School’s In at the School Equipment Show
Gain new insights on furniture, fixtures and equipment at these educational sessions presented by experts in their fields.

Thursday, March 1

9:00 am-10:15 am

Better Places to Learn
Richard Passantino, Passantino & Bavier, Inc.

In the state of Georgia, like most other states, the primary source of local revenue available to most school systems for renovating and modifying existing educational facilities and the construction of new schools was property tax. This changed in November 1996 when a constitutional amendment was approved by the voters of Georgia that implemented a one percent sales tax with the net proceeds distributed to the districts for capital improvements. In this session we will look at how this program provided the school systems with new classrooms, major facility renovations, improvements in maintenance, furniture, equipment and technology – giving the students of Georgia better places to learn.

Shades of Green
Charles Eley, Collaborative for High Performance Schools

High-performance schools provide environments that are not only energy efficient, but also comfortable, healthy, and contain the amenities needed for a quality education. The knowledge and technical resources to build high performance schools already exists, but do you know what to ask for? In this session you will learn more about what makes a building “green”; the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™; CHPS (the Collaborative for High Performance Schools); the many companies that certify product; and the framework being developed for assessing school building performance to meet sustainability goals.

Requirements for Accessible School Design
Lois Thibault with U.S. Access Board

In 2004, the US Access Board issued revised guidelines for accessibility in buildings and facilities that will affect the design and construction of new and altered schools. Included are new toilet room standards for facilities used by children and new standards for indoor and outdoor play facilities. Changes in life safety design — particularly egress and alarms — and in requirements for assembly uses — including assistive listening systems — will also affect school construction. This presentation will highlight the schools-relevant provisions of the new ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines and review the new ANSI standard on classroom acoustics. Attendees will understand how standards are used to measure compliance with civil rights mandates for new construction, alterations, and program access in existing facilities. Copies of the new guidelines will be provided.

Thursday, March 1

10:30 am-11:45 am

Educational Interiors
Sandra Kate, HMC

Go to school? Most kids, no matter how well or poorly they perform in school, would rather be at the mall or the video arcade – environments that they find stimulating. Although a splash of color on the walls may not be enough to produce geniuses, interior design elements such as furniture, floor and wall coverings, lighting, color, and texture all have an effect on student achievement, teacher retention, and student attendance. In this session we will discuss educational interiors and their effect on students, staff and the learning environment.

First Cost vs. Life-Cycle Cost
James T. Biehle,Inside/Out Architecture

School districts all over the country are renovating or replacing school buildings built in the ‘50s and ‘60s when the marching orders were “Get it done fast and cheap.” Many of the deficiencies in these buildings are the result of the selection of inferior materials, little consideration for energy conservation and flexibility of construction, and high maintenance requirements. All capital expenditures have both first and life-cycle
costs. In this session we will examine these life-cycle costs and learn how spending a little more up front can result in savings of 10 to 15 percent in long-term costs.

Technology Driven Changes in Learning Styles and Their Impact on School Equipment
Glenn Meeks, Meeks Educational Technologies

This session is designed to provide an overview for school equipment suppliers regarding how current learning research and instructional technology trends have changed their market. Mr. Meeks will pinpoint the new opportunities available to suppliers and what research and trends they can use in support of their sales and marketing efforts.

Friday, March 2

9:00 am–10:15 am

Educational Facility Planning: A Participatory Process
C. Kenneth Tanner, School Design & Planning Laboratory, University of Georgia

Each year billions of dollars are spent to construct new facilities. Unfortunately, too many of these facilities are based on outmoded design concepts or do not meet the needs of the community paying the bill. In this session we will discuss the participatory planning process; who should be involved; how it is used to identify the vision of the community for its schools; and how those values and visions can be translated into effective learning environments.

Understanding the Customer
Tom Sexton, Sexton and Associates; Valerie Thomas, Executive Director of Facilities, Atlanta Public Schools; Sandy Kate, HMC Architects; James T. Biehle; Inside/Out Architecture, Inc.

Who is the customer – the architect, the school district, the principal? As most of you know, there is no one answer to this question. In this session a panel of architects, district administrators, site-based principals and distributors will share their insights on how to find the decision makers, how to get your foot in the door, and the best way to communicate before, during, and after the sale.

Safety Schools by Design
Diane Zahm,Associate Professor,Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

In recent years the emphasis on student safety has risen to a new level of importance. After the events of 9/11 and the tragedies that took place at
Columbine, our eyes have been opened to the fact that schools are not exempt from violence. In this session you will learn about CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) and elements of design that can make schools safer, reduce the incidences of crime and violence, and improve the quality of life for students and staff.

Friday, March 2

10:30 am–11:45 am

Trends in School Construction and Design
Deborah Moore,School Planning and Management magazine

Education is the number one Nonresidential buildings market for both new construction and renovation/modernization projects. With a rapidly increasing student population, widespread overcrowding, obsolete buildings in desperate need of repair and public-school improvement a hot political issue, educational construction will continue to enjoy a growth trend for years to come. In this session we will take a look at the dollars being spent, what is being constructed, and the issues that are the driving force behind that construction. In addition, we will examine the impact of facilities on learning, and look at award-winning projects and new and emerging trends in educational facility design.

Impact on Learning: The Built Environment and Student Learning
Monte Hunter,Hunter Corral Associates

Everyone supports higher standards for education, yet many will ask…do the facilities in which our children
learn really matter? There are many factors that cloud this issue, including stories of student success in poor building conditions, what building
features really impact learning, and how to measure facility impact on learning. In this session, we will look at what features of the built environment
have a proven impact on learning and methods of measuring the impact of facilities on learning.

State of the Art Facilities
Andrea McLean, Heery & Liz Geraghty International

It is easy for a district or a designer to get stuck in a rut – the buildings are the same and so is the furniture and equipment. Some blame government
regulations that predetermine costs and square footages. Others fall into the category of ‘same is safe.’ Only a few are willing to step out of their comfort zone and develop new and innovative facility designs. In this session we will look at a number of those projects from across the country that have earned the right to be called ‘state-of-the-art’ schools.