By Lindsey Coulter

For decades, school design has followed a familiar formula: self-contained classrooms lined along corridors. While educational practices have evolved dramatically, many school buildings continue to reflect this decades-old model.

Architecture, planning and engineering firm SHP set out to challenge that convention with Peck Expeditionary Learning School in Greensboro, N.C. The project, completed for Guilford County Schools, was designed specifically to support the Expeditionary Learning (EL) educational model, requiring SHP to rethink nearly every assumption about how a school should function.

Education Philosophy Drives Design

Introduced in 1995, Expeditionary Learning (EL) is an educational philosophy that reimagines learning as an active, inquiry-driven and collaborative process. EL emphasizes real-world problem solving and interdisciplinary projects that encourage students to investigate, collaborate, reflect and present their work. That dynamic approach presented SHP with a unique design challenge.

鈥淓xpeditionary Learning inverts almost every default architectural assumption,鈥� said David Powell, Principal and Partner at SHP. 鈥淭he building had to become an active participant in learning and not just a passive container. You need transparency, reconfigurability and interconnected spaces that support project work.鈥�

The first step was abandoning the traditional classroom concept. SHP instead designed the 142,000-square-foot, $78.7 million school as a series of learning neighborhoods organized around an Expeditionary Learning Commons. Flexible learning studios surround these commons and connect through extensive interior glazing, operable garage doors and movable partitions. Teachers can easily combine spaces, separate groups or allow multiple classes to work together. Students remain visually connected to one another, reinforcing collaboration as a shared experience rather than an isolated classroom activity.

Designing Behavior, Not Just Buildings

The EL philosophy also complements SHP鈥檚 approach to educational planning, as the firm鈥檚 goal is to create environments that naturally encourage the behaviors educators hope to foster.

鈥淎 building supports pedagogy when the architecture makes the desired behavior the path of least resistance,鈥� Powell said. 鈥淲hen collaborating, moving outdoors, working in small groups, presenting to an audience and even learning from failure become easier than fighting the building itself, then the architecture is doing its job.鈥�

For example, instead of keeping students static and seated, the building encourages movement between collaborative spaces, presentation areas, quiet work zones and outdoor learning environments.

Multiple scales of space allow students to work independently, gather in small groups or engage larger learning communities without encountering physical barriers. The result is an environment that quietly reinforces instructional goals through architecture rather than relying solely on operational policies.

Solving for Openness Without Sacrificing Performance

Creating interconnected learning environments naturally raises noise concerns. Traditional acoustic guidelines were largely developed for enclosed classrooms with fixed walls and don鈥檛 really account for flexible EL learning environments.

鈥淏ut just as architects know how to control daylight through thoughtful placement of windows, we can control sound through careful planning, strategic adjacencies and thoughtful partition configurations,鈥� Powell explained.

Learning neighborhoods were carefully organized so that collaborative energy could coexist with focused instruction. Strategic placement of spaces, combined with movable partitions and intentional spatial relationships, allows activity to occur without creating the chaotic environment often associated with large open spaces.

Architecture That Supports Belonging

Beyond flexibility and collaboration, SHP also prioritized social-emotional learning, understanding that architecture can play a meaningful role in helping students feel connected, supported and valued 鈥� particularly in communities where educational investment has historically lagged.

Located within Greensboro鈥檚 Glenwood neighborhood, Peck Expeditionary Learning serves one of North Carolina鈥檚 most economically challenged communities, where the previous school building was constructed in 1929. For SHP, providing an innovative learning environment became a matter of educational equity.

鈥淚 love working with clients who believe every student deserves an exceptional learning environment,鈥� Powell said.鈥淲hen a district is brave enough to move beyond traditional educational models, architecture can help create social and emotional connections that simply aren鈥檛 possible inside isolated classroom boxes.鈥�

Throughout Peck, visual openness helps students remain connected to teachers and peers, while varied learning environments allow them to find spaces that support their individual learning styles. Those seemingly small design decisions can have a big impact.

鈥淜ids learn better when they鈥檙e not in a container,鈥� Powell said. 鈥淲hen you take away those rigid boundaries and provide different kinds of learning spaces, students find the place where they learn best.鈥�

Learning From the Building After Occupancy

Unlike projects that conclude when students move in, SHP views Peck as an ongoing learning opportunity. The firm is conducting a comprehensive post-occupancy evaluation that includes interviews, surveys and building observations to better understand how students and educators are using the space.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want year one to simply be a feeling that the building worked,鈥� Powell said. 鈥淲e wanted it to become an actionable report that helps us improve future projects and gives the next district confidence to be brave enough to rethink what a school can be.鈥�

One of Powell鈥檚 favorite indicators of success wasn鈥檛 captured in a survey but during the school鈥檚 opening, when a young student climbed into one of the building鈥檚 circular windows, settled into the space and silently offered two enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Similarly, the school鈥檚 central courtyard, created between two building wings, has become one of the building鈥檚 most popular destinations.

鈥淭he building鈥檚 arms are wrapped around the students,鈥� Powell said. 鈥淔or children who don鈥檛 always feel safe once they leave campus, they鈥檝e discovered an outdoor place where they feel protected and connected. Watching them choose to spend time there has been one of the most rewarding parts of the project.鈥�

The SHP Approach and Difference

For SHP, the design process begins well before a floor plan takes shape. The firm鈥檚 work is rooted in listening, believing that transformational spaces are created only by taking into account the lived experiences of the people who inhabit them. Before a single line is drawn, the firm鈥檚 designers make a point of engaging with the educators, students and community members who will be using the space every day. This process is implemented into every educational project the firm undertakes; it actually earned SHP the James D. MacConnell Award in 2023.

That process is especially important for districts exploring more flexible, student-centered models of learning. Peck, for instance, was built around a pedagogy that prioritizes flexibility, student agency and belonging. Rather than layering those ideas into a conventional template, the firm identified ways to make that pedagogy visible and practical throughout the building: smaller learning communities, varied settings for collaboration and independence, and a strong relationship between the building and its external community. The result is a school that was designed to be contextually sensitive to its community, and shaped by and for the community.

This article was sponsored by SHP originally published in the . To learn more, visit .

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By Catherine Dalton, AIA, RID, LEED AP BD+C

When elementary and middle schools in the Seagoville, Texas, area began experiencing overcrowding, the Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) faced a familiar dilemma: build more classrooms or rethink the system creating the pressure.

The district chose the latter.

Educational innovation is often associated with new programs, emerging technologies or specialized learning environments. Yet some of the most impactful innovations occur when planning, policy and design are intentionally aligned to solve complex challenges.

The resulting Seagoville PK-8 Campus Magnet Model demonstrates how districts can create long-term solutions that extend far beyond building another school. By aligning facility planning, enrollment strategy, and educational programming, Dallas ISD addressed overcrowding while expanding educational opportunities and supporting future community growth.

Framing the Challenge

As the second-largest school district in Texas, Dallas ISD serves more than 134,000 students and roughly 21,000 professional staff across 228 schools, including 135 elementary schools, 35 middle schools, 36 high schools and 22 multi-level schools.

As enrollment projections climbed, elementary and middle schools within the Seagoville feeder pattern began experiencing capacity challenges. At the same time, district leaders recognized another opportunity: expanding access to school choice programming in a region that historically had fewer magnet options than other parts of the district.

Rather than viewing these as separate challenges, Dallas ISD asked a broader question: how could one project simultaneously address overcrowding, expand educational opportunity and support long-term community growth?

Looking Beyond Capacity

Overcrowding is often treated as a space problem. Typical responses may involve adding classrooms, installing portable buildings, adjusting attendance boundaries or constructing another campus. While these solutions can provide immediate relief, they do not always address the underlying system that is driving enrollment pressures.

The most successful districts recognize that capacity planning should not happen in isolation. Facility decisions influence enrollment patterns. Enrollment policies influence access. Grade configurations influence student experience. Community demographics influence all of the above.

When these decisions are considered together, new possibilities emerge. For Dallas ISD, that meant rethinking not only where students would learn, but how the district could create a more flexible and resilient educational model for the future.

The Power of the PK-8 Model

The district ultimately selected a PK-8 configuration to relieve enrollment pressure across multiple grade bands simultaneously. The value of the model extends beyond capacity management.

Districts across the country have increasingly explored PK-8 configurations for their ability to improve continuity, reduce transitional disruptions and provide greater operational flexibility.

From a student perspective, a PK-8 campus provides continuity during critical developmental years, reducing transitions and fostering stronger relationships among students, staff and families. From a district perspective, it creates greater flexibility for managing growth across elementary and middle-school grades. From a community perspective, it strengthens identity and connection by allowing families to remain within a single learning environment for a longer period of time.

Most importantly, the building becomes a tool for implementing a broader vision.

The new Seagoville PK-8 is a 118,000-square-foot, two-story campus designed to serve 800 students from Pre-K through eighth grade. The school includes STEM, language and makerspaces; science laboratories; fine-arts programs; collaborative learning environments; and flexible instructional spaces that support a wide range of educational experiences.

When Enrollment Strategy Becomes a Planning Tool

One of the most innovative aspects of the project is that the solution extends beyond the building itself.

By prioritizing enrollment opportunities for students living closest to the campus, Dallas ISD created a direct mechanism for relieving pressure on surrounding schools. At the same time, remaining capacity is available through the school鈥檚 magnet model, expanding access to innovative programming for students across the district.

Rather than treating enrollment as an administrative exercise, the district used it as a strategic planning tool.

This approach accomplishes multiple objectives simultaneously:

• Relieves overcrowding in neighboring schools
• Expands access to school choice opportunities
• Increases educational access within the local community
• Preserves district-wide magnet enrollment options
• Supports long-term enrollment flexibility

Too often, enrollment policy and facilities planning are discussed independently. In reality, they are most effective when designed together.

A Campus Rooted in Place

What makes Seagoville PK-8 unique is the way the project leverages its site as an educational asset.

Located on a 100-acre, shared educational campus alongside an existing middle school and high school, the new school sits within one of the last remaining post-oak reserves in the city of Dallas. Rather than treating the natural environment as a constraint, the project team viewed it as an opportunity to enhance learning.

Educational walking trails, outdoor learning environments and ecosystem-based studies transform the site into a teaching tool. Students can engage directly with natural systems, exploring environmental science, ecology and stewardship through hands-on experiences connected to the campus landscape.

The result is a learning environment where education extends beyond the classroom walls and where the site itself becomes part of the curriculum.

The approach reinforces a broader lesson: effective educational planning extends beyond buildings and enrollment counts to include how students experience and engage with their environment.

The Importance of Early Alignment

Projects like Seagoville do not succeed because of a building alone. They succeed because district leadership, planning teams, designers and construction partners align around a shared vision early in the process.

One of the most valuable aspects of this effort is the willingness to evaluate educational goals, operational realities, enrollment strategy and facility planning simultaneously rather than sequentially. Difficult conversations occurred early, when decisions could still meaningfully influence outcomes.

That alignment helped avoid a common challenge in school planning: solving today鈥檚 problem in a way that creates tomorrow鈥檚 constraint.

Designing Opportunity

The lessons from Seagoville also extend well beyond a single project. As communities continue to grow and educational needs evolve, school leaders will increasingly face questions about capacity, access, equity and long-term adaptability.

The answer may not always be another classroom, addition or boundary adjustment. Sometimes the answer involves building smarter systems.

Seagoville demonstrates that the most effective school investments are not simply measured by square footage or seat counts. They are measured by a district鈥檚 ability to create opportunity, adapt to growth and position students for long-term success.

By aligning educational programming, enrollment strategy, campus planning and facility design, Dallas ISD transformed an overcrowding challenge into an opportunity to expand access, strengthen community connections and create a learning environment designed for future generations.

Catherine Dalton, AIA, RID, LEED AP BD+C, is the K-12 Market Leader at KAI Enterprises.

This article was originally published in the .

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LOS ANGELES鈥擳he COVID-19 pandemic has challenged educators to reimagine and be creative with outdoor space as a way to support the safe return to in-person instruction given the lower risk of virus transmission.

To help schools and facilities professionals create equitable everyday outdoor learning experiences on their campuses, the Los Angeles County Office of Education has published design guidelines through the support of HMC Architects and engineering and construction experts.

After spending the last year mostly indoors, isolated, and in front of a screen, it鈥檚 more evident now than ever that young students crave connectedness with the natural world, which offers a unique opportunity for cognitive and physical development.

In March of 2020 鈥� during the advent of COVID-19 鈥� HMC began a long and ongoing research effort to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 and develop solutions for the safer reopening of PreK-12 schools. One common solution was the need for more open-air spaces.

LACOE and HMC also found that while the pandemic has forced educators to innovate and be creative with outdoor space to lower the risk of virus transmission, there are numerous benefits 鈥� pandemic or not 鈥� that outdoor education provides.

鈥淥utdoor learning offers students a range of benefits, from enhancing engagement to reducing stress and promoting physical and psychological wellbeing,鈥� said Debra Duardo, Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools. 鈥淵et far too many of our young people, particularly those in inner-city and low-income communities, have not had access to outdoor learning environments and green space 鈥� not before nor during the pandemic. Increasing opportunities for outdoor learning is essential to advancing educational equity.鈥�

Just as COVID-19 has disproportionately affected some populations more than others, this inequity is another educational injustice that the pandemic has exposed. According to LACOE and HMC, this inequity is an opportunity to seize the moment with strategies that place priority on meeting the needs of the whole child.

鈥淭he aim is not just to facilitate short-term COVID-19 solutions,鈥� said HMC PreK-12 Practice Leader Brian Meyers. 鈥淲e want to support the academic, social-emotional, and physical well-being of students and provide them with hands-on outdoor experiences during their school day long after the pandemic is over.鈥�

Added Duardo, 鈥淲hen we take lessons outside classroom walls, we teach our children that learning can happen anywhere and anytime, promoting lifelong curiosity.鈥�

It鈥檚 that curiosity that LACOE and HMC want to restore, as subjects like science either stopped or became limited for students through distance learning. Eighty-eight percent of teachers said that kids were learning less science during the pandemic. Pre-COVID, elementary teachers in California, on average, spent less than 60 minutes per week teaching science. According to LACOE, when students are surrounded by the outdoors, they become first-hand witnesses to natural processes. This direct observation is the first step in becoming a 鈥榥atural scientist.鈥�

With easy-to-use tools that can be customized for schools and districts, the guide covers everything from seating, sun shading, space definition, and landscaping to funding and professional development. LACOE and HMC see this as a chance to create new learning models. For example, schools can stagger classroom instruction with outdoor learning instead of the COVID-inspired hybrid model where students spend half the day in class and the other half at home.

To help reinforce the momentum toward safe, resilient learning environments that enhance student success, wellness, and community well beyond this current crisis, it鈥檚 clear that the benefits of making outdoor learning part of the normal routine are proven and can be the performance boost that our kids need right now.

The new Outdoor Learning Guide is available for free download at HMC鈥檚 website here: https://hmcarchitects.com/news/new-design-guidelines-for-outdoor-learning/

In addition to the Outdoor Learning Guide, HMC has also created a Campus Reboot Guide, and is committed to sharing all of its research findings in a series of white papers that focus on five main areas of Technology, Adaptability and Flexibility, Regulatory/Budgetary/Institutional Impacts, Space Needs/Reduction and Restructuring, and Impact to Wellness/Mental Health as they relate to the PreK-12 education sector.

These whitepapers can be downloaded here:

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COVID-19 has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to near-total closures of K-12 schools as well as universities and colleges. These school shutdowns, which were mandated by the government to help lower the spread of the coronavirus, heavily interrupted and comprised students鈥� learning and interaction with peers.

While infection rates continue to fluctuate, U.S. educational facilities have been challenged with reopening safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing guidelines in place, most facilities did not succeed at finding solutions for in-person learning at full capacity. While many institutions have focused on short-term solutions such as a hybrid learning method, other school officials and administrators turned to online learning as a critical lifeline for education, using technology to enable students, teachers, and faculties to connect and resume their academic studies.

One school that saw this challenge as an opportunity to create revolutionary solutions to bring its students and staff together is The Linden Waldorf School in Nashville, Tennessee. Working alongside school officials, we developed and designed a long-term initiative to move classes outdoors, providing a safe space for students to learn. We oversaw the design, development, and construction of eight outdoor learning pavilions spread across their 12-acre campus. The new structure is COVID-19 safe and aligns with the school’s curriculum of fostering a connection to nature, which includes outdoor activities such as gardening, woodworking, orienteering, botany, and movement classes. Therefore, the Linden Waldorf School decided to allocate more of their resources on viable materials, instead of investing in technology methods and supplies that would typically be used for indoor learning.

Designing Long-Term Solutions

Within just six weeks, our firm completed the design, obtained the permits, and constructed the outdoor structures needed to fulfill the goals for outdoor learning. The new learning environment was built just in time for the Linden Waldorf School鈥檚 120 students to return for the Fall 2020 semester.

To start, we looked at the campus as a whole – how the curriculum, teachers, and students interacted, which greatly played a part in the design of the pavilions in order to develop a permanent and efficient solution. We sought to use a more passive approach that utilizes nature and air, compared to the mechanical approach that requires air handling units and duct filters. The strategy of using specific, pressure-treated lumber structures and its natural finishes, allows for the outdoor pavilions to be used year-round, regardless of inclement weather, including rain or snow.

In choosing a location, we wanted the pavilions to be tucked away into nature without encumbering a lot of the school鈥檚 open green space. We therefore decided to place these on the perimeter edges of some of the other functional play areas. Mulch patches were carefully laid out as walking paths to encourage students to learn about wayfinding. For the placement, we also took into consideration the solar path of the sun throughout the day that will be most ideal for usability. Flexible shading structures made of wood, such as pinboards and dividers were incorporated to block sunlight throughout the day. We鈥檙e also working with the school to implement natural hay bale moveable walls to block strong winds, to further support year-round use.

Prioritizing Sustainability

Long before COVID-19, the mission and vision of the Linden Waldorf School has focused on being stewards of the earth and caretakers of a sustainable future. The Nashville school already had a curriculum that was taught outside as the faculty always wanted their students to be in nature, learning from it first-hand. This way of learning served as a driving force for our designs – continuing the school鈥檚 outdoor learning methods. Adding to their core values and commitment to enhancing education through nature, our firm made new discoveries related to sustainability for the Linden Waldorf School. The eight structures have roofs and partitions to block the reflection of the sun while providing open-air classrooms for the school鈥檚 120 students in pre-k through 8th grade. Each structure has tree stump chairs, mulch flooring, hand-cleansing stations, and nearby portable sinks. The canopy overhead is built with a tongue-and-groove wood ceiling system that is both structural and beautiful to see when you look up. The wood structures allow students to reflect on such topics as geometry, physics, and statics. By using natural wood materials and no electricity, the students are able to understand how you can reclaim, recycle, and reuse things found on the earth. Outdoor learning also presents unique health benefits, such as increased air ventilation which dilute airborne viruses and lowers the risk of infection.

A School Designed for the Future

The new pavilions consist of forward-thinking spaces that empower teachers to advance their professional skills and motivates students to develop critical competencies through deeper learning. By gaining this outdoor learning experience in the pavilions, students at the Linden Waldorf School are more engaged, focused, and happy. The project became about marrying the school鈥檚 curriculum with the outdoor shelter, creating a space that would help students reach and exceed their learning potential, while emphasizing responsible stewardship for the environment. We wanted to best incorporate the school鈥檚 unique natural environments to be able to help teachers and faculty better prepare their students for innovative, nature-focused learning.

By limiting technology in the classroom, our team supports the students鈥� being one with nature. It allows them to use their intuition and creative senses鈥攕omething they cannot get from an iPad or computer. This experience is a lesson in resilience, patience, and perseverance. These new pavilions will help support cognitive development and learning for students of all ages, to be more cutting edge and draw their own conclusions with hands-on learning in the great outdoors.

Jared Bradley, AIA, NCARB, is president and founder of The Bradley Projects.

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