MINNEAPOLIS鈥擳he听Health Sciences Education Center at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is now complete.

The $83 million HSEC is the hub for all the university鈥檚 health professional school and was designed and built to promote interprofessional education and interaction, as well as foster a culture that prioritizes student and faculty well-being.

Spanning more than 200,000 square feet, HSEC is a unique addition to the U of M, already home to one of the most comprehensive health science centers in the nation. It鈥檚 also an asset that will benefit all Minnesotans, since the U of M teaches 70% of the state’s health professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians and public health professionals.

鈥淭he new Health Sciences Education Center is much more than a building; it is a catalyst for change as we prepare the next generation of health care professionals,鈥� said听Mark Rosenberg, MD, vice dean for education and academic affairs in the Medical School, in a statement.

To welcome health science students to HSEC, the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost hosted a Welcome Week in mid September, with treats, giveaways and prize drawings. As part of the University鈥檚 efforts to mitigate its spread of COVID-19 on campus, physical distancing practices and facial coverings were required at all events.

鈥淏y preparing ourselves and our students for the future, we will have a significant impact on our state, our communities, and our personal and professional growth, all of which are closely aligned with our responsibility as a land grant University,鈥� said听Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, vice president for clinical affairs, in a statement.

To meet the academic needs of today鈥檚 health science students, HSEC is home to:

• state-of-the-art classrooms, designed for interprofessional learning with active learning and small group teaching spaces;
• the听Center for Health Interprofessional Programs, which allows health professions students a space to connect, collaborate, network and develop;
• innovation and learning support through the听Health Sciences Library听and听Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, which includes a rare book collection, virtual and augmented reality, makerspace and more to support problem-based learning;
• simulation and immersive training that allows health professional students to train in sophisticated, real-world care settings, trainer stations, briefing/debriefing rooms, and actor prep areas, and;
• student support and services.

Over the summer, HSEC was used in collaboration with the School of Public Health, Medical School, and the Medical Reserve Corps to assist the Minnesota Department of Health in COVID-19 contact tracing.

Also, M Simulation used HSEC spaces this past summer to train incoming residents and students on personal protective equipment in clinical environments. These are just the earliest examples of the building’s multipurpose usability and transformative potential for healthcare education.

鈥淗SEC exemplifies the University’s commitment to academic and educational excellence,鈥� said Executive Vice President and Provost听Rachel Croson, in a statement.

鈥淚t will provide space for interprofessional education and relationship-building and will serve as a place where formerly distinct components of knowledge can be connected into an interrelated whole. Interprofessional collaboration is the future of health care, and this space is further demonstration of how Minnesota is creating that future.”

Minneapolis-based Perkins and Will and听Connecticut-based SLAM designed HSEC and Kansas City-based JE Dunn served as the contractor.

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TORONTO鈥擸ork University is constructing the first dedicated structure for its School of Continuing Studies as a twisted new building that will be quite large; but the need is even bigger.

The new building, located at York University’s Keele campus, will serve as home to the School and will help to meet some of the increasing demand for its cutting-edge, innovative professional certificate programs and the world-renowned York University English Language Institute (YUELI), winner of the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 iStudy Award for World Language School of the Year and nominee for the PIEoneer 2019 Language Educator of the Year award. Currently, students attend classes at various locations throughout the campus and staff are spread across four buildings.

Perkins and Will is the architect on the project and the听builder is Aquicon Construction.

“Our students are bold, they’re confident, they’re ambitious. The building is an embodiment of who we are as a school,” said Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly, Assistant Vice-President, Continuing Studies. “The building will be a twisted, iconic gateway site and showcase York’s long commitment to providing high-quality education to non-traditional students.”

“In uncertain times, the need for innovative and responsive lifelong learning is greater than ever,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. “This new, standalone home for our School of Continuing Studies demonstrates York’s commitment to serving the current and future needs of learners and employers, here at home and around the world, as they rise to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the demands of a dynamic global knowledge economy.”

In March 2020, developers broke ground and began construction on the York University School of Continuing Studies’ signature new 97,000-square-foot building.

Scheduled to open for students in fall 2021, the building will allow for expanded access to the English-language university pathways that support international students and new Canadians, and innovative programming to support professionals looking to pursue exciting careers in emerging and in-demand career fields.

In five years, the School has seen over 1,000 percent growth in its professional program enrollments. The cutting-edge building will accommodate the School’s rapidly growing student and staff population.

“Our language programs are the top programs in North America. Our professional programs are among the most innovative in Canada and among the top programs in North America,” said Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly, Assistant Vice-President, Continuing Studies. “Our physical environment needs to be an extension of the quality of the education we’re providing to our students. This building will allow us to bring innovation using the cutting-edge twisted design to create a world-class education experience in North America.”

York University’s School of Continuing Studies is the fastest-growing continuing education provider in the country. With a commitment to lifelong learning and access to education, the School offers professional certificate programs and English language preparation.

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When applied to design the word 鈥渢rend鈥� can unintentionally imply a temporary nature, a fashion of the moment likely to be replaced as soon as the next idea shows up. However, it鈥檚 time to stop thinking about trends in education as ephemeral, but rather as concepts that evolve over time through informed approaches.

Today, the future of education is being defined by this very evolution鈥攖hrough rigorous research and study. Advances in education research and neuroscience are revealing exactly why certain pedagogical and environmental factors benefit the learning process. Support for things like team-based learning, hands-on technology, and generous non-classroom workspace is no longer anecdotal but rather grounded in science.

It starts with placemaking, which is at the core of any good design. People with a strong attachment to 鈥榩lace鈥� are more self-aware, more aware of other鈥檚 needs, and are more connected to the community. Environments created with a clear sense of place, wherein students can comfortably engage with their surroundings and each other, is pivotal to the success of the student. Designers must consider a host of factors, such as scale, mental and physical wellbeing, neurodiverse appropriate spaces, informal learning environments, and varieties of instructional areas. Additionally, schools are taking care to ensure that students know their learning facility has been created with their needs top-of-mind.

Many schools and designers are leaning into the prioritization of health and wellness鈥撯�搉ot just from a safety and security standpoint, but with a deeper understanding of mental health. Students need room for both emotional space and areas that encourage them to learn and explore life skills. In order to achieve a more balanced offering of spaces, emphasis is being placed on providing areas where students can seek respite or assistance. Easy access to instructors, counselors, leadership, and other faculty is key to a student鈥檚 success.

Research has demonstrated that access to nature provides measurable benefits for hospital patients, but the same applies for education environments. Visual connections to nature in instructional spaces provide rest to the brain鈥檚 focus centers, and therefore increase the brain鈥檚 ability to receive and process new information. Physical access to nature provides similar and even more profound benefits to the entire body.

Successful institutions will continue to move away from the 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all鈥� mentality. This shift away from the didactic model will instead lean toward an engaged learning model that accommodates a diverse student body. While there is some debate about the legitimacy of the idea that learning styles vary, there is no question about the efficacy of the team-based learning model in classrooms. Physical engagement with other students and the material being taught is crucial to success in the classroom.

Additionally, amenities that were formerly not a part of traditional school structures, such as genderless bathrooms and meditation rooms, are also finding their way into new facilities. Though seemingly small adjustments, these offerings are crucial to fostering an inclusive environment.

Designers also seek to meet the needs of educators by providing them with the proper tools to successfully inspire students through their curriculum. While younger educators navigate pedagogical challenges and technology better, designers must accommodate all faculty by creating environments that easily support ever-changing technology.

Schools are also implementing more flexible office spaces for educators, allowing easier access to students and each other. Students with even occasional interaction with instructors outside the classroom are significantly more likely to graduate. These adaptable office spaces allow educators to feel more approachable to students who need support. To this end, this approach also helps break down the old hierarchy of the didactic classroom model.

Lastly, ever-evolving cross market trends continue to influence the education sector. Other industries have demonstrated how to create well-rounded, enjoyable built spaces which can directly impact student performance, and institutions recognize the value of bringing those successes into education environments. Likewise, student expectation is driving institutions to rethink many aspects of their facilities. For example, student cafes are being modeled after popular coffee chains that offer a wide variety of seating options and technology access for its patrons.

Ultimately our goal as designers is to create smarter, more diverse, more supportive spaces to provide every opportunity for students to thrive. We should be students of science ourselves, in order to better understand how to create successful learning environments. We should be students of people, so that we may better understand the people we design for. Students who thrive in education environments go on to build a stronger society鈥撯�揳nd it is our responsibility to equip these students to do just that.

Vandana Nayak is a regional education practice leader and principal, and Tyler Murph is a senior designer, both with Perkins and Will.

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STEPHENVILLE, Texas鈥擜fter more than 40 years in Fort Worth, Texas, Tarleton State University is relocating its campus from Camp Bowie Boulevard to a new permanent home along Chisholm Trail Parkway. Donated by Walton Development, the 80-acre plot of land will transform the Tarleton State experience, expanding the current range of degree programs in a series of state-of-the-art facilities to stimulate job growth and spur innovation in North Texas. The first of the new campus buildings to reach completion opened its doors to students and faculty in August.

Designed by Perkins and Will鈥檚 Dallas studio, with Holder Construction serving as the general contractor, the three-story, 76,000-square-foot academic building will increase the capacity of Tarleton鈥檚 current enrollment through a range of inspiring, educational spaces.

Seeking to fit within its surrounding community, the building and campus engage with the unique Texas landscape, taking advantage of sprawling hilltop views of the prairie. Located at the top of a hill at the location of an old hitching post, the first building continues the tradition of the site as a gathering place along the Chisholm Trail. As the campus develops and more buildings are added in the future, the building will become the focal point for both a formal campus quad and an informal campus lawn, further reinforcing its place at the center of the campus experience. Concurrently, the hilltop site also ensures that in the future the building will always be visible from the adjacent highway, standing as a symbol to Tarleton State鈥檚 commitment to academic achievement.

The building鈥檚 design intent was to serve as a nod to Tarleton鈥檚 rich heritage and bright future, which is achieved through the building鈥檚 architecture and graphics in the interior spaces. Imagery of Tarleton鈥檚 historic Stephenville, Texas, campus, quotes from current and former students, and a lobby wall exploring the history and impact of John Tarleton and the relevance of the Chisholm Trail in Fort Worth as it relates to the site and surrounding context are part of the design.

In addition, special attention was paid to ensure that the building catered especially to the university鈥檚 students, as the institution鈥檚 former facility was a repurposed office space that was not specifically constructed to accommodate an education environment. Consequently, the new academic facilities will further nurture the minds of students into becoming professional leaders by offering a mix of general use and tiered classrooms; computer and teaching labs; departmental and faculty offices; support spaces; meeting rooms; and additional study spaces.

Conceptualized to meet LEED Silver certification, the infrastructure that serves the new building and campus includes extending utilities from the campus property line to the building, including electricity, voice/data, natural gas, water, wastewater and stormwater. Other infrastructure includes expanded roads, sidewalks, parking lots, and landscaping to make the campus more easily accessible for guests and students.

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PLANO, Texas鈥� Construction continues on the new Plano ISD Fine Arts Center in Plano, Texas. Serving as construction manager at risk for preconstruction and construction services, McCarthy Building Companies broke ground on this project in January 2019.

With a completion date slated for first quarter 2021, this听90,000-square-foot free-standing听building will feature a 1,500-seat multi-purpose performance hall with an upper-level balcony and lower-level orchestra pit, a 250-seat studio theatre (black box), a rehearsal studio for music and dance and a visual arts gallery.

Perkins + Will and BORA are the architecture firms on this impressive $53.3 million project.

鈥淭he Fine Arts Center is a unique building type for the district since we primarily deal with schools, stadiums and administrative offices. Selecting the right team to join us and help guide us on this particular project has been critical,鈥� said Tony Pearson, Plano ISD assistant director of Facility Services, in a statement.

The building is an architectural concrete structure (exposed concrete interior walls, etc.) for which McCarthy is providing concrete work. The concrete construction details include the following:

• 10,000 cubic yards of concrete
• Cast-in-place architecture walls ranging from 40 feet to 90 feet in height and 8 inches to 20 inches in thickness
• Custom patterned concrete formliner for acoustical means in the main theater and studio theater

Located on the east side of Alma Road between 15th听Street and W. Park Blvd., the state-of-the-art facility will contribute to the education of more than 60 percent of Plano鈥檚 secondary students participating in fine arts programs.

The facility will also include a main lobby, theater and visual art support spaces as well as exterior gathering and performance spaces. There will be surface parking for approximately 700 cars.

鈥淭he scope of this structure includes concrete walls that rise as tall as 85 feet,鈥� said McCarthy Building Companies Project Manager Zach Snavely.

鈥淭he obvious number one concern on this project is fall protection and falling object protection. McCarthy has robust guidelines and processes for these exact hazards. Some things that we do to keep our craftsman safe is to consistently preach the importance of discussing safety hazards鈥攕pecifically fall protection鈥攊n their daily morning crew huddles. We also create safe access and egress zones with overhead protection at different areas of the jobsite to control where personnel walk in and around the structure. This helps keep people in safe zones to limit being struck by a potential falling object from work occurring above.鈥�

As for challenges on this project, Snavely said the BIM coordination was by far one of the major challenges.

鈥淭he sole fact that the entire structure is cast-in-place, not tilt-up or precast, architecturally exposed concrete created a need for coordination beyond what you typically see on construction projects. An architecturally exposed concrete structure means that all your mechanical, electrical, and plumbing items must be installed in a concrete wall, not in a drywall partition.鈥�

This also means that the team has one chance to get it right.

鈥淐oncrete is not as friendly as drywall when it comes to adding an additional electrical backbox and conduit,鈥� he added.

鈥淎ll of this required the BIM coordination to be elaborate, extremely collaborative, and focused on ensuring coordination was done on time and done right. BIM coordination was completed in June 2019.鈥�

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BILLERICA, Mass.鈥擳he new Billerica Memorial High School is now open, a sign of the town’s reaffirmed commitment to educating its students in an innovative, healthy and flexible environment. The project is the result of a partnership between the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the town of Billerica, design firm Perkins and Will, construction manager Shawmut Design and Construction, and project manager Leftfield.

“As a community, this is a space that we all should be proud of,” says Billerica Schools Superintendent, Timothy Piwowar. “We’ve equipped our students with a facility that will allow them to best prepare for their future, helping Billerica to become a top-tier destination for education in the Merrimack Valley.”

“The new Billerica Memorial High School will stand as an extraordinary vessel of learning for many future generations,” says Billerica Town Manager John Curran. “Anyone who walks through this building will know that the people and the educators in this town place a high value on a first-rate education for their children.”

The design of the new school supports Billerica’s diverse and forward-looking educational program through a flexible planning and design approach. Highly specialized areas鈥攍ike the auditorium and STEAM spaces鈥攁re complemented by agile classrooms and informal learning areas that can be easily modified to meet different user needs.

“We wanted to equip Billerica’s students, teachers, and administrators with a space that will support evolving educational models well into the future,” says Brooke Trivas, principal at Perkins and Will. “Flexible classrooms and interdisciplinary spaces allow students to develop skills like communication and collaboration, while providing teachers and administrators the freedom to grow and expand their teaching styles.”

The high school serves more than 1,600 students in grades 8-12 and houses a 200-student Pre-K program. Academic programs offered here include nationally recognized robotics teams, an award-winning drama department, and a business and entrepreneurship club that competes internationally. The school also accommodates district administrative offices.

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Over the past 20 years or so, green and sustainable construction has evolved from what many called a fringe movement to one that has definitely achieved mainstream status. Reducing energy and water usage remains the top environmental issue driving all types of construction鈥攊ncluding school projects

Now, we are hearing much more about net-zero energy construction. Exactly, what is this and how does it differ from green and sustainable construction?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, follows a widely accepted definition of green building鈥攖he planning, design, construction and operations of buildings and spaces with a focus on the following considerations鈥攚ater and energy use, indoor environmental quality, material selection, and the building鈥檚 effects on its site.

By this definition, designing, constructing and operating buildings for energy efficiency is integral to green building. Similarly,听net-zero energy听or net-positive energy design and construction strategies are often incorporated into green building projects. A net-zero energy building is generally defined as a building that produces at least as much energy as it uses.

鈥淕reen building starts with the understanding that buildings have profound impacts on the natural environment, as well as the people who interact with them every day,鈥� said Anisa Heming, director for the Center for Green Schools at USGBC.

鈥淟EED offers projects a sustainable approach to construction because it considers the building鈥檚 future impacts on the planet and on people.鈥�

LEED, a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement, provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. According to USGBC, there are more than 2,300 LEED-certified schools globally, and another 2,200 that have started the process.

Perkins and Will is a global architecture firm with offices across the U.S. and international locations, including Dubai and London. Formed in 1935, the company has designed many education projects.

鈥淓nergy efficient construction can mean a lot of different things, depending on the building or the system being designed,鈥� explained Alison Binford, senior project manager, associate at the Austin studio of Perkins and Will.

鈥淚t generally includes reducing energy consumption and minimizing reliance on the electrical grid or fossil fuels. This can be achieved through building orientation to minimize heat gain, use of efficient HVAC equipment, providing or tying into renewable energy sources (wind turbines, solar panels), and technologically advanced building system controls, amongst many other things.鈥�

Angela Whitaker-Williams, Austin practice leader, principal at Perkins and Will said that a true energy-efficient building goes well beyond efficient air conditioning systems.

鈥淭he design approach must consider energy savings in every aspect of the building鈥攆rom the way the users arrive (access to mass transit), to systems that increase or decrease energy use (lighting, HVAC, insulation), to the resources used in the building (water, lighting, consumables), and to the durability of building materials. Thinking holistically about energy reduction goes down to considering the embodied energy of how building materials are manufactured and transported. Thinking about all levels of energy required to make and use a building gives us as designers opportunities to make decisions to reduce overall energy use.鈥�

Over the past number of years, Perkins and Will has seen a significant growth in the number of school clients focusing on energy consumption of their buildings.

鈥淎ccording to the U.S. Department of Energy, electric lighting in buildings consume, approximately 15% of all energy generated in the United States,鈥� said Whitaker-Williams. 鈥淲e can reduce that energy usage on artificial lighting by designing with daylighting strategies.鈥�

This study also found that at the student level, daylighting improves student performance by an estimated 20% in math and 26% in reading. Daylight enhances health by enhancing vitamin D, mental performance, and awareness of circadian rhythms.

鈥淚n designing for daylighting, there is a careful balance of letting in the light without increasing the solar heat load on the air conditioning system,鈥� continued Whitaker-Williams. 鈥淲e use a balance of expanses of high-performance glass and shading devices鈥�

Additionally, she said at the school district level, energy efficient building design can make excellent use of taxpayer investment as it stretches limited maintenance and operational funds. Many schools have a lifespan of 50-plus years, so designing to save 10% to 15% of the energy bills can add up to substantial savings.

At the global level, energy-efficient design limits damage to the ecosystem, reduces greenhouse gases, carbon footprint, and global warming.

One project Perkins and Will is especially proud of is the Eastside Early College High School and International High School project in Austin, Texas. With a major focus on energy-efficient design, the school is a STEM early college program focused on health, fitness and environmental science.

鈥淥ur early goals on the project was to reduce energy and use the building as a learning tool for students to easily see and understand the strategies such as looking at the variability of shading forms based on solar orientation,鈥� explained Whitaker-Williams.

鈥淲e used the Energy Performance Calculator based on ISO Standard 13790, which is a normative tool developed by the High-Performance Buildings Laboratory of the Georgia Institute of Technology. This drove our design decisions from exterior building forms, fenestrations, daylighting, glare and building systems selections.鈥�

For the $80-million Eastside School project, Perkins and Will team conducted computer modelling studies early in the design process to determine the most efficient strategy for building elements.

鈥淭he large overhangs at the perimeter glass were designed as a direct result of the envelope parametric analysis, which informed the exact dimensions that would maximize the shading of the glass, reducing the heat-gain, while still optimizing daylight and views for the interior spaces. This computer modeling, in addition to full energy modeling, drove the design and reduced costs for our air conditioning, as well as lighting systems,鈥� said Binford.

Matt Wolkow is vice president of operations and engineering at Schneider Electric, which has locations throughout the United States. Schneider Electric implements capital recovery and reinvestment projects to help K12 school districts and other public entities modernize facilities, drive sustainability efforts and reduce energy consumption to achieve their vision. The company develops connected technologies and solutions to manage energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable.

鈥淪chools are facing shrinking budgets, rising public interest in sustainability, and limited resources for making energy saving investments,鈥� explained Wolkow.

鈥淲e鈥檝e worked with schools across the country that have been struggling with deferred maintenance and limited maintenance staffs to modernize their infrastructures for a lower cost through energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs)鈥攁 financial model that has been growing rapidly in popularity. It is a contracting vehicle that helps schools fund overall infrastructure improvement plans by capturing energy savings and, therefore, energy efficiency.鈥�

Over the past 25 years, Schneider Electric has implemented more than 750 ESPC projects across the nation, saving clients nearly $2.5 billion.

Editor鈥檚 note: This story is an abridged version of a feature that appeared in the July/August issue of 糖心少女.

听

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AUSTIN, Texas鈥擱ecently released renderings of the new $80 million Eastside Memorial Early College High School and International High School in Austin, Texas show the strong intention to honor and preserve the of L.C. Anderson High School, which previously occupied the site and served as an important community center in the area for decades.

In 2017, architecture firm Perkins and Will was chosen to design the project by the Austin Independent School Board. The district鈥檚 first ground-up school to be built in nearly two decades, it will be located at 900 Thompson Street on grounds that are part of what was the last campus of L.C. Anderson High School, the segregation-era African American school that was a source of neighborhood pride and community.

L.C. Anderson High School had at least three different locations in the area before closing in 1971, when integration of public schools was federally mandated.

The new Eastside Memorial Early College High School and International High School鈥攚hich was approved by Austin voters as part of the Austin ISD 2017 Bond program鈥攚ill highlight the original L.C. Anderson High School鈥檚 rich history by honoring the past and providing students with pathways to the future through a strong vision of academic excellence, multiculturalism and community connectivity.

鈥淭he comprehensive facility will offer a STEM-focused curriculum featuring health science and environmental science, and will provide specialized education for students who are new to the country and have little to no proficiency in English,鈥� said Angela Whitaker-Williams,听Austin Practice Leader, Principal, at Perkins and Will.

The new, four-story portion of the building will feature technologically equipped learning spaces, as well as student-focused classrooms, two gymnasiums, and a premiere health science lab. The team also plans to build on the school鈥檚 multiple outdoor spaces with a large, multi-use classroom courtyard that includes dining areas, a stage, reflection areas and sensory gardens.

To capture the legacy of this important community hub and source of neighborhood pride, substantial elements of the original structure will be reconstructed and incorporated in the design scheme for the new school.

Reconstructed areas will reuse the salvaged red brick and original 1950s modern forms. The entrance to the former location of the gym will become a new community center entrance with a gallery that tells the histories of L.C. Anderson High School to future generations.

鈥淭his branded gallery will include a timeline of the former school鈥檚 history, legacy medallions and display cabinets for objects of historic significance,鈥� said Whitaker-Williams.

鈥淭o distinguish itself in the present鈥攚hile relating to the past鈥攕imilar horizontal proportions and modern lines are achieved by using predominantly metal and glass building materials. The success stories of today鈥檚 students will be told in the entry hall on an ever-changing digital display, in the display cases of victory trophies and in a timeline of the story of Eastside and International in the main hall. The modernized Eastside Memorial ECHS and International High School at the Original L.C. Anderson campus is where legacy meets the future.鈥�

Aiming for LEED Silver Certification, Perkins and Will designed the space as a learning lab of environmental science featuring rain gardens and overhangs calculated for daylight and heat gain reductions.

鈥淭his design will work to minimize the facility鈥檚 carbon footprint within the community by making use of passive heating and cooling with strategic design elements, using natural daylighting, optimizing mechanical systems, reducing water usage within the building and on-site, and capitalizing on its proximity to public transportation and bicycle routes,鈥� she explained.

鈥淭he original facility had serious structural issues, so we aimed to preserve original materials and rebuild parts of the building, including its original, mid-century entrance, band hall, choir room, and one classroom wing,鈥� Whitaker-Williams added.

The biggest design challenge on this was project was reconstructing the desired areas from the 1950s-era structure, while also serving Austin ISD鈥檚 very modern and innovative academic goals.

鈥淭he campus architectural team and the project鈥檚 community advisory committee included stakeholders from Eastside Memorial ECHS, International High School, original L.C. Anderson alumni, community members and students,鈥� she said.

鈥淭his collaborative and diverse stakeholder process envisioned strategies to honor the past, the present and the future in order to respect the history of the site, serve the needs of current students, and prepare students for life beyond high school.鈥�

The campus is directly across the street from the Austin Community College Eastview campus, which improves access for students working concurrently on their associate degree and high school diploma.

The completion date for the school is slated for summer 2021.

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