| 24 | Wight & Company | $7,772,876 |
| 25 | Legat Architects | $7,470,000 |
| 26 | Harvard Jolly | $6,965,592 |
| 27 | DLA Architects | $6,769,402 |
| 28 | BLDD Architects | $6,750,000 |
| 29 | KSQ Architects | $6,237,196 |
| 30 | JLG Architects | $5,894,445 |
| 31 | SEI Design Group | $5,837,700 |
| 32 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | $5,582,172 |
| 33 | BBS Architects and Engineers | $5,520,000 |
| 34 | CTA Architects Engineers | $5,325,260 |
| 35 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | $5,210,000 |
| 36 | S/L/A/M Collaborative, The | $5,091,626 |
| 37 | Schenkel & Shultz | $5,044,000 |
| 38 | LS3P | $4,992,588 |
| 39 | Goodwyn Mills and Cawood | $4,939,235 |
| 40 | Ashley McGraw Architects | $4,886,347 |
| 41 | FXFOWLE Architects | $4,752,223 |
| 42 | Little | $4,431,000 |
| 43 | Cuningham Group Architecture | $4,413,753 |
| 44 | Zyscovich Architects | $4,007,233 |
| 45 | BRPH | $3,808,227 |
| 46 | SRG Partnership | $3,476,177 |
| 47 | EYP | $3,447,014 |
| 48 | Cooper Carry | $3,417,026 |
| 49 | EwingCole | $3,391,000 |
| 50 | Schrader Group Architecture | $2,968,616 |
| 51 | Clark Nexsen | $2,500,000 |
| 52 | Becker Morgan Group | $2,422,634 |
| 53 | PBDW Architects | $2,372,212 |
| 54 | RS&H | $2,345,000 |
| 55 | Leo A Daly | $2,178,404 |
| 56 | Good Fulton & Farrell | $2,100,140 |
| 57 | Ennead Architects | $2,048,000 |
| 58 | Dattner Architects | $1,819,345 |
| 59 | Shepley Bulfinch | $1,709,868 |
| 60 | Kirksey Architecture | $1,634,400 |
| 61 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | $1,566,001 |
| 62 | Environetics | $1,468,746 |
| 63 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, Inc. |
$1,378,755 |
| 64 | LMN Architects | $1,327,200 |
| 65 | Gensler | $1,220,000 |
| 66 | Glumac | $1,183,752 |
| 67 | OZ Architecture | $1,183,250 |
| 68 | Architects Hawaii Ltd. | $1,140,000 |
| 69 | Mithun | $1,125,000 |
| 70 | Massa Multimedia Architecture | $1,000,000 |
| 71 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | $993,177 |
| 72 | Moody Nolan | $983,143 |
| 73 | NORR | $572,861 |
| 74 | Bergmann Associates | $570,618 |
| 75 | Beyer Blinder Belle | $544,819 |
| 76 | Westlake Reed Leskosky | $500,000 |
| 77 | DesignGroup | $495,865 |
| 78 | Hoffmann Architects | $401,000 |
| 79 | Morris Architects | $395,000 |
| 80 | Nelson | $368,390 |
| 81 | CASCO Diversified Corp. | $350,000 |
| 82 | Ziegler Cooper | $348,762 |
| 83 | Ware Malcomb | $338,041 |
| 84 | Rosser International | $312,000 |
| 85 | STG Design | $192,000 |
| 86 | JRS Architect | $185,000 |
| 87 | BWBR | $180,099 |
| 88 | LK Architecture | $150,000 |
| 89 | Lord Aeck Sargent | $147,481 |
| 90 | Nadel | $140,000 |
| 91 | GBBN Architects | $130,000 |
| 92 | CO Architects | $129,000 |
| 93 | ATA Beilharz Architects | $122,715 |
| 94 | KZF Design | $120,403 |
| 95 | FM Group | $110,000 |
| 96 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | $93,000 |
| 97 | Davis Brody Bond | $62,800 |
| 98 | Cambridge Seven Associates | $50,000 |
| 99 | Hnedak Bobo Group | $26,000 |
| 100 | BSA LifeStructures | $20,664 |
TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
| Company | 2014 K-12 School Revenue ($) | |
| 1 | AECOM | $42,950,000 |
| 2 | Jacobs | $32,915,000 |
| 3 | WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff | $19,669,921 |
| 4 | STV | $14,260,000 |
| 5 | Wendel | $12,188,430 |
| 6 | TTG | $6,593,145 |
| 7 | KCI Technologies | $5,000,000 |
| 8 | Dewberry | $4,091,008 |
| 9 | LaBella Associates | $3,964,943 |
| 10 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | $3,909,480 |
| 11 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | $3,180,000 |
| 12 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | $2,956,000 |
| 13 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | $2,938,452 |
| 14 | Thornton Tomasetti | $2,865,201 |
| 15 | M/E Engineering | $2,647,272 |
| 16 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | $2,542,000 |
| 17 | Coffman Engineers | $2,527,000 |
| 18 | Henderson Engineers | $2,464,815 |
| 19 | Walter P Moore | $2,285,771 |
| 20 | Peter Basso Associates | $2,106,000 |
| 21 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | $2,097,212 |
| 22 | RDK Engineers | $1,844,000 |
| 23 | P2S Engineering | $1,623,232 |
| 24 | Primera Engineers | $1,557,585 |
| 25 | Wallace Engineering | $1,540,000 |
| 26 | H.F. Lenz Company | $1,412,160 |
| 27 | Highland Associates | $1,400,000 |
| 28 | William Tao & Associates | $1,197,158 |
| 29 | Martin/Martin | $1,195,119 |
| 30 | Heapy Engineering | $1,107,742 |
| 31 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | $1,000,000 |
| 32 | OLA Consulting Engineers | $976,000 |
| 33 | RMF Engineering | $850,000 |
| 34 | Karpinski Engineering | $810,000 |
| 35 | Jensen Hughes | $750,000 |
| 36 | CJL Engineering | $726,128 |
| 37 | Zak Companies | $690,375 |
| 38 | SSOE Group | $678,365 |
| 39 | G&W Engineering | $615,500 |
| 40 | Vanderweil Engineers | $591,000 |
| 41 | KLH Engineers | $580,716 |
| 42 | Newcomb & Boyd | $556,032 |
| 43 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | $510,000 |
| 44 | ME Engineers | $500,000 |
| 45 | Cardno Haynes Whaley | $476,525 |
| 46 | CTLGroup | $400,000 |
| 47 | Larson Design Group | $395,365 |
| 48 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | $361,203 |
| 49 | Arup | $266,381 |
| 50 | Environmental Systems Design | $254,052 |
| 51 | Mazzetti | $158,731 |
| 52 | Dunham Associates | $150,000 |
| 53 | Wick Fisher White | $117,000 |
| 54 | GRW | $105,329 |
| 55 | Spectrum Engineers | $98,304 |
TOP K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
| Company | 2014 K-12 School Revenue ($) | |
| 1 | Turner Construction | $487,394,480 |
| 2 | CORE Construction | $321,022,373 |
| 3 | Gilbane Building Co. | $299,244,295 |
| 4 | Balfour Beatty US | $298,793,841 |
| 5 | Skanska USA | $245,681,551 |
| 6 | Barton Malow | $212,395,000 |
| 7 | McCarthy Holdings | $207,151,453 |
| 8 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | $197,000,000 |
| 9 | JE Dunn Construction | $140,673,512 |
| 10 | Whiting-Turner Contracting, The | $131,028,860 |
| 11 | Bernards | $129,000,000 |
| 12 | Swinerton Builders | $115,569,000 |
| 13 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | $112,832,110 |
| 14 | Consigli Building Group | $103,449,970 |
| 15 | McShane Companies, The | $89,260,239 |
| 16 | Lend Lease | $74,341,000 |
| 17 | Hill & Wilkinson | $69,675,128 |
| 18 | Flintco | $65,800,000 |
| 19 | LeChase Construction Services | $64,000,000 |
| 20 | Yates Companies, The | $61,400,000 |
| 21 | Shawmut Design and Construction | $52,500,000 |
| 22 | Ryan Companies | $50,072,265 |
| 23 | PCL Construction | $48,472,010 |
| 24 | Wight & Company | $37,763,321 |
| 25 | Suffolk Construction | $37,503,531 |
| 26 | Haselden Construction | $34,179,809 |
| 27 | Sundt Construction | $33,641,526 |
| 28 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | $33,110,800 |
| 29 | Power Construction | $32,000,000 |
| 30 | Beck Group, The | $30,717,952 |
| 31 | Clark Group | $28,643,045 |
| 32 | KBE Building Corp. | $26,411,401 |
| 33 | Structure Tone | $25,000,000 |
| 34 | Manhattan Construction | $24,287,000 |
| 35 | O'Neil Industries | $23,587,752 |
| 36 | Pepper Construction Group | $23,571,000 |
| 37 | W. M. Jordan | $18,946,109 |
| 38 | LPCiminelli | $18,375,567 |
| 39 | Walbridge | $17,830,000 |
| 40 | C.W. Driver | $16,630,000 |
| 41 | Leopardo Companies | $16,337,962 |
| 42 | Coakley & Williams Construction | $16,174,783 |
| 43 | Stalco Construction | $15,800,000 |
| 44 | Batson-Cook | $15,513,744 |
| 45 | Boldt Company, The | $14,884,526 |
| 46 | James G Davis Construction | $14,646,094 |
| 47 | Kitchell Corporation | $13,549,571 |
| 48 | Brasfield & Gorrie | $12,229,410 |
| 49 | Bette Companies, The | $11,569,819 |
| 50 | Fortis Construction | $11,000,000 |
| 51 | Robins & Morton | $11,000,000 |
| 52 | HITT Contracting | $10,000,000 |
| 53 | Hill International | $9,000,000 |
| 54 | EMJ | $5,950,247 |
| 55 | Walsh Group, The | $5,858,389 |
| 56 | Weitz Company, The | $4,979,000 |
| 57 | Doster Construction | $4,914,214 |
| 58 | Linbeck Group | $4,000,000 |
| 59 | BlueScope Construction | $2,870,000 |
| 60 | James McHugh Construction | $2,489,680 |
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