In states like Maryland, where school systems are County-wide and can encompass well over 100 facilities, it’s common to see prototype school buildings.
Building prototypes have been in use for many years and are most appropriate in situations where the functional use varies little from building to building – elementary schools are a perfect example. Among others, one important benefit prototypes offer to school systems is the ability to provide consistency and equity of curriculum delivery throughout a large system.
As easy as it would be to simply reuse prototype building plans to build multiple schools over many years, it’s important to consider that a prototype building can’t be reused indefinitely without additional design work. While the visual similarity of the buildings may make them appear identical to a casual observer, what isn’t as readily apparent are the required systemic changes from facility to facility.
When we are asked to re-implement a prototype building for one of our clients, we’ll begin the project by asking if the current design is functioning in an ideal way for the school communities where it already exists. Feedback from the users of the built prototype is essential to continually improve the building’s support of the current educational program – which changes from year to year. Pedagogy is constantly adapting to current culture and improving based on research into effective teaching and learning practices. In recent years, project-based, team-centric and experiential learning are transforming the needs of school environments from the individually-focused spaces of old into today’s collaborative learning spaces. County-wide programs based in certain schools can also present specific requirements unique to one school facility.
Perhaps the greatest struggle is for the prototype to keep up with instructional technology, as it changes more rapidly than any other building component. School systems throughout the country are providing more seamless infusions of technological capabilities throughout the buildings for both faculty and student use. The effects of this continual technological transformation will be at the forefront of prototype design considerations for the foreseeable future.
School security is also an ever-evolving design consideration, with systematic implementations of new strategies and technologies regularly emerging. Construction materials are also continually improving, with the global focus on reducing carbon footprints and energy consumption and creating sustainable, durable and resilient public buildings. Green building strategies and alternative energy sourcing can effect major changes to building infrastructure. Building codes, too, are continually updating.
All of the above factors have a tremendous cumulative effect on the building design, but the biggest trigger to a need to adapt the prototype building is its site. Topography, solar orientation, vehicular and pedestrian access, storm water management requirements, and unique site features (a streambed, a fantastic view, or distinctive neighboring buildings) all vary from site to site and have a direct effect on the building’s configuration. The site can also affect the structural design, as its soils’ bearing capacity will dictate the type and size of building foundations.
While this is not an exhaustive list, we hope we’ve helped demonstrate how different each implementation of a prototype design really is. What has been your experience with prototype buildings?
