GREAT SCHOOLS BY DESIGN
Presenter: Ronald E. Bogle, AAF, Hon. AIA
President/CEO of the American Architectural Foundation

Great Schools by Design is a leadership development program for school and community leaders, focusing on education and outreach. Educational activities include school design institutes, in which six to eight superintendents and as many resource people spend two days working on actual community challenges; documentaries of specific projects; and an annual school design charette institute for community teams, usually including the superintendent, project architect and a community leader. The purpose of these activities, which have involved more than 60 school districts since 2005, is to plant the seeds of excellence.

Outreach activities include focus groups, designed to invigorate the national discussion about school design, and forums on topics such as site selection, sustainability and health and safety. An invitational National Summit on School Design in 2006 convened a cross-section of stakeholders to address the relationship between design and learning.

The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) is seeking ways to involve people who have been underrepresented in school design. In partnership with Target, it is sponsoring a national student competition giving students an opportunity to redesign their schools—and to be part of the conversation. AAF plans a parallel competition for teachers next year.

The AAF also recognizes excellence in design. In partnership with the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, it recently awarded the 2007 Richard Riley Award for Excellence in schools designed to be centers of community to Rosa Parks Elementary School, in Portland, Ore.

Additional Information

American Architectural Foundation: www.archfoundation.org/aaf/aaf

Great Schools by Design: www.archfoundation.org/aaf/gsbd

> AIA AND SUSTAINABILITY:
REDEFINING SUSTAINABILITY—NEW DIRECTIONS FOR DESIGNING OUR FUTURE