Juror shares observations from national educational design competition
[Cleveland, OH] – Each year, Learning By Design (LBD) magazine, in collaboration with its partners, seeks out a group of qualified professionals with multi-disciplinary backgrounds to serve as jury members for its prestigious Architectural Awards Showcase.
This year, LBD selected Robin Randall, director of PreK-12 Education at Legat Architects, as the Midwestern representative of its five-member jury. Jurors selected from 58 submissions the projects that best showcase effective indoor and outdoor learning spaces in both PreK through 12 schools and post-secondary/higher education environments from across North America.
This year’s submissions revealed trends in adaptive reuse, outdoor learning, and reducing facilities’ carbon footprint.
LBD publisher Mark Goodman said, “Robin’s immersion in both the professional and academic worlds, along with her focus on environmentally-conscious design, helped round out our diverse jury.”
The Architectural Awards Showcase is a partnership between LBD, the American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education (AIA-CAE), and the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). See this year’s winners.
Randall’s Observations
The most impressive aspect of this year’s standout projects, according to Randall, was the literal and abstract integration of nature into design. Several entries embraced the concepts of biophilia and biomimicry. This year’s entries also revealed an intensified focus on net zero energy consumption, meaning the building/campus creates more energy than it consumes.
Randall commented on one entry: “The school wrapped around a beautiful courtyard configuration, which became the centerpiece of learning. The courtyard had multiple levels of natural landscaping and dedicated outdoor classroom spaces, while the school itself offered a comfortable scale and high-touch materials like wood and exposed steel.”
Other trends that Randall noted include learning stairs with vertical connections for gathering, the use of super graphics like murals, and the tasteful use of bolder colors.
“We’re at a pivotal time for the union of buildings and curricula, and this year’s entries reflect that,” said Randall. “The most impressive projects conveyed a sense of openness and were rich in opportunities for spontaneous learning. I saw great examples of classrooms that extend into corridors and gathering places with natural backdrops.”
Contact us to learn more about student responsive design or comment below to share your thoughts on this post.
Leave a Reply