Rock Creek Center, Frederick County Public Schools ...€¦ · of $130 sf, the project targeted a balance of green materials with low off-gassing properties, durable/abuse-resistance,

Rock Creek Center, Frederick County Public Schools

February 23, 2015


1. Introductions

100+

EMPLOYEES

200+

DESIGN AWARDS

300+

EDUCATION PROJECTS

#3K-12 DESIGN FIRM


2. Description of Project Structure

Fundamental Goals of the Project

Vision + Goals & Principles

Develop

then Confirm

Drive

the Planning

Project

Success

FACTS

VALUES

The Rock Creek Planning Team and the Architect develop Vision, Guiding Principles and

Focus Design Criteria.

Ed Spec.Criteria

The role of the Architect is to align the facts with the values.

Design Strategy


2. Description of Project Structure

Overall Schedule and Relationship between Ed Spec & Feasibility Study

Recommendation


Good facilitators …

… work to move the project forward

… make space for every voice to be heard

… record and disseminate information

… assist the group in defining the consensus

3. Defining Roles

Community Outreach and the Design Team


3. Defining Roles

FCPS/RCC/Parents/Partners

Possible Attendees:

• Students

• Faculty

• Administrators

• Community

• Parents

• Educational Partners

• Community Partners

• Architects

• Engineers

• Maintenance and

Operations

• All stakeholders welcome


4. What is an Educational Specification?


• An educational specification defines the programmatic, functional, spatial and environmental requirements of the educational facility.

National School Boards Association

• Educational specifications serve as the written documentation of the educators’ intent for program delivery and defines the physical parameters of the learning environment, both building and site.

CEFPI Guide for Educational Facility Planning

• Educational specifications describe the proposed educational programs, activities, area requirements, and the performance expectations of the proposed capital project.

IAC Procedures Guide

Educational Specifications Defined

IAC


A visionary document that

represents the way in

which students and the

community will engage in

education.

Convey a vision for the

school that will drive

decision making for the

duration of the project.

What can an Educational Specification be for Rock Creek?


Educational Specification Content

• Educational Philosophy Vision of the school system, educational philosophy, mission statement for the program, expression of values

• School DataStudent population, site information, special provisions, community information, etc.

• Program GoalsEducational goals of each instructional program

• Specific Program Activities and RelationshipsDetermine and define the functional need of the learning environment

• General ConditionsInternal building functional requirements such as HVAC, technology, windows and daylighting, accessibility, etc.

State Requirements:(per IAC Procedure Manual)

A. Project Summary

B. Project Background

C. Proposed Educational Programs and

Services

D. General Project Design Criteria

E. Existing Site Conditions

F. Proposed Site Requirements

G. Existing Building Systems Conditions

H. Proposed Building Systems

Requirements

I. General School Design Criteria

J. Individual Space Descriptions

K. Summary of Spatial Requirements (#’s)


• Sustainable materials guidelines

• Outdoor learning requirements

• Security guidelines

• Energy use guidelines

• Existing building assessment

• Community use guidelines

• Budget analysis

What else might be included?


5. Progressive Educational Considerations

Learning takes place everywhere and anywhere

and all learners need the opportunity:

• to learn in the environment that best suits

their needs,

• to explore topics that are of interest to them

and

• to be challenged in a comfortable and

supportive environment.


Clustered Classrooms

• Smaller learning communities create more personal

student relationships

• Embrace the beneficial outcomes of smaller schools

while maintaining the efficiencies

• Foster a sense of connection, ownership and privacy

within each cluster

• Shared common areas that provide learning opportunities

and flexibility

• Team teaching paired with cluster classrooms

Should students be in grade based clusters or is more flexibility beneficial?

How large should a student cluster be?


Flexibility

• Spaces that allow both traditional teaching and

active learning

• Physically flexible spaces which can be opened and

expanded

• Flexibility within each space to allow for a variety of

activities

• Movable furniture that can provide for storage and

also for zoning of spaces

How does furniture for learning differ from furniture for teaching?

What activities require spaces specifically designed for that activity?


Media Center Redefined

• Book storage is no longer the primary function of a

media center

• Support and facilitate access to information

• Areas to allow active hands on learning

• Facilitate skills such as communication, problem

solving and critical thinking

Is “Media Center” still a space or is more of an activity that supports ways in which students access information?

How many books does a media center need to store and have available for daily use?


Student Centered Spaces

• Support student choice in independent learning

• Incorporate student display and personalization

• Allow students to adjust and rearrange their

environment to suit activities.

How could spaces be shaped to allow safety and security while supporting student choice?

Could the dining room be redefined to create a student commons area, comfortable and inviting?


Sustainability and Environmental Literacy

• Ongoing relevance of Environmental Literacy

curriculum integration

• Reduction of energy load through building

configuration

• Behavior modification to reduce energy demand

load

• Program clues and triggers included in the design

of the educational spaces

How can sustainable teaching moments enhance overall engagement in education?

How are priorities between upfront costs and long term savings determined?


6. Trends in Special Education


7. Future Meeting Schedule

• Ed Spec Team meets every 2 weeks, Tuesdays from 9-11 AM for approx. 6 months• Feasibility Team will meet every 2 weeks once Ed Spec is completed.• FCPS Steering Committee will meet Monthly, their meetings will begin directly

following the Ed Spec meetings.

CHAPTER 1: VISIONING

Ed Spec Meeting #2: Visioning

1. Roundtable discussion of vision for Rock Creek

School

Ed Spec Meeting #3: Visioning/Benchmarking

1. Building Research

2. Possibly touring multiple schools in the local area and

discuss/collect feedback from group.

Ed Spec Meeting #4: Report from prior Visioning & Tours

1. G+P will compile feedback from visioning/tours and

develop Guiding Principles


7. Future Meeting Schedule

CHAPTER 2: TOPIC-SPECIFIC GOAL SETTINGDefine essential activitiesEstablish RelationshipsUnderstand Learning Activities

Example: AccessibilityExample: Sensory

CHAPTER 3: DEVELOPING THE PROGRAMCreating the organizational model (determining how spaces are arranged)Assign Spaces to functions

CHAPTER 4: PROGRAMMINGCodified program of each space in the building

Space SummaryRoom Data Sheets


St. Coletta of Greater Washington1901 Independence Avenue SE,

Washington, DC 20003

(202) 350-8680

New Construction: Completed 2006

99,000sf

70 students, ages 3-22

The nonprofit charter school St. Coletta serves individuals with

cognitive disabilities, autism, and physical disabilities. Guided by the

school’s philosophy that all children are special, MGA addressed

formal, functional, social and ecological concerns in the design, and

created a facility with such success that it is promoted as a national

model. The 99,000-SF building’s largest elements -- the entrance and

common facilities -- are located along Independence Avenue and

expressed as geometric pavilions clad in colorful glazed tile.

Instructional suites for 50-70 students are articulated as a series of

“houses” with private gardens and relate to the scale of the adjacent

residential neighborhood along 19th St. Internally, the houses front

onto a double-height common space called the “village green.” The

interior of each house is painted a different color, which becomes a

way-finding device and also helps the students identify with their

“community,” a vital part of the school’s teaching philosophy.

The program is an extension of the school's philosophy that stresses

the importance of building on and celebrating individual strengths. The

program at St. Coletta includes: functional academics, skills of daily

living, community based instruction, adaptive physical education, arts

education, computer skills and vocational training. Upon graduation

students earn a certificate of IEP completion in lieu of a high school

diploma. The therapies offered are:

• speech/language therapy

• occupational therapy

• physical therapy

• music and art therapy

• hydrotherapy

• assistive technology

• counseling

• social work services

• behavior management

• vision therapy

• autism resource services

• nursing services

• parent training

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Linwood Center3421 Martha Bush Drive

Ellicott City, Maryland 21043

(410) 465-1352

New Construction: Completed 2013

36,000sf


This project required the design of a new facility which will be home to one of

the premier school programs for children and adults with Autism Spectrum

Disorder. Linwood Center was founded in 1955 by Jeanne M. Simons, who is

considered one of the pioneers in the field of autism. The new building

includes classrooms, a half court gym, a library and computer room, a full

kitchen with a lunchroom, occupational therapy rooms, speech and language

therapy rooms, and conference space. Exterior finishes include corrugated

metal siding, cement board lap siding and panels with aluminum canopies.

Building On Individual Strengths And Interests

Linwood bases its instructional program on the Maryland State Curriculum,

the Unique Learning System and the Howard County Public School System

Functional Academics and Life Skills Guide. Linwood’s program of instruction

addresses Maryland’s Common Core Standards and includes functional

academics, critical life skills, language and communication skills, social skills,

vocational training, fine and gross motor skills, and the development of leisure

and recreation skills. Subject areas include the following:

• Mathematics

• Reading / English Language Arts

• Physical Education

• Science

• Social Studies

• Health Education

• Career Development

• Fine Arts

• Personal Management

The cornerstone of the teaching process at Linwood is identifying each

student’s strengths and interests. Teachers plan activities that build on this

foundation, using strategies that include Positive Behavioral Supports and

reducing unwanted behaviors while teaching alternate desirable behaviors.

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Forbush School11201 Pepper Road

Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031

(410) 527-9505

Renovation: Completed 2008

30,000sf


The new school contains classrooms, staff offices, therapy spaces, and a

specially designed playground to meet the needs of children with ASD.

Ramps are incorporated into the main and playground entries. Classrooms

have accessible bathrooms and the rubber-padded linoleum floor system

installed in the activity rooms reduces impact injury and noise.

Universal Design Features

• Careful attention was paid to the proportions of spaces for both public

common areas and classrooms. Ceiling heights and corridor widths were

increased beyond code standards to accommodate the children’s needs.

• Bringing in natural light was an important feature of the design. New

window openings are introduced around the perimeter of the building to

allow each classroom to have daylight.

• A playful pattern of circular skylights helps bring natural light to the

common central spaces.

• Because children with ASD tend to be sensitive to the flicker associated

with fluorescent lighting, several types of indirect/direct energy efficient

fixtures were tested to select the most comfortable/flicker-free ones.

• The use of highly absorptive ceiling panels, quiet mechanical/air

distribution systems, and wall materials that minimize transmitted sounds

between adjacent spaces results in an acoustically comfortable

environment. Amplified noise, echoes and reverberated noise are minimal

despite the spaciousness of the place.

• Selecting sustainable materials and a calming uplifting palette of colors

was critical for the well-being of the students and staff. With a tight budget

of $130 sf, the project targeted a balance of green materials with low off-

gassing properties, durable/abuse-resistance, and cost effectiveness.

• A palette of 5 pastel colors was used in selecting colors for walls, floors

and translucent accent panels. Color and texture accentuate special

zones, identify key areas, create a flow between spaces, and soften the

rigidity of the box.

Baltim

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City S

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Tours

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Documents

Rock Creek Center, Frederick County Public Schools ...€¦ · of $130 sf, the project targeted a balance of green materials with low off-gassing properties, durable/abuse-resistance,