The American Architectural Foundation Announces the First School Design Institute

March 23, 2005 | Washington, DC MICD partners -- National Endowment for the Arts, American Architectural Foundation and U.S. Conference of Mayors -- announced that a School Design Institute is set for May.

The first School Design Institute, modeled after the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, is an important part of the American Architectural Foundation’s new national school design initiative, Great Schools by Design. The program was created in response to the growing recognition that mayors and school leaders are seeking more constructive ways to invest the almost $29 billion being spent annually in the U.S. school construction and renovation.

Founding co-sponsors for Great Schools by Design are McGraw Hill Construction and Herman Miller Inc. Its first School Design Institute will be held in Washington, D.C., May 4-6 when a small team of professionals joins with leaders of four school districts and their mayors to analyze specific design challenges faced by the educators in hopes of transforming the way public schools are planned, designed and integrated with their communities.

Great Schools by Design informs school and community leaders about leading edge thinking in school design and creates a national forum for the major stakeholders in school design to think creatively about the larger issues affecting the design and construction of schools. Great Schools by Design addresses the challenges faced by cities as a result of the deteriorating condition of public schools and the need for new schools.

Response to Great Schools by Design has been enthusiastic. Already, the initiative has been featured in more than 100 publications, including two articles by the National School Boards Association (NSBA), which were distributed to more than 12,000 school board members and superintendents. Presentations have been made to more than a dozen audiences, and in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation, AAF is now developing a series of documentaries featuring best practices in school design. The first of these will premier at the 2005 NSBA national convention in San Diego and will spotlight John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary School in St. Paul (Ankeny Kell Architects).

Also in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation, American Institute of Architects and 22 other associates, AAF is planning a national summit on school design to be held this summer. This event, which will involve all stakeholders, will identify how to improve school design.

With the U.S. spending $29 billion each year to renovate and build urban schools, and with the need rising, it is clear from the response to Great Schools by Design that AAF has answered a compelling need. New York City alone estimates that at least $15 billion is needed to restore its 1,200 school buildings. In addition to fixing outdated and dilapidated schools, 6,000 new facilities must be built nationwide in the next decade simply to keep pace with population growth.

Since kicking off Great Schools by Design in March, 2004, AAF has organized and facilitated a series of forums to stimulate discussions on the critical issues in school design, obtaining the counsel of superintendents, school board members, architects, interior designers, teachers, parents and community leaders. These forums have been key to gathering information and opinions that shed light on perceptions and practices of these key stakeholders.

To understand better the challenges facing local leaders, AAF has engaged mayors, superintendents, and community and school leaders in Boston, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Akron, Seattle, Denver, New York, Miami, Washington, DC, Las Vegas, Charlottesville, Minneapolis, Honolulu, and Indianapolis.

This spring, AAF will publish a series of white papers and articles highlighting the lessons of the forum series and report on the program’s findings. Meanwhile, additional forums are planned in the coming year.

AAF’s funding and alliance partners share a common interest in improving America’s communities and built environment through good design.

Founding partners for Great Schools by Design are the American Architectural Foundation, Herman Miller, Inc., and McGraw-Hill Construction. With AAF, KnowledgeWorks Foundation is the co-convener of the National Summit on School Design and a partner on the Great Schools by Design video series. Additional funding partners include: Cisco Systems, Inc. and the American Institute of Architects. Alliance partners include: Council of the Great City Schools • National Association of Elementary School Principals • National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities • National Education Association • National School Boards Association • U.S. Conference of Mayors.

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The Committee on Architecture for Education is a large and active group of architects and allied professionals concerned with the quality and design of all types of educational, cultural, and recreational facilities. While a large portion of our members practice in the K-12 and higher education markets, we look to serve the need of those in the entire pre-K to 99 market. CAE identifies national educational facility issues critical to architects and works to strengthen relationships with allied organizations, client groups, and the public.