Design Professionals Can Help School Boards Meet Educational and Community Needs

by Vern McKissick, John Hill (2007 AIA President)

When considering the need for a new or renovated facility, school boards would be well-served to look beyond the physical appearance and condition of their existing buildings. Investing valuable time in the search for new building sites may prematurely focus the board’s attention on “bricks-and-mortar” issues which may be better addressed at a later time with a design professional.

Instead, board members and administrators should start by considering their educational programming needs. How do they want their school buildings to function? A design professional can help a school district make that determination by interviewing the staff, parent-teacher associations, and community members.

Next, school boards should consider their facilities in the context of the larger community. They should work with local planning commissions to assess demographic trends and the community’s plan for growth. In urban areas, a school can often help stabilize a neighborhood or contribute to revitalization efforts. In rural areas, where school districts often comprise several municipalities, the district may be the only entity that can bring these municipalities together to reach common goals. School boards should keep in mind that the location of a school powerfully influences where development will occur.

Once educational programming needs and community development objectives are determined, a design professional should apply those objectives to existing facilities and help the board determine if new ones are needed. It is generally more cost-effective to renovate existing buildings than build new, but doing so will require creative thinking and flexible approaches. For example, many historic elementary schools have been needlessly discarded because the cafeteria was in the basement or the gymnasium was too small. But these existing spaces can be wonderful for other uses like libraries or art rooms. New cafeterias and gymnasiums can be incorporated in an addition to the existing building.

Likewise, retaining the best features of older buildings, like classrooms with ample natural daylight, can be achieved by using creative solutions to keep big windows and high ceilings. Because of security issues, the original entrance to a school may need to become a ceremonial entrance. A new entrance can ensure visitors go through the main office to enter the building.

Although existing schools are usually located in well-established sites with existing utilities and infrastructure, it is likely there will be considerable car traffic for a short period in the mornings and afternoons, especially on bad-weather days. School districts and local municipalities need to recognize some traffic congestion is inevitable. Non-conventional solutions such as an internal circulation loop may be needed. But creative solutions are more likely to succeed than trying to impose a suburban solution in an older neighborhood by clearing a large site or moving a school out of town altogether.

Even school directors who favor new construction may find it is easier to garner community support for renovating older buildings. For example, Hazleton recently considered building a new middle school against considerable community opposition. But when converting Hazleton’s abandoned old high school into an elementary/middle school was proposed, everyone came together to support restoring a community landmark. Recently, a thousand people packed the gymnasium for a rededication of the building, which locals proudly call the “Castle.”

Although renovations are more difficult for staff than new construction, school districts can spare themselves many headaches by hiring additional staff and reassigning job responsibilities to ensure problems can be handled as they arise. School boards, administration and staff will need to be flexible, especially if the building is going to remain open during renovations.

When the 700-student Bedford High School was recently renovated, a “farm” of 32 modulars was created on the parking lot for seven months, gradually opening up pieces of the renovated building during the school year: the gymnasium first, then the cafeteria, and finally the library. In Bedford’s case, it was less expensive to compress the schedule and move the kids completely out. Other districts have scheduled critical activities and work in common areas during summer breaks and then isolated portions of the building undergoing renovations during the school year. Of course, it is critical to maintain a safe environment for students and staff throughout the construction process.

School boards should be prepared to pay design professionals more for renovating an existing building than constructing a new school, because renovations involve more planning, research, and coordination. Boards should budget more for contingencies. In the end, experience has shown, it’s still likely to cost less for renovations than new construction.

The Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects provides a directory of architects in different parts of the state on its website, www.aiapa.org. School board members should also visit older schools that have been renovated. They may be surprised to learn how well a 1920s school can function in the 21st century, and how much value it can add to the community.