By Lindsey Coulter

The 糖心少女 Design + Construction Symposium brought education leaders, architects, designers, contractors, developers and facilities professionals together Aug. 5 at Denver鈥檚 historic Tivoli Turnhalle to examine how evolving needs are reshaping the design and delivery of K-12 and higher education environments.听

Held on the Auraria Campus, the event focused on project-driven discussions around student belonging, school safety, community engagement, mass timber, urban听development听and the increasingly compressed construction schedules facing school districts. The symposium was designed to move beyond broad industry trends and examine real projects and lessons that can be applied to future work.听

Designing for Belonging听

The program opened with a keynote from Dr. Drew Coleman, Chief of Schools for Jeffco Public Schools, who challenged attendees to consider the relationship between school environments, student听experience听and educational outcomes.听

Coleman鈥檚 presentation, 鈥淏uilding Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,鈥� examined how the physical environment can either support or hinder student success. His perspective connected education leadership, school听culture听and the built environment, reinforcing the symposium鈥檚 emphasis on designing schools around the needs of the people who use them.听

The keynote was followed by a district-level perspective from Micah Ali, president of Compton Unified School District. Ali discussed the development of Compton High School and the importance of trust,听continuity听and community partnerships in delivering major educational facilities projects.听

Born and raised in Compton, Ali played a foundational role in the development of听the high听school and has extensive experience in land use, development and partnerships aimed at expanding opportunities for students.听He also is helping guide the district’s upcoming Centennial and Dominguez Hills High School projects.听听

The discussion illustrated a broader theme that ran throughout the symposium: successful school construction is not simply about delivering a building, but about creating facilities that reflect community priorities and support long-term educational goals.听

Beyond Safety and Security听

The morning continued with a design panel examining how safety, security,听belonging听and well-being can coexist in school environments.听

Panelists听Erika Ashauer, Human Experience Research Lead for HCM鈥檚 PK-12 Studio; Joel Williams, Studio Director at QKA; Guy Grace, vice chair of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools; and Pat Tackney, Security & Architectural Sales Consultant for McGrory Glass Systems,听expanded the traditional definition of school safety beyond access control and security hardware. Panelists considered how visibility, privacy, supervision,听comfort听and a sense of belonging can influence the experience of students and staff.听

The discussion reflected a broader shift in school design toward environments that address both physical safety and the emotional and social conditions that help students learn.听

Summit House Provides a Case Study in Innovation听

After a networking break, the symposium shifted from K-12 schools to higher education and student听housing听with a case study听on听Metropolitan State University of Denver鈥檚 Summit House.听

Presented by听Martha Nelson, Director of Planning, Design and Construction for MSU Denver; Ben Diaz, Senior Development Manager for Columbia Ventures; Macy Huffaker, Project Architect with SAR+ Architects; Ryan Marshall 鈥� Superintendent at PCL Construction,听the听session, moderated by Leone Dick, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Administration at MSU Denver,听explored the planning,听design听and delivery of MSU Denver鈥檚 first residence hall.听

Summit House听represents听a significant milestone for the university and for Colorado construction. The 12-story student residence is being delivered using mass timber and is positioned to become the tallest mass-timber structure in the state. The project also incorporates an urban construction environment and a public-private delivery model. (糖心少女)听

Rather than focusing on mass timber as a standalone innovation, the presentation examined the combination of decisions and partnerships听required听to make the project possible. Those included material听selection, planning,听logistics,听development听and construction delivery.听

The case study also gave attendees a closer look at the increasingly complex role of construction teams working in dense urban environments and managing innovative structural systems.听

Racing the Summer Construction Clock听

The symposium concluded its formal program with a panel focused on one of the most persistent challenges in K-12 construction: delivering projects within the limited summer construction window.听

Moderated by Chuck Amos, CEO of听SchoolBondFinder, the panel featured David J. Henderson,听Deputy听Chief of听Operations for Cherry Creek School District, and Justin Sinnott,听Vice听President of听Corporate听Operations at Erickson-Hall.听

Dubbed 鈥淭he Summer Sprint,鈥� the discussion听addressed听planning, coordination, risk听management听and project delivery during the period when schools are vacant but must be ready for students when the new academic year begins.听

Henderson brought more than 25 years of K-12 construction and听facilities听leadership to the discussion, including oversight of approximately听2 million square feet听of capital improvement,听construction听and renovation projects across Colorado school districts.听Sinnott contributed experience in project planning, execution, risk management and operational efficiency.听

The panel underscored how compressed schedules are placing greater emphasis on early planning,听coordination听and delivery strategies that can reduce risk while听maintaining听quality.听

The topic also reflected broader pressures facing districts nationwide. 糖心少女 recently examined the 鈥淪ummer Sprint鈥� as an increasingly demanding period in which districts must complete everything from HVAC replacements and classroom renovations to larger capital projects before students return.听

From Conversation to Job Site听

Attendees also听had the opportunity to take the听morning鈥檚听discussion into the field with an exclusive tour of MSU Denver鈥檚 Summit House.听

The tour provided a firsthand look at the mass-timber residence hall and connected the project鈥檚 planning and delivery discussion with its physical construction. According to 糖心少女, the project听represents听the intersection of student housing demand, urban development, innovative听materials听and alternative approaches to project delivery.听

Across its sessions, the symposium emphasized a common challenge facing both K-12 and higher education: making increasingly complex capital investments serve long-term institutional and community goals.听

From Coleman鈥檚 examination of belonging to Ali鈥檚 discussion of community trust, the design panel鈥檚 exploration of safety and well-being, Summit House鈥檚 innovative delivery and the final panel鈥檚 focus on compressed construction schedules, the event demonstrated that the future of educational construction will require collaboration across disciplines.听

Rather than treating design, construction, operations and educational outcomes as separate considerations, the symposium brought those perspectives together around a shared question:听How can the industry create schools and campuses that are not only built successfully, but equipped to serve the people and communities who depend on them?听

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By Sarah Clow

糖心少女 attended on June 2 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles, the organization鈥檚 first conference dedicated entirely to K-12. The event brought together school district leaders, architects, contractors and investors to address the funding, design and delivery challenges reshaping school campuses across the region.

From Bond to Building: Funding, Procurement and Delivering K-12 Projects in a High-Cost Environment

Financing K-12 construction in California is complex. Bond dollars are tightly earmarked, and districts are responsible for keeping both the community and industry informed on how those funds are being used. Regulatory hurdles, namely with the Division of the State Architect (DSA) and the Department of Finance for state-funded projects, continue to slow timelines, and panelists stressed that planning needs to start earlier to absorb those delays.

Alternative delivery methods like design-build offer real opportunity in K-12, but early collaboration between project teams is essential. The strategies that impact goals, timelines and funding need to be established from the outset.

As for what鈥檚 getting built, modernization is the dominant story. From Long Beach to Santa Monica, existing school facilities are approaching 70 years old. Seismic upgrades, sustainable renovations, Universal TK facilities, and investments in gyms, arts and experiential learning spaces are driving the current project pipeline. Building on active campuses remains one of the industry鈥檚 most persistent challenges. Panelists described it as 鈥渇ixing the plane while flying,鈥� with early phasing plans and community engagement strategies being critical to keeping projects on track.

Speakers in this session included Carey Upton, Chief Operations Officer at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District; Kate Hirsh, Co-Head and Managing Director of Healthcare + Education at Turner Impact Capital; Tracy Nishihira, Executive Director of Facilities Development & Planning at Long Beach Unified School District; Brooke Murray, Director of Facilities Planning & Operations at Ontario-Montclair School District; and Dave Amudson, Project Executive at C.W. Driver Companies.

The Future of Southern California K-12 Learning Environments: Safety, Flexibility, Technology and Student Experience

Declining enrollment is reshaping how districts think about their facilities 鈥� and panelists argued that it needs to reshape how they think about their communities. Schools serve more than current students, and long-term planning needs to reflect that.

On technology, the message was practical: build for flexibility now, and design spaces that can accommodate upgrades without full retrofits down the line. Educators also need proper training to make technology investments worthwhile. Inclusive design was another priority, with several Southern California districts committed to integrating special education facilities into every school so families can keep children enrolled at their neighborhood campus.

Safety generated the day鈥檚 most candid conversation. The ideal of open, community-welcoming campuses is in direct tension with today鈥檚 security requirements. Fencing, controlled access and fortified perimeters are becoming standard. The design challenge is making those elements feel considered rather than institutional. Panelists favored modern security detection technology over traditional metal detectors and emphasized that transparency and sightlines remain important tools for creating environments where students feel secure.

Underlying all of it was a call for deeper community engagement. The best school facilities are designed for the people they serve, and that requires understanding what matters to each community from the very start.

Speakers in this session included Alix Walsh O鈥橞rien, FAIA, Deputy Chief Facilities Executive at Los Angeles Unified School District; Kelvin Okino, Executive Director of Facilities and Construction at Irvine Unified School District; Anney Hall, Principal at Lionakis; and Jerry Lam, Principal at Lam + Tea Engineering.

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By Sarah Clow

As student housing is a growing part of the higher education design and construction conversation,听糖心少女 attended the Bisnow San Diego Student Housing & Higher Education Conference on May 13. The event brought together developers, university administrators, architects, and construction leaders, with a focus on balancing growth with affordability and changing听needs and听expecations听regarding听student experience. Across the board,听panelists听agreed that听institutions are rethinking听the traditional student housing model, and for many students next-generation housing options are听non-negotiable.听

Building For All 鈥� Balancing Housing Growth with Affordability听

There is a growing听student housing crisis in San Diego, where most universities can only guarantee housing for first- and second-year students. Panelists听were听candid about the structural barriers to building more attainable housing 鈥� and financing topped the list. When asked to听identify听the biggest hurdle 鈥� financing, land,听or approvals 鈥斕齨early every听panelist听pointed to听financing but also pointed听to strategies听for bringing costs down. Chief among them: increasing density.听听

Adding more beds to existing builds helps spread construction costs across more units, improving the economics of a project without sacrificing quality. Delivery methods also came up as a key lever, with progressive design-build highlighted as an effective tool for faster, more cost-efficient delivery.听

Panelists听noted a听distinct听shift in how institutions are thinking about the relationship between unit size and community space. Square footage per student is shrinking, while investment in recreation and amenity spaces is growing 鈥� a deliberate strategy to push students toward shared community while also keeping per-bed costs down. When asked听about must-have听amenities for higher education projects, panelists pointed to outdoor programmatic space and collaborative, community-focused interiors as essential.听

Speakers included:听Hemlata Jhaveri, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor at UC San Diego; Bob Schulz, University Architect and Associate VP of Real Estate at SDSU; Abbie Hawkins, VP of Development at The Michaels Organization; Lindsey Sielaff, Operations Manager at Hensel Phelps; Richard King, Principal at Gensler; and Lisa Norombaba, Executive Director of Wesley House.听

Panel 2: From Dorms to Destination 鈥� Redefining the Student Living Experience

Today鈥檚 students听value听quality over quantity, and the听student housing听industry is responding.听

The ongoing听shift toward wellness-focused design听is听bringing spas, fitness centers, relaxation spaces, and mental health-supportive environments听into student housing. Interestingly,听these offerings听are no longer听considered听amenities 鈥斕齮hey鈥檙e听expectations. Panelists noted that younger students are willing to trade square footage for higher-quality finishes and thoughtful design, a trend that is reshaping unit mix strategies toward smaller one- and two-bedroom configurations.听

Landscape and outdoor space took center stage, particularly in the Southern California context. Panelists from McCullough Landscape Architecture emphasized the growing importance of connection to nature, flexible outdoor听programming听and visibility 鈥� both for community building and for safety. Transparency and sightlines in outdoor spaces were called out as important design tools for creating environments where students feel secure.听

However, the panel pushed back on trend-chasing in amenity design. For example,听rather than听including a听golf simulator听鈥斕齛 shiny听amenity that听doesn鈥檛听hold long-term value听鈥斕齪anelists听emphasized听creating genuine 鈥渢hird spaces鈥� for socialization: areas that听aren鈥檛听over-programmed, allowing students to use them organically.听

Walkability and bike-ability also听emerged听as a priority, with several panelists听advocating for听pedestrian-focused campus design as a means of supporting both student health and affordability by reducing transportation costs.听

The panel also highlighted an interesting tension in the market: while many developers are moving toward smaller bed counts and higher-end amenities to attract students willing to pay a premium, San Diego Community College District is taking a different approach 鈥� building higher-density housing with fewer amenities to maximize access for lower-income students. Both strategies reflect the breadth of need in the market.听

On the technology and security front, panelists pointed to smart package and food delivery lockers as an increasingly expected feature 鈥� a practical response to the realities of how students live today.听

Finally, the Southern California advantage was hard to ignore. The indoor-outdoor lifestyle is a genuine differentiator in design, and solar energy adoption is accelerating. Core Spaces highlighted a project near UCSD where rooftop and parking structure solar arrays are expected to cover听the majority of听the building鈥檚 energy costs 鈥� a compelling case for sustainability as both a听values听play and a financial one.听

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