AHBL Inc.’s Post

What does it take to transform an aging school into a state-of-the-art learning environment? For Kroeschell, it took precision, teamwork, and a commitment to quality. We completely overhauled 75-80% of a charter school in Colorado—creating new classrooms, upgrading offices, and more. We addressed every challenge, from outdated renovations to new accessibility features, all within the same timeline. The outcome? A vibrant, safe, and modern educational space ready for the new school year. Read more about how we approach educational facility renovations: https://lnkd.in/gD2U_FYj #Education #LearningEnvironment #FacilityManagement #ConstructionProjects #SafetyFirst

Another story from the world of cities (Chicago, Cleveland, Seattle, Pittsburgh) who repurpose no-longer-used school buildings rather than demolish them, as reported by Forbes. As the author notes, “This development approach can help salvage a substantial number of historic school buildings that contribute to neighborhoods, preserve a legacy and provide a sustainable approach that reduces carbon emissions.” For example, Chicago "... launched an initiative to repurpose four dozen school buildings across the Windy City. The city found that using a city landmark designation allowed it to gain incentives that helped turn rehabilitation endeavors involving private developers into viable undertakings." The author concludes, "Thousands of shuttered schools dot the U.S. landscape. Evidently there’s a lot of opportunity for developers [not to mention elected officials] to create more sustainable and affordable multifamily housing simply by directing themselves 'back to school.'" #PreservationMatters to #TacomaHistory and #AffordableHousing. #AdaptiveReuse not #GaultDemolition. @Save Eastside Tacoma's Historic Gault School #PeopleSavingPlaces and Community History

Did You Know?: The Importance of Long-Range Planning Did you know that there are classrooms at Cedar Creek Elementary with no windows?  While this is obviously unhealthy, it is incredibly surprising how many variants in design there are in classrooms even within just one school. Every student and educator deserves a safe learning and work environment. Locker rooms should be mold free and band halls should have capacity for ALL the students. And what is up with the parking? The Long-Range Facility Planning is our district's current commitment to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment. Thoughtful facility planning will allow us to distribute limited resources in a way that serves the most students effectively. This needs oversight and experience from a parent that has been working inside our buildings. Our plan needs to enhance security, provide updated technological infrastructure, and increase accessibility of facilities for all students as well as modernization to improve the climate, lighting and acoustics of the classroom. Research shows increased academic performance from students in a comfortable learning environment.  As for recruiting teachers, having a new or updated school shows our community is invested in and values the public education it provides. It has been shown that new and renovated school buildings can have a significant impact on how long teachers stay at a particular school or even stay in the profession entirely. Renovation effects extend well beyond the brick and mortar.

In Munich, Germany, a new childcare facility on the campus of Technical University of Munich, embraces sustainability in its design and implementation. The timber frame construction building, which also boasts a timber slat facade, will be five stories, with space for 60 children. The plan is for the interior of the project, which will be all wood, will be left exposed to reduce the embodied carbon as much as possible. The top floor of the project, will be largely an outdoor play space for the children, with wooden slat walls overlooking the city. The central built structure on the top floor, will be a green roof, which, designers hope will evolve over time. The intent is that this rooftop garden, will connect with other planned rooftop gardens, in an attempt to create a meadow in the skyline. This would increase biodiversity within the city, and provide a natural cooling effect. Bringing new and innovative concepts to our urban environments, is one of the biggest challenges many cities across the world face. With urban environments expected to continue to grow throughout the world over the next few decades, it’s important now more than ever, that we begin to work on potential solutions. We’re all in this together #greencities #sustainableurbandevelopment #urbandesign #urbanplanning #cityplanning #smartcities #urbanforestry #urbangardens #sustainabledesign #sustainableconstruction #greenconstruction #timberframe #masstimber #timberconstruction #munich #germany #greenarchitecture #architecture #architecturaldesign

Education leaders and school architects say knowing what students and staff want in school construction and renovation is vital for planning. What role do you think students and teachers should play in a school's design process? #edchat #schooldesign #construction

Summer Sprint for School Construction is On for Erickson-Hall CONSTRUCTION: Escondido Co. Thrives in Niche Industry BY RAY HUARD ESCONDIDO – Erickson-Hall Construction Company is in the midst of what company President Mat Gates calls a summer sprint of school construction projects in Southern California, including two in San Diego County. “We’re pushing upwards of about $100 million of work,” Gates said. Since its founding in 1998 with a staff of four, the employee-owned company has grown to have 212 employees and has become a powerhouse in school construction from new buildings to renovations. “Doing schools is a niche industry. The requirements in California are extensive, and we’ve been a school builder since the very beginning and we were building schools with other companies as we were coming up through the trades,” Gates said. Of the $3.5 billion in construction projects that Erickson-Hall has completed, $3 billion has been for K-12 and higher education projects. Gates said that 30% to 35% of the company’s annual revenue comes from school projects that it does during the summer. This summer, the company has seven school projects under way, including nearly $30 million of work at Albert Einstein Academy Charter School for San Diego Unified School District and a $9 million library modernization project at Eastlake High School for the Sweetwater Union High School District. The Eastlake work is particularly challenging because it has to be done quickly, Gates said. “We’ve got about six, seven weeks to get it done,” Gates said. “We’re basically stripping the library and rebuilding it, leaving the frame intact, (adding) new technology, new infrastructure, and redoing the shelving and putting it back together.” At Albert Einstein Academy, Erickson-Hall plans to complete about $8 million to $9 million of work on the overall $30 million project that Gates said would take a year to complete. “Basically, we’re prepping for a new building,” Gates said, “putting in the site work while the kids are gone.” https://lnkd.in/eyn9EjPU #construction #commercialrealestate #development #schools #building

Can you believe it's time for going back to #school? Many of our #Houston area districts are back in session or go back this week, and it made us pause to think how we can help #inspire #students... and hopefully the ways in which we already have. The truth is that each of these young people are already inspired, inspiring, and intrinsically have their own unique talents and purposes. It's our job - as construction industry professionals and [many of us] as parents - to give them the space and tools to develop the gifts they already have. One of the ways we currently make that happen is by assisting with open space design. This Kwik-Wall operable wall gives the same space the opportunity to serve two functions at the same time, and the markerboard finish makes it a functional space for instruction and creativity. Ultimately, this piece was an investment by Humble ISD leadership and parents in their children's futures, and we couldn't be more #proud to have been a part of it. If you're looking for new #flexible space solutions, give us a call at 713-781-3287 to learn how we can help with designing, installing, and servicing the products that make your #education spaces work. #FoodForThought #WhatWeveBeenBuilding #BackToSchool #K12 #Education #OpWall #Architects #Construction

Here is an informative article from Campus Safety Magazine about the important topic of school safety in the design of new and renovated public school facilities. James LaPosta Jr joins the conversation with other designers to share their insights. https://lnkd.in/entV7MvD

Why do school districts need health/life safety assessments? 🤔 They’re integral to strategizing the best use for current buildings or how to develop new ones. After our assessment for Litchfield Community Unit School District 12, the decision was made to consolidate four early learning facilities into two buildings. Litchfield Elementary marks the first of the two – the newly constructed facility is a four-section building that houses second through fifth grades and includes 17 general education classrooms, 5 specialized education classrooms, a motor skills room and a gymnasium. We also made sure that the new school meets the District’s sustainability goals: we designed Litchfield Elementary to conserve energy, reduce life-cycle costs and improve comfort for those within the building and to meet the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings. 🌱 #fgma #pk12 #sustainable #design #webuildcommunity