Of all the myriad factors that comprise the educational facility life cycle, educational programs are arguably the most ephemeral. Political realities are immediate but facilities, particularly "sustainable" facilities, should endure for generations. We need to be certain we are not constructing bricks and mortar around an educational philosophy or charismatic personality destined to be superseded, sometimes before the ribbon is cut!
During its lifetime, a school must serve scores of distinct parent-student populations through hundreds of educators and a dozen or more different principals and probably an equal number of curriculum concepts. Which "stakeholder" should the building be planned to accommodate? Which staff? Which educational program? Which technologies?
Proceed with caution. I know of at least one situation where in the end, the school staff preferred their clunky 1925 building to the spiffy replacement facility and all its bells and whistles.
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Robert Matschulat AIA
Architect, Educational Facility Planner
Edutecture, LLC
Lakewood CO
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