U.S., Foreign Planners Converge in San Diego for CEFPI Conference

SAN DIEGO — The Council of Education Facility Planners, Inter-national, lived up to its name with an emphasis on domestic and international educational facilities at its annual conference and expo.

The conference, held Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, featured a keynote address from Stephen Heppell, one of Europe’s leading education experts, according to CEFPI.

General assembly sessions included presentations from Mukund Patel and Alastair Blyth. Patel serves as chief officer for educational infrastructure at Global Education Management Systems in Dubai, and Blyth is a policy analyst for the Programme on Educational Building at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in England.

Workshops on domestic and international issues were also held during the conference at small discussion groups that overwhelmed the cozy seating area in the exhibit hall during the early sessions.

CEFPI presented several awards at the conference including the 2008 James D. MacConnell award for school facility excellence, which was given to Northwest Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas and project architect SH Architecture.

The facility houses six academies with a variety of flexible educational spaces. There is transparency throughout the building, which assists with security and supervision while allowing for small breakout work groups, according to CEFPI.

CEFPI also named Paul Abramson, president of Intelligence for Education, planner of the year. Abramson’s Mamaroneck, N.Y., organization provides demographic and planning services to school districts and colleges. He co-authored “Planning Guidelines for Institutions of Higher Education.”

The award is presented annually to the individual whose professional facility planning activities have produced a positive and significant regional, national or international impact on education facility planning, according to CEFPI.

(Above) Alastair Blyth, of England’s Programme on Educational Building, and Mukund Patel, of Global Education Management Systems in Dubai, answer questions during a general session. (Below) Attendees filled the seating area where workshops were held.