Features

Letter from the Chair
With plans being finalized for the CAE 2005 Fall Conference, to be held October 27-28 in Hartford and New Haven, CAE members can make an important contribution to the conference dialogue by submitting examples of state and local initiatives that have leveraged relationships between schools and communities. Submittals, due no later than October 17, 2005, will serve as potential counterpoints to be discussed in each of the primary sessions.

Confessions of an Architecture Juror
Tim Dufault, AIA, served as a juror in the recent American School & University annual portfolio of school design. Check out his recommended do's and don'ts for submitting award-winning projects.

Programs and Events

Register Now for the AIA CAE Fall Conference
October 27-28, 2005
Hartford and New Haven
Early registration ends October 7, 2005
At "IMPLEMENT THE DREAM: Collaboration Is Required," you'll meet state and local officials who are shaping the future of 21st-century learning communities on a day-to-day basis, not just in Connecticut but throughout the United States. Be part of this ongoing conversation and learn how each of us, individually and jointly, can be more effective advocates for exemplary design that raises the quality of learning environments.

Call for Entries: CAE Design Awards
Submission deadline: December 6, 2005
The annual CAE Design Awards program recognizes exemplary design of educational environments, with the winners to be announced at the CAE Spring 2006 Conference.

Resources

KnowledgeWorks Foundation Releases Dollars and Sense II
Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools summarized decades of research on the efficacy of small schools. Now Dollars and Sense II takes this analysis further. From the Web site accompanying the Dollars & Sense II report:

“This report deepens the argument for small schools in three important ways. First, analysis of more than three thousand construction projects shows that smaller schools are no more expensive to build than much larger schools. Second, analysis of the budgets of 25 good small schools throughout the United States demonstrates that on average they spend less per student on educational program, maintenance and operations than the per-pupil expenditure in their districts, yet they achieve results that are equal to or better than schools in the same area. Third, these schools offer innovative and effective educational programs, facilities, and strategies for cost effectiveness that can serve as models and inspiration to people interested in cost-effective good small schools.”

The report is available as a free download. For more information, see www.goodsmallschools.org/About.asp.

"Cognitive Neuroscience and Classroom Design"
By John Eberhard, FAIA
John Eberhard, FAIA, Founding President of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, summarizes neuroscience research on children’s developing brains as it relates to two aspects of experiencing space: (1) orientation and wayfinding and (2) daylighting. You can find this article and other reports about architecture and the mind at www.architecture-mind.com.

OECD Sponsors European Conference on Architecture and Design for Children
From our own Bruce Jilk, AIA, our designated representative to the International Union of Architects, comes word of an upcoming European conference titled "Making Space: Architecture and Design for Young Children." To be held December 8-9, 2005, in Edinburgh, Scotland, it will feature architects and researchers from Italy, Norway, Spain, Finland, New Zealand, and the U.K. as well as study tours of places designed for children in three Scottish cities. It is sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which has been a cosponsor for CAE conferences both in Europe and the United States. Further information is available through the downloadable event flyer.

Now Available Online: Educational Facilities Lab (EFL) Publications
The Educational Facilities Lab was a nonprofit organization funded by the Ford Foundation that researched and published a remarkable body of work on school facilities from 1958 to 1976. The CRS Center for Leadership and Management in the Design and Construction Industry has recently published its archive of EFL materials online in their entirety. For more background on EFL, see an article by Judy Marks, Hon. AIA, on the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities Web site. The EFL archive is available online through the CRS Center's Web site.

Working with Allied Organizations

SCUP/AIA-CAE Design Award Winners Presented
This juried competition recognizes state-of-the-art planning and emphasizes excellence in higher-education environments and settings. Learn more about this important program and about this year's winners, selected from a substantial number of entries.

First School Design Institute: A New Dialogue Between City Officials and Design Professionals
For three days last July, an unprecedented gathering of mayors, superintendents, and other officials from several cities discussed their pressing school design challenges and opportunities. Central to their discussion was a resource team of architects specializing in school design, planning, and environmental design who provided feedback, suggestions, and commentary on current trends in school design.

Building Our Knowledge Community

Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

News from the AIA/DC Committee on Architecture for Education
During its first year, the AIA/DC CAE held monthly events, including programs on improving urban schools, public-private partnerships, museums and learning, the future of educational technology, and sustainable design. Programs were held at locations illustrating the topic, such as the new Hall of Mammals at the National Museum of Natural History (shown in the photo). 

News from the AIA NY Chapter Committee on Architecture for Education
The AIA NY Chapter CAE has been redefining its focus. In addition to a series of discussions focusing on relevant topics, it plans a symposium on school design and community building as well as several presentations and panel discussions.

Pathways for Involvement
In addition to the many opportunities for involvement with CAE through several subcommittees, CAE is seeking members to serve as liaisons with other organizations interested in good school design. Your local CAE component can also be featured in a future issue of CAEnet. Find out how.