April 2005
Perhaps more than any other industry sector, the
challenges facing the planning and design of today’s public schools
are enormous. They range broadly from security and technology issues to
legislative mandates such as the federal No Child Left Behind Act and
Florida’s 2002 class size amendment.
This issue of Full Circle is dedicated to education.
We’ll explore the challenges and trends in school design and highlight
how C.T. Hsu + Associates overcame these obstacles for one Orlando area
high school.
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The ABCs of Designing
Quality School Facilities in Challenging Times According
to the U.S. General Accounting Office, an estimated 6,000 new schools
will be built nationwide by the year 2007. The planning and design
of these educational facilities will have a profound affect on how
students learn. Yet, the obstacles to building and maintaining quality
public school facilities are overwhelming.
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Tim McNicholas, AIA, Design Principal
Tim McNicholas has more than 20 years' experience in the planning
and design of award-winning institutional buildings and mid- to large-scale
infrastructure projects for both public and private clients. He was
CTH+A's first employee, hired as intern architect in 1984. Today,
he serves as design principal on all CTH+A projects.
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CTH+A has completed the comprehensive master plan update for Seminole
Community College's main campus. The year-long project called for
master planning of the entire 270 acre campus including an analysis
of existing facilities and infrastructure, location of future facilities
and the development of campus guidelines.
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Orlando,
Florida Neighboring Boone High
and Blanker Elementary schools south of downtown Orlando were landlocked
and in dire need of expanded and updated facilities. The Orange
County School Board hired C.T. Hsu + Associates to develop a master
plan to revitalize and re-energize the historic Orlando high school
originally built in 1952. Despite the firm's vast experience in
the architectural design of both new school construction and the
modernization of
pre-existing education facilities, the Boone renovation project
was among the firm's most challenging - and ultimately, most rewarding.
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April 18-22, 2005 is School Building Week,
designated by the Council of Educational Facility Planners to draw
national attention to the importance of well planned, high performing,
healthy schools that foster student achievement and well-being and
provide centers of community. For more information about School Building
Week events and activities, visit the Council's web site at www.cefpi.org.
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C.T. Hsu is the 2005 recipient of the
Nils M. Schweizer Community Service Award from the American Institute
of Architects, Orlando Chapter. Additionally, Nathan Butler, a senior
associate and project manager with the firm, received the chapter's
Young Architects Forum award. Both awards were presented at the AIA
Orlando Chapter's Awards for Design Excellence gala on March 3.
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| In the next issue of Full Circle, we’ll explore
new trends in the design of public safety facilities, including meeting
the challenges of facility design in today’s post 9-11 focus of homeland
security. |
