EBD is used extensively in healthcare architecture, where EBD is commonly included as a requirement in RFPs.  Healthcare studies document its success.  Sink placement encourages hand-washing; room and window placement reduces the length of hospital stays.

Since EBD for schools is relatively new, rigorous data on which to base design decisions is a little difficult to find.  The one exception is a study conducted by Pacific Gas & Electric called Daylighting in Schools.  The study analyzed more than 2,000 classrooms involving 21,000 students and the results were peer-reviewed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  The study found that students in classrooms with large windows and skylights perform 7-18% better than students in rooms with little natural light.  And, test scores improve even more if the windows are operable.

There is growing evidence linking colors with child behavior, classroom layout with effective teaching and building materials with student safety.

EBD can be used not only to improve student performance and school safety, but it can also be used to make schools greener.  Studies on building orientation, overhangs, and efficient glazing materials can inform building design decisions that translate into energy and water use savings over 50 years.  More research is needed on the pros and cons of various, green-oriented mechanical and lighting systems, so designers can incorporate this data into building efficient and healthy schools.

Long-Term Trends Affect School Design Now

The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) recently completed a third edition of “Educational Trends Shaping School Planning, Design, Construction, Funding and Operation.”  It looked 40 years into the future and tried to anticipate changes in teaching corps, school size and organizational structure of schools.   An awareness of these trends can also inform school-design decisions.

The NCEP finds that in the next 40 years:

•           School age population will increase 35%.

•           Student population will become more diverse, with the percentage of non-Hispanic white students declining from 52% (2010) to 35% (2050).

•           With the number of U.S. citizens 65 years or older more than doubling from 40 million in 2010 to 90 million in 2050, it will be increasingly difficult to get voters/taxpayers to expend large amounts on school facilities unless seniors see some direct benefit.

•           The number of special needs children in regular classrooms is growing.  The number of children with some type of disability increased nearly 40% in the last 20 years.  The estimated special education population could approach 11 million by 2050.

•           The number of early childhood students will expand to 28 million by 2050, and increasingly these 3-5 year olds require full-day school housing.

•           If the current average school size is maintained, we will need 30,000 new K-12 schools by 2050.  Finding funding for that many schools will be difficult.  As a result, school size could grow despite parent pressure to keep schools small.  Look for “school-within-school” designs.

•           Grade span configurations will continue to evolve. In the last 15 years, K-6, 7-9 and 10-12 configurations have all lost favor.  Still, K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 groupings are prevalent in existing facilities.   There will be continuing pressure for K-8 or K-12, but meeting that demand will be difficult with the existing inventory of schools.

•           Technology is now incorporated into all aspects of instruction delivery and school operation.  Anticipating technology changes in the next 40 years is daunting.

•           Schools are increasingly viewed as a key component in creating and maintaining a sustainable environment.   Generally speaking, building eco-friendly schools cost
2-3% more than traditional schools, but over the long haul, green schools more than pay for themselves.  Green building is in its infancy.  Look for rapid innovation.

The Link Between Visibility and Safe Schools

“Our nation’s schools should be safe havens for teaching and learning,” begins “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010” published by the National Center for Education Statistics.  The report goes on to say that in 2009, 8% of students aged 12-18 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon (like a gun, knife, or club) on school property.  Between July 2008 and July 2009, there were 38 school-associated violent deaths in U.S. schools. School culture, tolerance, student body size, and community interactions each have a role in creating safe schools.  School designers can support these efforts for safer schools by following a few suggested guidelines.

At least three organizations focus attention on site planning for safe schools:  the Safer School Design Initiative (SSDI); Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED); and the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEP).  Each group has issued a set of design guidelines. A common core theme among all the recommendations is a plea to create sight lines that maximize visibility and foster positive social interaction among legitimate users of private and public spaces.

Recommendations for designing safe schools

Here are some of the design recommendations to improve school security.

Secure interior exit stairwell, Reece School, New York

Choose the right glazing product to maximize visibility and protect students

It’s important that the glazing selected to maximize visibility in school corridors, stairways, classrooms and common spaces provide the maximum amount of student protection from injury either by collision or by exposure to fire and the transmission of radiant heat.

Use safety glass. Certain glazing products, including traditional wired glass and many ceramics, will shatter when a child as small as five years old runs into it.   The IBC model building codes have been revised to require that any glazing in any hazardous location, such as around doors, inside a gymnasium, or in a stairwell or corridor, be safety glazing and CPSC Cat II rated.

Use fire resistance rated glazing in fire door assemblies and paths of egress. The 2012 IBC requires all large glass panels in fire door assemblies and exit passageways to be rated as fire resistance, rather than fire protective, because only fire resistance rated glass can protect the life safety of exiting students exposed to the very dangerous transmission of radiant heat.