Home |
|
Both of the projects referenced in this article were designed by Vern L. McKissick III, AIA, NCARB, REFP during his partnership with Hayes Large Architects.
In designing two new elementary schools for the relatively rural school districts of Bedford and Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, Hayes Large faced the increasingly common design problem of how to effectively incorporate computers and related technology into elementary level instructional spaces. Many educators are moving away from the "centralized computer lab" concept, opting instead to include a minimum of four to eight computers in each elementary classroom. This shift from a clustering of technology into a single room for shared use by entire schools or grade levels has occurred for several reasons. First, shared computer labs are often plagued by a myriad of scheduling conflicts. Many also provide little flexibility for small group instruction, and their distance from the classroom poses supervision problems. Lastly, this move toward the inclusion of computers in the classroom has been further hastened by increased levels of "comfort and acceptance" of technology by classroom professionals.
Providing direct classroom access to technology does, however, pose several challenges. In designing more than 25 new elementary schools since 1990, Hayes Large has found that adding a single computer to a classroom requires a minimum of twenty to twenty-five square feet of space in order to accommodate the computer, desk, chair and work space. In a typical classroom of 850 square feet, the addition of four computers results in a loss of 12-15% of the usable teaching space. The need for additional space for computers is only part of the problem. Consideration must also be given to incorporating visually comfortable general and task lighting as well as providing a means of control over exterior lighting with the standard classroom. Further thought must be directed toward the impact of the computer on the traditional teaching environment. While their multi-media capability with sound and video images make them exciting learning instruments, computers can also serve as a distraction for students from teacher-led activities happening in the classroom.
All of these technology issues were successfully addressed in the design of Bedford and Selinsgrove Elementary Schools, but in very different ways. Interestingly enough, the same design team worked on both projects, and despite the similarity of the schools with respect to size and demographics (both schools are approximately 110,000 square feet in area and accommodate roughly 1000 students), interaction with the clients produced distinctly different design solutions in meeting the same goals.
Replacing a structure constructed in 1858, the new Bedford Elementary is designed with four "pods" of classrooms located within a traditional double loaded corridor structure. Each Kindergarten through second grade or third through fifth grade grouping consists of nine classrooms and a 26' x 60' commons area. The design of this school focuses on maximizing technology flexibility - teachers wanted both the option of large group computer instruction and in-classroom compute ruse. Mobile computer units are a key element in the solution. The commons area is designed to be set up as a highly flexible computer lab, with an under the floor grid of power and data outlets and several large screen wall mounted televisions and other multi-media devices. Lighting is technology friendly, consisting of direct/indirect pendant lighting, and the room can be fully darkened. The intention is to locate the mobile computer stations in the commons area, with the capability of shifting them into individual classrooms as needed.
Each classroom is in turn equipped with conditioned/surge protected color coded power sources and network ports consisting of 10 Base T copper connections to wiring closets located within each pod. These ports are conveniently placed around the perimeter of the room to allow the mobile student units to be set up anywhere the teacher desires. A fiber backbone links all distribution closets providing bandwidth for future "video to the desktop".
At Selinsgrove Elementary, a different approach was taken. As with Bedford, all central computer labs were eliminated, leaving the only large concentration of computers within the building to the library/media center. Educators instead opted for the use of four to eight computer work stations within each classroom. To meet these needs, Hayes Large chose to create a "modified L" shaped classroom (see the attached floor plan example). Utilizing the building area that would have been devoted to dedicated computer labs, pairs of interlocking short "L" classrooms were designed. This model maintains adequate area to support traditional instructional modes while creating separate computer alcoves. The alcove provides each classroom with four computer work stations and a printer. An exciting aspect of this design lies, however, in the way in which the pairs of classrooms are interlocked. Alcoves between pairs of classrooms are connected via a doorway, allowing teachers to sharer resources and utilize all eight computers at once.
In addition to providing a dedicated space for computers within the classroom, this design effectively allows light levels to be optimized for computer use within the alcove without disruption to classroom activities. The problem of distraction was also minimized using this configuration, and through the addition of 48" high marker boards which are to be hinged to the wall adjacent to the computer alcove. These marker boards serve as useful doorways and can be used to close off the alcove or to subdivide the main classroom area. Additional air-conditioned ventilation is also introduced into the alcoves to reduce latent temperature increases.
The area of the classroom outside of the alcove is not devoid of technology. A dedicated power source and data port for student use are located on each of the four walls of the classroom, and a teacher port has also been provided, creating a total of nine connections in each room. The teacher's port is linked to a 32" wall mounted television monitor through a video modulator so that CD Rom and internet materials can be projected to the entire class. This proved to be a less expensive solution on a per classroom basis than providing individual LCD flat screen panels or a video projector. Light levels in the general classroom can also be carefully controlled. Each room is equipped with direct/indirect pendant lighting linked to a motion sensor and all wood window units with internal micro blinds to allow for complete darkening.
Central to the design solutions for both of these projects was the recognition that spaces created for computers today need to be flexible enough to be used for other purposes in the future. When, as many educators predict, portable laptop computers become as pervasive as calculators, the alcoves created in each of the Selinsgrove classrooms can be used for small group instruction or special education inclusion activities. At Bedford Elementary, it was felt that the District may at some point want or need to convert the large commons area in each pod from a mobile computer lab into temporary or permanent usable classrooms. Therefore, in anticipation of this future potential, all of the lighting and HVAC systems were designed to allow this space to be divided into classrooms on either a permanent or temporary basis.
|
