In the 21st century, children’s needs have shifted dramatically, as have teachers’ requirements and methods to remain effective. Architects, too, face the challenge of fusing needs, programs, learning ideas, and space within an ever-changing context while also keeping schools relevant and flexible for at least half a century.

In this podcast, educational development experts Timothy Dufault, AIA, and John Weekes, AIA, describe the changing nature of planning, design, and construction of new U.S. schools. They present noteworthy, award-winning educational projects from throughout the country and compare the concepts and ideas from these real-world exemplars. They also discuss how architects can advocate stronger educational methods through design without waiting for decisions from policy makers.

New models of planning and schoolhouse design are bringing interesting and significant new educational and facility concepts to the field. As class size and budgets change, schools are moving beyond traditional concepts of “schoolhouse.” The increased focus on experiential learning and interactive lesson planning means that a space must be both physically flexible and open to new learning ideas. From a sustainability perspective, school planners, designers, and builders must go beyond materials and systems; they must understand what schools will be in the future and ask themselves, “How will our involvement with buildings and technologies change in the next 50 to 100 years?”

To learn more about some award-winning educational projects, visit the Web site of the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education’s Educational Facility Design Awards Program at www.aia.org/cae_designawards_overview.