What was the planning process for new schools?
Following the May 15, 2007 approval of the bond measure by voters, the district quickly went to work. A citizen’s oversight committee was formed. Principals at the elementary schools developed a district-wide vision of what elementary school buildings should include, allowing for variance in specific schools.
Architects for the projects were selected: two Seattle firms, the DLR Group are responsible for the elementary schools and Bassetti Architects is handling Lakota Middle School and the new Support Service Center.
Collaboration
Not long after the passage of the bond measure in May, 2007, district facilities personnel and architects initiated a series of meetings called charrettes -- collaborative sessions which generate design solutions that integrate the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people.
These groups explored what experts worldwide envision schools will look like in the foreseeable future. These initial charrettes developed a “Kit of Parts” all schools needed; the essential components and functions of all schools, such as classrooms, gymnasiums, bathrooms and information storage, of which traditional libraries are one form.
With the rapid expansion of Internet and digital information technology, information access and storage has changed exponentially in the past two decades, and no doubt will continue to change. Books remain essential, however, and the goal is to make them more readily available across the school, wherever students are.
The district also convened what are called Eco-Charrettes, which were driven by the state’s High Performance Design building standards. In order to be in compliance with the state’s green building standards, a building must meet a number of standards provided menu-style by the state. That might include low-volatile gas paint, utility conservation measures, low-gas emission carpets.
Following the establishment of the big-picture essentials that every school needed, charrettes were held with stakeholders (staff, community members, and parents) of the three schools first up for construction: Lakota Middle School, Panther Lake Elementary, and Valhalla Elementary. The goal was to better understand each school’s unique learning environment and the parents’ and staff’s perspective on what was needed in the new buildings.
Architects were assigned to marry these pieces into a coherent design best suited for the specific school’s site. For example, the proximity of the Federal Way Regional King County Library branch to Panther Lake Elementary created a special opportunity in planning for that site. The existence of a city-owned park adjacent to Lakota will continue to lend itself to joint-use types of activities.
District planners also are keenly aware that buildings now under construction will be relatively long-term additions to the community. “We expect these to be 50-year buildings,” Facilities Director Rod Leland explains, adding, “Not knowing what technology will look like in the coming decades, we’re trying to build in as much flexibility as we economically can.”
For example, the buildings’ exterior walls will be built to stand 50 years, but internal walls could be moved in as little as 5 and 10 years, and construction methods are being used to allow that to happen relatively easily.
“We’re trying to make new buildings more responsive, and not get in the way of new thinking about learning as it comes down the road,” Leland said.
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