Features

Letter from the Chair
Pamela Loeffelman, AIA, offers a midyear assessment of CAE programs and invites your involvement in making 2005 an outstanding year for architecture for education. Members have several exciting opportunities to make their voices heard! 

Schools as Catalysts for Community Development
Amid the current boom in school design, construction, and renovation, architects have a unique opportunity for leadership to improve educational infrastructure and consequently to rebuild urban communities.

Highlights from the 2006 CAE Strategic Plan
Kerry Leonard, AIA, vice chair of the CAE Leadership Group, outlines the 2006 Action Plan for the CAE Knowledge Community. The ambitious agenda will build upon CAE's accomplishments while expanding member participation and connections with the components; leveraging resources with other organizations; strengthening the foundation for increased research into evidence-based design; and better disseminating knowledge about trends in educational facility planning and design.

Educational Facility Resources from the AIA 2005 National Convention
CAE facilitated and partnered with other providers on three convention sessions. In addition, two other seminars on education facilities and a tour of area schools rounded out a full convention program of special interest to education architects. Check out these summaries of the CAE Preconvention Workshop, "21st-Century Schools, 21st-Century Communities," as well as the other convention sessions about educational facilities.

On-Campus Retirement Village Requires Lifelong Learning
Connection to college campuses is an expanding market for retirement-community developers. Lasell Village of Newton, Mass., (right) offers more than proximity to Lasell College. It requires residents to participate in 450 hours of continuing education per year. Its lifelong-learning program, recognizing the importance of a healty mind as well as a healthy body, has set the standard for retirement campuses affiliated with postsecondary education.

Programs and Events

Program Preview: CAE 2005 Fall Conference
Get a sneak preview of the program for "Implement the Dream: Collaboration Required," to be held October 26-28, 2005, in Hartford.

Announcing the 2005-2006 CAE Design Awards
Later this year, the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) will invite firms to submit projects representing state-of-the-art early childhood learning environments, K-12 schools, innovative learning centers, and two-year community and technical colleges. Look for the Call for Entries this fall.

Resources

CAE Spring Conference Report
The previous edition of CAEnet provided an executive summary of the CAE spring conference in Washington, D.C.—held in conjunction with the AIA Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference 2005 in early February. For detailed accounts of each session, see the full CAE Spring 2005 Conference Report. For a description of the schools and other sites visited by conference participants, see the overview.

Final Report from the ANFA K-6 Classroom Workshop
Our last issue of CAEnet provided an overview of the K-6 Classroom Workshop hosted in February 2005 by the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture and partially sponsored by CAE. More than 35 neuroscientists, architects, university-based researchers, and educators discussed the knowledge gap between the design of K-6 classrooms and research findings from neuroscience. They also created testable hypotheses relating the development stages in the brains of young children to the classroom settings in K-6 schools. To download the final 44-page report, go to www.anfarch.org, select “Activities,” then “Elementary Schools Neurosciences Workshop.”

Working with Allied Organizations

Call for Entries: 2005 American School & University Architectural Portfolio Competition 
Entry deadline: July 22, 2005
The deadline to enter your project in the annual American School & University Architectural Portfolio competition has been extended to July 22 but is fast approaching. Winners receive national exposure and will be featured in the November 2005 Architectural Portfolio issue of American School & University magazine. For more information, contact Molly Roudebush at 913-967-1959 or mroudebush@primediabusiness.com. Ask for a free copy of the 2004 Architectural Portfolio issue. Visit www.schooldesigns.com/Architectural_Portfolio.htm for complete entry information.

Highlights from School Building Week
School Building Week (April 18-22) engaged schools and school districts of every size, creating greater public awareness of the importance of well-planned, high-performing, healthy, and sustainable schools that foster student achievement and serve as centers of community. With the National Building Museum in the nation's capital providing a dramatic setting, District of Columbia Public Schools and Virginia design competition finalists were honored at a School Building Day Awards ceremony on April 22, 2005.  

Great Schools by Design: An Update
The American Architectural Foundation launches its "Great Schools by Design" video series and proceeds with plans for two upcoming Washington, D.C., events: the first Great Schools by Design Institute (July 20-22, 2005) and the National Summit on School Design (October 6-8, 2005). 

NSBA School Architecture Exhibition
The citation winners from this year's National School Boards Association Architectural Jury (which included two CAE representatives) showcase designs nationwide that enhance learning, incorporate sustainable design principles, and benefit their communities.    

Building Our Knowledge Community

Pathways to Involvement
Many of you have asked how to become more involved in the Committee for Architecture in Education (CAE). In addition to attending our two annual conferences, we hope you’ll join us in making CAE a learning community that’s increasingly your first-stop reference for best practices in school design. This is a great way to get to know colleagues from around the country and share insights and resources in a noncompetitive environment. Click on the headline above to learn more about pathways to further involvement.

Call for CAE Liaisons with Other Organizations
As part of our continuing effort to develop strong relationships with other organizations interested in good school design, CAE is identifying members to act as liaisons with those groups. We currently cosponsor an awards program with the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP); provide jurors for awards programs of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA); and have spent the last year working with the Council for Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI) on a variety of program initiatives. We have an opportunity to expand our involvement with these groups as well as develop relationships with other organizations. If you regularly attend CAE conferences, are active in another organization, and are interested in becoming a liaison, please contact CAE Leadership Group member James LaPosta Jr., AIA, at laposta@jcj.com for more information.

Call for Contacts, News, and Best Practices from CAE Component Groups
We know you’re still out there! In our last issue, we asked for information about local CAE chapters, and since then we’ve heard from exactly one. We know you’re busy, so we’re asking again. Please tell us about what you're working on, what kind of information you’re sharing, who’s involved, the best practices and projects from your area, and the primary contact person for your local committee. Best ideas from the local components may be featured in an upcoming issue of CAEnet or at a national conference. Raise the profile of your group! To share your information, contact CAE Leadership Group member James LaPosta Jr., AIA,  at laposta@jcj.com.