Commemorating School Building Day

Students from five D.C. public schools participated in School Building Day.

School facilities-an important but often overlooked part of education-were the focus of the 2nd annual School Building Day celebration, held April 19, 2002 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The Council of Education Facility Planners International (CEFPI) partnered with the U.S Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the District of Columbia Public Schools to draw attention to the importance of high-performing, safe, and healthy schools that foster student achievement and wellbeing.

The D.C. public school system has not built a new school for 40 years, but is embarking on an ambitious school construction program to address facility modernization. For this reason, the district was chosen to host this year’s commemorative event. A group of planners and architects visited with students at several of the city’s public schools to discuss the important roles that planning and design play in creating excellence in school facilities. Incorporating the design of the school building as a learning tool, the children were challenged to create their "ideal learning spaces" in the buildings where they spend most of their waking hours. Charles Hart Middle School students walked away with top honors during the awards ceremony at the National Building Museum, where the finalists’ projects were displayed.

Howard Decker, chief curator of the National Building Museum remarked, "School building is an essential function of community building, and ultimately, nation building."

School Building Day Speakers

CEFPI CEO/Executive Director addresses the School Building Day attendees at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Commenting on the condition of school buildings, Mark Ginsberg, deputy assistant secretary, Department of Energy Office of Building Technology, State, and Community Programs, noted that about half the nation’s schools currently need renovation. Additionally, Ginsberg noted that the nation’s existing schools spend more than $6 billion on energy annually. The goal of EnergySmart Schools is to help school districts learn how to reduce energy expenditures by 25-30 percent annually, by retrofitting their buildings and changing energy usage methods. "We want to help ensure that those who are building schools, as well as those who keep them running, have the support to do so in the most energy efficient way possible. Our common goal, of course, is to free up the funds that are so necessary for quality education to take place."

Steve Page, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Radiation and Air, said "Nothing is more important than the health and future of our children. High performing schools have proven that good indoor air quality must go hand in hand with high student performance." The CEFPI and the EPA have worked jointly in raising the level of awareness about poor indoor air quality in schools.

From left, School Construction News Publisher Eli Gage, DOE Deputy Asst. Director of Energy Mark Ginsberg, CEFPI President Reginald Teague, Fanning/Howey Principal Emeritus Lee Brockway, CEFPI Executive Director Tom Kube, and EPA Director of the Office of Radiation and Air Steve Page.

Collaborating with CEFPI, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, were partners 3D/International, the 21st Century School Fund, the American Institute of Architects, the American Association of School Administrators, Concordia Inc., the Construction Management Association of America, District of Columbia Public Schools, EnergySmart Schools, Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc., Heery International, Inc., the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, National School Boards Association Technology + Learning, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National School Supply & Equipment Association, Rebuild America, School Construction News, and the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council.

Student Awards

The winning projects in the student design competition were selected by a jury chaired by Lee Brockway, AIA, principal emeritus, Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc. The jury included Roger K. Lewis, FAIA, Washington Post architecture critic and professor of architecture at the University of Maryland School of Architecture; R.C. Garcia, AIA, executive director, facilities management, D.C. Public Schools; Yale Stenzler, executive director, Public School Construction Program for the state of Maryland; and Suzannah Y. Codlin, an architecture student at Howard University.

The jurors praised the Charles Hart Middle School project for flexibility of space that encouraged small group work. Basing their project on an urban framework, the resultant structure was modular, systemized, and three-dimensional. Designating the lobby as a transition area between noisier gym, music and commons areas, students reserved the upper floor for classroom space and for serious study. An outstanding feature of the winning project was a science amphitheater incorporating daylighting through a glass-domed roof.

School Construction News sponsored the awards.

Additional Celebrations Across the U.S.

Edward Kazanjjian, REFP, assistant superintendent, Westwood Public Schools in Westwood, Mass., celebrated School Building Day early-scheduling the groundbreaking for Westwood’s $44 million high school project on April 8.

Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Va., celebrated School Building Day in recognition of the fine learning facilities in FCPS and in appreciation of those who design, build, maintain, and use them.

Additionally, the Arizona School Facilities Board hosted a gala School Building Day celebration at the Lela Alston Elementary School in Phoenix. This 40,500-square-foot facility was the first design-build project funded under Students FIRST and was built in just seven months.

Barbara Worth is assistant director of public relations and policy for the Council of Educational Facility Planners International. She can be e-mailed at: barb@cefpi.org.