Merging 10-Year Health/Life Safety Reports, facilities master plans, and educational adequacy assessments enables Illinois school districts to optimize learning and budgets
Employee Insights
Building envelope maintenance: how to extend the life of masonry walls
An architect with experience repairing hundreds of masonry walls reflects on deferred maintenance and shares tips on assessing masonry walls to maximize their lives and avoid major headaches.
Train station translation: contemporary architecture
Capture the here and now: why contemporary train station design is such a hard sell … and how it marks our place in the Digital Age
How to achieve cost-effective kindergarten classrooms
Educational architect Robin Randall shares realistic advice about the challenges of adding developmentally appropriate, play-based kindergarten classrooms while respecting budget limitations. As of December 2022, 41 states and Washington, D.C. require school districts to offer kindergarten, but only 19 states and D.C. require children to attend kindergarten, according toThe Education Commission of the States. There […]
How to Fast Track a Temporary Casino
Beat the odds by working the supply chain: architectural team offers tips on accelerating design and construction through a case study of a project that goes from a blank page to a new Waukegan, Illinois temporary casino in less than 12 months. By April Maifield A recent Engineering News-Record editorial suggests that 2022 will endure […]
An architectural view of school safety and security
Communication forms the foundation of a safe school environment. With threats ranging from severe weather to active shooters, school leaders, designers, and security consultants face many challenges in creating safe environments that allow children to thrive. Paul Timm, PSP, school security expert and vice president at Facility Engineering Associates, explains the one thing that underpins […]
How to pass school construction referendums
Passing a school construction referendum requires a careful balancing act of showing the need, making the right ask, and most importantly, building community support. LaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120 operated a 90-year-old campus that had not received major updates in more than 50 years. The Illinois district needed to modernize its aging facilities, but […]
Does your school’s furniture support learning styles and improve performance?
Choosing the best furniture for students means accepting that not just any chair will do. When it comes to educational facilities, furniture becomes the last powerful element of a strong architectural statement. Furniture responds to function, but also helps create the feel of a space. Students interact with furniture more than any other design element. […]
Michael Lundeen Celebrates 30 Years at Legat Architects
A most personable analyst: Legat Architects’ Michael Lundeen achieves three decades of leading influential projects, advancing higher education campuses, and setting an example for emerging architects In the mid-1980s, Michael Lundeen nearly dropped out of the architectural program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). “I was struggling with design studio,” he said. “It […]
Simulation means success: immersive public safety training comes to college campuses
When classrooms are not enough: how higher education campuses can use immersive environments that replicate real-world situations to enhance public safety training. Featuring a case study of Cuyahoga Community College’s Simulated Scenario Village. Today’s national conversation about law enforcement focuses on issues ranging from community-based policing to domestic terrorism and natural disasters. This proves the […]
Playing to Learn: Playful Learning Comes to Chicago (Part 2)
Learning underfoot: vibrant installments of words, letters, shapes, and numbers migrate from Philadelphia to Chicago In my last post, we reviewed the many benefits of incorporating play into early learners’ educational experiences. This time, we’ll show how the same innovative outdoor learning principles that began in Philadelphia inspired new installations in Chicago. That initial Playful […]
Illinois school tornado shelters: an architect’s perspective
From ventilation and projectile defense to water supply and signage: a closer look at the complex code requirements for tornado shelters at Illinois schools In June 2021, an EF3 tornado swept through several suburbs located 20 miles southwest of Chicago. It struck residential areas just after 11 pm . . . only minutes after wireless […]
