School Building Week 2005 Succeeds and Honors

WASHINGTON-Spotlighting our nation’s schools and reinforcing the connection between school facilities and student learning, School Building Week 2005, April 18-22, engaged schools and school districts of every size, creating greater public awareness of the importance of well- planned, high performing, healthy and sustainable schools that foster student achievement and serve as centers of community. In collaboration with CEFPI, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the AIA and more than 40 other organizations, including School Construction News, partnered in the weeklong commemoration.

With the National Building Museum in the nation’s capitol providing a dramatic setting, District of Columbia Public Schools and Virginia design competition finalists were honored at a School Building Day Awards ceremony on April 22, 2005. The middle school students participated in a design competition challenging them to demonstrate how they would renovate their own schools in order to create a better learning environment. Architectural students from Howard University and Virginia Tech served as mentors to the students, introducing them to the elements of school planning and design and leading them through a program focused on the impact of good planning and design on the built environment. Together, they explored indoor air quality issues, energy-saving measures, environmental stewardship and the importance of community involvement, which they incorporated into their imaginative and innovative designs. The competition gave these students an opportunity to think about the learning environment, express their creativity, experience the planning process and demonstrate where they think they could learn best.

Barbara C. Worth, associate executive director, CEFPI Foundation & Charitable Trust, welcomed the gathering at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., followed by Edmund H. Worthy, Jr., vice president for education, National Building Museum, who commented on the student projects, applauding them for their great insight and ideas and the role they can play in shaping the future.

Observing the significance of School Building Week, Clacy Williams, REFP, CEFPI president, stated, “We were excited about the quality of the project submittals and the great peer relationships that have developed between the students and their university mentors. As in all competitions there will be a winner, but because of your participation in the development of these great projects, each of you have had the opportunity to experience what winning is all about. CEFPI is proud to recognize each of you for your hard work and dedication to the development of your school’s design project. We sincerely hope that the experience will somehow serve you in your future endeavors. Our goal is create greater public awareness of the importance of school buildings, and how facilities can enhance student performance and the learning process. It is students like you who demonstrate the possibilities for improving our future – thank you.”

Jeffrey R. Holmstead, assistant administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), presented the first keynote address. Congratulating the students on their efforts, Holmstead referred to his “school” – the Hogwart School – noting the myriad of problems that school presented – poor indoor air quality, mold, lack of daylit rooms and so on. Holmstead gave the students kudos for their designs and for their ability to demonstrate what today’s schools could and should be. Holmstead complimented the students for their enthusiasm and their visionary projects, praising them as role models.

Applauding the students, Thomas M. Brady, chief business operations officer, District of Columbia Public Schools, remarked that they play a key role in the design process of our schools and the future of our communities. Students can really play a key role in developing community support to build and modernize public schools. Tom Brady encouraged the students to share their projects with schoolmates and to bring their projects and ideas to school board members.

Clacy Williams thanked the jurors for their outstanding job in evaluating the students’presentations and projects. With a special note of thanks to Luis Secco, architect and CEFPI member who traveled from Montevideo, Uruguay, to participate in these proceedings, Williams introduced each of the members of the student design competition jury including Judith Hoskens, REFP, Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A., jury chair; Victoria Bergsagel, president, Architects of Achievement; Lee Brockway, AIA, principal emeritus, Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc.; Cecily Channell, Sustainable Buildings Industry Council; Victor Dzidzienyo, associate dean, School of Architecture & Design, Howard University; Peter Hawley, outreach coordinator, American Planning Association; James LaPosta, AIA, principal & CEO, Jeter Cook and Jepson Architects, Inc.; Pamela Loeffelman, AIA, principal, Perkins Eastman Architects, PC; Judy Marks, associate director, National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities; Luis Secco, president, Luis Secco Architect; Yale Stenzler, president, YES Consulting; Daniel Sze, program manager, Rebuild America, US Department of Energy; and, Edmund H. Worthy, Jr., vice president for education, National Building Museum.

Noting the extraordinary experience shared by mentors and students during the design process and the unique qualities of the projects, Judith P. Hoskens, jury chair and senior educational planner, Cuningham Group, remarked, “All the students are winners! We really praise the four finalist school present at today’s School Building Week ceremonies for their articulate presentations; their well-documented planning processes; their inordinate attention to health, safety, energy- saving and environmental issues; and, their superb comprehension of different learning styles.” Plaques were presented to each of the finalist schools and laminated certificates were given to every student and mentor.

The Gereau Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration, Franklin County, Virginia received top honors with the Award of Excellence for their presentation inspired by the Mobius strip. The Mobius strip represents continuation and direction that completes a circuit while never ending, and in the student’s eyes, education should be no different. Their project demonstrated great flexibility of space and extension of learning spaces to the outdoors, supporting integrated learning. The “Metamorphic Mobius”, as they titled their project, placed strong emphasis on environmental design, including environmental elements as a focus of the curriculum and enabling the school to become an Energy Star school.

The Award of Distinction was given to Hart Middle School, DCPS, who shaped “Science with a Hart.” Their principal desire was to create a safe haven on a variety of levels-environmentally, socially and educationally. Since their current science lab was, in their words, “one of the worst spaces” in the school, they planned a new science lab which included multiple areas to support different activities, incorporated good indoor air quality, energy savings, daylighting and addressed accessibility for all by providing a series of ramps to enter all the spaces. The students created an observatory in the science lab are that would encourage the community to use their school.

Johnson Junior High School, DCPS, captured the Award of Merit with a project that focused on strong connections to the community – their roller skating rink, amphitheater and bowling alley invited community use and also served as a revenue generator. Johnson students envisioned their school not only as the center of the community but “a symbol of a better future for their community.” They emphasized a strong desire for a healthy, safe and secure environment to learn in, not to be “held captive in.” As with all the finalists, Hart students incorporated great environmental design aspects to create comfort along with energy savings.