When the three-story 45,000-sf Constance and Miguel Fernandez STEM Center for Science and Math opened last September at the entrance of the historic Ransom Everglades School campus in Coconut Grove, Fla., it created a new quad with an outdoor theater and classrooms, art exhibition space, and an outdoor student green. But one thing the new building didn’t have was private offices.
Its designer, Perkins & Will, has seen shared meeting spaces replacing private faculty offices in several of its recent education projects. “This isn’t a trend; it’s here to stay,” says Pat Bosch, Principal and Design Director in P&W’s Miami studio. “We’re seeing it in public schools, too, around the country.
OLD DESIGN IDEAS MADE NEW BY CIRCUMSTANCES
Since the advent of STEM- and STEAM-focused curricula several years ago, schools have been taking their cues from the office and research sectors in terms of rethinking their spaces for collaboration, “with more collision points,” says Bosch.
P&W has a long history of advocating for outdoor learning spaces, and its clients of late are listening to pitches whose angles are about safety and wellness. The shift away from private faculty offices, however, still leaves room for one-on-one learning and communication. P&W’s kit-of-parts approach can include quieter rooms that Bosch believes are less intimidating to students than a teacher’s or principal’s office. “This actually enhances the bespoke educational environment,” says Bosch.
UTILIZING ‘IN-BETWEEN’ SPACES
The STEM center at Ransom Everglades School is the result of a design pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Essentially a big glass box, Its classrooms and labs are supported by more informal tech-enhanced “in-between” spaces where students and faculty can interact. An aquatics lab functions as a water feature at the front of the building, framed by the exterior student commons and an incubator that was designed to be the center for faculty, administrators, students, and visitors to exchange ideas.
Build by Shawmut Design & Construction, the STEM Center features 10 flexible classrooms with movable walls and furniture, as well as laboratories for earth sciences, biology, chemistry, and physics that integrate with fabrication and maker labs. Utilizing smart-building design throughout, the facility has wide staircases, tech-enabled educational spaces, an outdoor rooftop lab, multi-purpose conference room, and a reconfigurable 200-person auditorium.
Bosch adds that the design also ushered in better circulation for the entire school. “The pandemic propelled this, and now we have a proof of theory.”
Another P&W project that dispensed with private faculty offices is the K-5 St. Stephens Episcopal Day School, also in Coconut Grove, which last October completed a 23,000-sf Arts and Innovation Center and a 3,700-sf Ministry Building, located at its entrance. This $9.4 million pavilion, constructed by Skanska, is an example of STEAM education in early childhood development that showcases principles of design flexibility and adaptability, team-based learning, and project-based outcomes.
The design provides an array of informal learning spaces.
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | Oct 4, 2023
New high school in Minnesota provides career pathways for students
This 90-acre school campus also features myriad sports facilities.
K-12 Schools | Oct 2, 2023
4 design strategies for successful K-12 magnet schools
Clark Nexsen's Donna Francis, AIA, Principal, and Becky Brady, AIA, share four reasons why diverse K-12 magnet schools require diverse design.
Contractors | Sep 25, 2023
Balfour Beatty expands its operations in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Balfour Beatty is expanding its leading construction operations into the Tampa Bay area offering specialized and expert services to deliver premier projects along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
K-12 Schools | Sep 5, 2023
CHPS launches program to develop best practices for K-12 school modernizations
The non-profit Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) recently launched an effort to develop industry-backed best practices for school modernization projects. The Minor Renovations Program aims to fill a void of guiding criteria for school districts to use to ensure improvements meet a high-performance threshold.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
K-12 Schools | Aug 7, 2023
Two new school projects part of larger district-wide improvement plans
Gladstone Elementary in Rhode Island, and Plum Grove Middle School in Illinois, reflect trends toward collaboration and consolidation.
Market Data | Aug 1, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending increases slightly in June
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1% in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Spending is up 18% over the past 12 months. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.07 trillion in June.
K-12 Schools | Jul 31, 2023
Austin’s new Rosedale School serves students with special needs aged 3 to 22
In Austin, the Rosedale School has opened for students with special needs aged 3 to 22. The new facility features sensory rooms, fully accessible playgrounds and gardens, community meeting spaces, and an on-site clinic. The school serves 100 learners with special needs from across Austin Independent School District (ISD).