CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
funnel everyone to that one location and staff can see anyone approaching . Gates elsewhere on campus may be open during drop-off and pick-up times , but during school hours , everyone is forced to come in through administration .”
Whitmore and his team strive to achieve safety without making a school feel like an institution . To make a facility more welcoming , they ’ ll often use the buildings themselves , rather than fences , as barriers to protect playgrounds and courtyards in the campus interior .
“ We don ’ t want the look of solid walls outside ,” he says . “ We want transparency and a community feeling , so we work with a variety of ballistic glazing materials , tinted rather than clear windows , and mechanized shades that can close at the touch of a button in a lockdown situation .”
Building Schools , Building Careers The pandemic revealed the limitations of online learning and showed that physical space for education remains very relevant . Modernizing and rebuilding schools opens doors for new designs that accommodate evolving learning environments and hands-on experiences .
Career technical education ( CTE ), which is funded through a state grant program that uses bond initiatives , is popular with school districts and students . Created for the high-school level , CTE takes different forms on different campuses to engage and prepare students for career paths with hands-on learning while incorporating state curriculum standards .
“ CTE projects have been a big part of our workload recently ,” says Brian Maytum , one of four managing principals at architectural design firm Nacht & Lewis . “ In the past five years , we have designed and built $ 200 million in CTE projects . Many projects are remodeling
existing wood shops , metal shops and auto shops to convert them to CTE programs , but some are new expansions .”
CTE instruction can cover many career paths , from construction trades and public safety training to information technology and broadcasting . Nacht & Lewis currently has multiple CTE projects , including three for the Elk Grove Unified School District , two for Center Joint Unified School District and one for Natomas Unified School District .
“ These are exciting projects to work on because they get students engaged , offering real-world learning opportunities and preparing young adults for actual careers ,” Maytum says .
Jennifer von Geldern is a freelance writer who covers regional businesses , charities , events and the people who enrich our communities .
86 comstocksmag . com | August 2022