National School Design Institute to Develop Plans for New School Facilities in Five Communities

WASHINGTON—September 12, 2006—Buffalo, Carroll County, GA , Los Angeles, Casper, WY, and Pass Christian, MS, school districts will get expert help developing plans for new school facilities during the American Architectural Foundation’s National School Design Institute, held here September 17-19, and presented by Architectural Record and Target.

During the AAF event, part of the organization’s Great Schools by Design program, school and community leaders from each of the districts will collaborate with teams of school design experts from ten prominent architectural firms to discuss challenges and present solutions for each of the projects.

The projects represent a range of different situations and geographic considerations as noted below:

Buffalo - Riverside High School is slated to be renovated to create a “school within a school” devoted to an entrepreneurial business program with support from the business community and the University of Buffalo.
Carroll County - this fast-growing country outside of Atlanta plans to build a new two-story high school for 1,800 students on the site of an existing facility that will feature a separate 9th grade academy.
Casper - plans to build a new high school for the Natrona County School District which would accommodate 1,000 to 1,200 students. The community is exploring opportunities to link the school to community college programs and to include an applied arts curriculum.
Los Angeles - South LA High School #3 is a planned new school on a 15-acre site to accommodate 2,000 students with four small themed learning communities.
Pass Christian - is building a K-8 school to replace an elementary and middle school destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. The new school will accommodate up to 1,000 students.

“The National School Design Institute is a showcase for advancing school design in America,” said Ronald E. Bogle, president and CEO of the American Architectural Foundation. “Since new schools represent such a historic investment in the educational excellence of a community, it is important to apply the best ideas and practices for lasting success.”

The results of the National School Design Institute will be presented and published in a special issue of Architectural Record in January with support from Edutopia. Earlier this year, the AAF and KnowledgeWorks Foundation released the Report from the National Summit on School Design, which detailed eight recommendations and an array of good school design ideas. The report is available online at www.archfoundation.org.

About The American Architectural Foundation
The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that educates individuals and communities about the power of architecture to transform lives and improve the places where we live, learn, work, and play. AAF’s programs include: The Mayors’ Institute on City Design and Great Schools by Design – highly regarded initiatives that help improve the built environment through the collaboration of thought leaders, designers, and local communities. Through its outreach programs, grants, exhibitions, and educational resources, AAF helps people become thoughtful and engaged stewards of the world around them. For more information, please visit www.archfoundation.org.

Contact:
Helen Wechsler
American Architectural Foundation
(202) 626-7372
hwechsler@archfoundation.org