High Performance Schools for Higher Performing Students

A Pre-Design Guide on School Design, Construction and Operation for School Board Members(2001)

High Performance Schools for Higher Performing Students (3.6Mb)

We can improve the learning experience of students through better school design. This document is a tool for decision makers to create higher performing schools and lead to higher performing students.

A focus on pre-design. Effective pre-design sets the stage for clear project goals to be achieved. But critical work that should be done in the pre-design phase is often cut short or eliminated due to immediate demand for new space or the desire to quickly fix pressing problems. School boards and other decision makers need to take leadership and clearly state the purpose and expectations for school construction or remodeling.

Assumptions behind high-performance schools

• Students come first. Education and learning outcomes are the central focus of school design.
• Life cycle costs matter most. Financial performance measures are made based on life cycle costs, not only first cost.
• Education programming leads design programming. A clear educational vision and educational program serve as the foundation for a strategic plan for school facilities, making learning the focus of design.
• What gets measured gets designed and built. School boards must voice expectations for building performance goals to the professionals that they hired to design, build and operate schools, and then measure the results achieved.

Audience

This document is intended primarily for decision-makers involved in the design, construction, and management of schools. Key decision-makers in school design should include school board members, school superintendents, staff, and students.

This manual seeks to raise the level of knowledge that school decision-makers have with respect to the design and performance of new school buildings as well as remodeling of existing schools. As a consequence of knowing more, they can both raise and clarify their expectations for school design. Once decision-makers are clear on their expectations for school design, they can more effectively direct the professionals they hire to design, construct and operate their schools. Informed decisions and clear design direction are precursors to creating a high performance schools.

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High Performance Schools for Higher Performing Students (3.6Mb)

Credits and acknowledgements

This guide was a collaborative project initiated in 2000 by LHB Engineers and Architects and completed in collaboration with Factor 10, LLC and Intep/AW Consulting with funding from the Environmental Assistance grant program.

Project team: Steve McNeill and Joan Erickson, LHB Engineers & Architects; Stephan Tanner and Joel Schurke, Factor 10; Rene Sigg, Ulrich Kohler, Roland Stulz, Intep (Munich), AW Consulting (Zurich) and Tim Heitman, Heitman Design. The grant coordinator was Linda Countryman, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.