Join us as we delve into the critical role of school design in fostering student well-being. In this episode, we're joined by Courtney Koch, a Principal Architect at CMBA, to explore how architects can create learning spaces that support diverse learning styles, improve mental health, and encourage hands-on learning – all while keeping budgets in mind. We'll discuss the impact of natural light, acoustics, flexibility, and technology integration on student success. Courtney will share her insights on creating engaging and inspiring learning environments that empower students to thrive.
(Skyler): Welcome, everybody, to another episode of the Laying the Foundation podcast. My name is Skyler. I'm your host. And today, joining me once again, the wonderful Courtney Koch from our Sioux City office, one of our principal architects. Back again. Welcome, Courtney.
(Courtney): Thanks, Skyler. I love being here.
(Skyler): It's always great to have you. We've had some amazing discussions in the past, so I was super excited to do another one here, talking about designing healthy learning environments for all students. And I think that's an important thing to emphasize to all students, because there are a lot of different kinds of students, a lot of different needs that students have. And it's important that we, within architecture, are designing these learning environments to be able to accommodate any and all students that are there to learn.
(Courtney): Absolutely. And with architecture, you're either going to support students or you're gonna hinder students, and we don't want to do that. So, the biggest piece we can do is to support their well-being, reduce their anxiety, promote their emotional development, and positive development, so that they can learn and engage and thrive through everything that they're doing at school. I mean, they spend most of their time there.
(Skyler): Yeah. Just like we spend a lot of our time at work. Kids are spending a lot of their time at school.
(Courtney): Exactly. And I want to leave a good impact.
(Skyler): Yes, absolutely. And I'm glad that you mentioned the part about the anxiety and the emotional development. I mean, as kids, that's when a lot of that is happening. All that development that we, as adults, may not see quite as much of. And so it's important that we be able to make these spaces that they're going to spend so much time in, to be able to foster positive growth within those developments.
(Courtney): Yes. And as parents, we know we're sending them off somewhere. We want the spaces to support them like we do when they're with us. But how can we do that? Through our design.
(Skyler): Absolutely. So let's start with a broad overview. We're talking student mental health. We're talking a lot of key factors within those educational spaces. How are they connecting? What are the ties there?
(Courtney): Yeah, a lot of the pieces we do reflect what makes them feel well at school. Natural light, connection to nature. I know Lee did a whole series in the podcast on biophilic design, but there is so much to say about being able to feel like the space you're in still connects you to something that's not just a dark box that you're stuck in for eight hours a day.
(Skyler): Right.
(Courtney): And with that color, the furniture that you have, I mean, students, my children specifically, as students, they both are very different. But how can furniture support how they can learn? Personalization is huge for them. If you feel ownership in your space, you definitely have positive well-being with that. Being able to provide quiet spaces versus loud collaborative spaces. Students learn very differently, and if we can be inclusive to all, in order to give them the spaces that encourage the best for them, they're going to learn at a better rate and thrive academically. I mean, all of these pieces go together, and it has to be the big picture that we look for when we go into design.
(Skyler): Absolutely. So, jumping into some of those specific topics when we talk. And again, like you said, we’ll set aside the biophilic element and everything else. If you want more on that, you should definitely check out Lee's episode. But what about things like natural light? How is that affecting the learning environment a little bit more specifically? Dive into it.
(Courtney): Yeah, we know how we are in spaces. If you are stuck in a room that has zero natural light, you have no attention to what the day is bringing, the weather, sunlight, or anything.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Courtney): It's really kind of trying on your mental health.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Courtney): If you are in a space that has that natural light, that connection to even just sunlight throughout the day, you have a well-being that will support what you're trying to do, and make that time, your circadian rhythms function correctly so that you have that connection to the outdoors.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And I think that's important. Right? You take spaces that focus on the lack of natural light, like casinos, which specifically revolve around the idea of separating a person from the rest of the world. The rest of that connection. We don't want to do that. We're not making a casino, we're making an educational space for children. We don't want to cut them off from that connection.
(Courtney): Yes. And you want them to thrive in the spaces they're in, and all of that plays a big part in that. If you want to go to school, you are going to be able to excel academically because you want to be there. It's not a place that you don't want to be. So, if we can create an atmosphere that either has that light connection or provides a space that students want to be in, that's half the battle of getting them there.
(Skyler): Absolutely. Yeah, you want to get them excited to go and learn, and to go be a part of the school.
(Courtney): Correct.
(Skyler): Absolutely. So, let's go with color. We've talked about color on the show before and how much it can impact our way of seeing a space, how much it impacts the mental direction that we take when we're inside a space. How are we using that when it comes to classrooms and for K12?
(Courtney): Yeah. In K12, we're looking at a lot of different age ranges in there. So what we need to look at in some spaces for younger students might need to be more calming, and need to be able to hold their attention. So we need to focus on what gives them that space. And then, also, when we look at primary colors, maybe more important to the elementary level. But as students age and we're looking at secondary education, we may need to provide spaces that reflect their environments and that make them feel calm in those spaces as well. Just like we wouldn't use calming colors in athletic spaces in gymnasiums.
(Skyler): Yes.
(Courtney): With branding and with your school colors and school pride. So it's not just what color do we paint on the wall, but it's how does that integrate with that ownership of being in the building, what you attach to, and what you resemble. My kids, I don't think I will ever be able to change them from panthers and purple because it's ingrained when you start school. That's what you know. And it's such a big piece of your identity that you want that ownership in your space.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And we've talked with Dan Barkle in the past with the MMCRU schools.
(Courtney): Yes.
(Skyler): And the idea that you want to create this environment that the students have pride in, and they associate with that branding, essentially. Like their school colors, their school mascot, all that other stuff, I mean, it inspires them. And that's kind of what we're going for with a lot of that. Creating that, "I am a panther," as you said.
(Courtney): Exactly.
(Skyler): I am part of this community. This community is part of me. And that's what they're going to take with them as they go all the way from K to 12.
(Courtney): That's correct. And even pride of ownership and taking care of those facilities, too. If you have something that is nice that you enjoy being in, you're going to take better care of it. It's yours. That ownership brings back a huge piece for the students, too, to care for the buildings that they're in.
(Skyler): Absolutely. So that's beneficial for the staff of the school or what have you to know that these students respect the space that they're in because they have pride in it.
(Courtney): Yes.
(Skyler): Which is very exciting. So what about, we talked about sound acoustics? Some students obviously need spaces that are going to be quiet. And I know, I've talked with Eric and his wife Mary Jo. We talked about, especially with kids with special needs, they need to have access to those spaces that are able to take them away from all the craziness and noise. But what about other times when we kind of need that sound or we need to control that sound, without just cutting it off?
(Courtney): Right, exactly. And there's a good balance of both of those spaces that we need. Because when you are looking at encouraging collaboration, it's going to be a noisy environment. So we have to have spaces that can work within that noise and contain it or control it, and help you feel comfortable in the space. But then, like you said, some students, I know myself, if I'm focusing on something, I need it to be a little bit more quiet or I need to just step away and have that focus time. So being able to provide different spaces and the flexibility in those spaces so that you have the variety of spaces that can be a little bit more dynamic versus spaces that can be a little bit more individually focused or quiet. They need to play together in order to have that well-rounded space for students to be in.
(Skyler): And I'm glad you mentioned flexibility, too. So, how are we able to, because sound is one of those things, right? Some walls stop sound, some walls don't stop as much sound as you'd like. There are other elements to design. How are we sort of managing or mitigating that sound?
(Courtney): I think being able to set up our spaces in order to give that variety that's adjacent to each other. Because the last thing you want is one big open space, nowhere to be able to go except for maybe a far corner of a building that's quiet. We need to have those spaces adjacent to each other so that if you do have a learner or two who are overstimulated in the space, we have something close by that you can go to. You can have that downtime, that quiet time. They could even step away with a paraprofessional to be able to focus and, maybe, take a breath to be able to reengage with their classmates. But we all sometimes need that space. So overall, when we start looking at it, I know we've talked about this on other K12 podcasts, of the neighborhood environment. The neighborhood breaks down where you have open space that can be more collaborative. We have spaces that can be messy, and we're creative. We have spaces for independent learning and one-on-one sessions. So all of that needs to be looked at and considered when we create that space as a whole.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Courtney): And being able to set those up so that everyone has access to it and that it makes sense with the adjacencies is our top priority.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And those neighborhoods are really cool. I've gotten to see a couple of them that we've worked on so far, and it's amazing to see how easy we can kind of create that diversity of learning styles. If someone needs to step out of the classroom and have space to themselves, they can do that. If students need to collaborate on a project, they have the space they can do that in. And it's all within five, six steps of each other.
(Courtney): Right, exactly. Making it easier for the teachers, too, because there are a lot of times that it's just you or you and your entire class. And how can we provide spaces for you to also be able to make your class manageable and have those resources at your fingertips?
(Skyler): Yes. And then, of course, there's obviously this side of safety and security. People need to be able to see the students and be able to keep an eye on them and make sure that they are focusing on their learning and not doing something they shouldn't be doing, or whatever the case.
(Courtney): Exactly.
(Skyler): And that's really nice with the neighborhood element too, because everything is pretty visible, you can see into the next classroom if you need to.
(Courtney): And helps with teachers overall, just having them have visibility to each other, being able to have the support of another faculty member. Being able to work together as a group in order to make your day better.
(Skyler): Yes, yes, absolutely. Now, obviously, there are going to be some challenges along the way that we've experienced with implementing some of these things. I know we've got budget written down as obviously one of the big ones with most schools, but I guess we can talk about budget, and then what other kind of challenges are we tending to run across?
(Courtney): Sure, limited resources are always going to be the biggest concern because we know we don't have this unending pot of money that can go into spaces. But looking at what's going to make the most impact is going to set you up for success, so we may not be able to start over clean slate or completely renovate an entire facility. But what can make the biggest impact? What small changes can we make to affect everyone overall? Even some of the things we're looking at now, such as creative funding, there are a lot of grant programs that are out there that are available to help with furniture. That's a huge one. They're able to ask for resources to be able to support their classroom in that dynamic environment. There are a lot of community partnerships we can look at. I think the beauty of being able to have schools in a community is that heartbeat. We've talked about it before.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Courtney): And bringing in community with partners as part of that to help not only make a connection to students and different businesses, but have that parent connection back in the school, where you bring all of your resources together to provide the best foundation for your students and your children. So, finding creative ways to be able to do that, but then really maximizing the dollars you have, is the focus.
(Skyler): Stretching it out, stretching out the bills. I love that you mentioned the community element, because I think we've said this from every angle on this show time and time again, that community is so vital to every single project that we do. Every single project that happens just in general healthcare spaces, they need their community, K12 spaces, they need their community. Municipal spaces, they're there for the community, so obviously they need the community, so on and so forth. Everything needs their community involvement, whether that be businesses supporting financially or partnering with them all the way to, as you mentioned, the parents, the families, and them getting involved. I mean, their kids are the ones going to these schools. Obviously, it helps them be involved with the school. It helps the school to have them involved with it.
(Courtney): Well, as a parent, you pick the community you live in a lot of times based on those resources. Your school, your hospitals, what you have, what amenities you have. Because you want the best for your student as well.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And it is cool to see some of the creative funding opportunities that have come out of this, too. When we did the Central City High School project and there was a whole episode you can hear on that. They said, "Hey, our community needs a FEMA shelter." And they reached out to the program and said, "Hey, we need to new school gym. Can we kind of partner those two things together?" And they did. And it was incredible.
(Courtney): Community partnerships are huge.
(Skyler): Yes.
(Courtney): And I'm all for whatever connections we can be able to make and support both local businesses as well as our schools.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And the creative depths that we've gone into to create these connections are always exciting to hear. So that's why I get excited when we do project highlights and things like that, because we get to talk about those and we get to say, "We did this bizarre, crazy idea, and it worked out and it was really cool." So that's always fun to see as well.
(Courtney): Yeah. And especially with the daycares lately that we've been bringing into the school. That's a great example because, as a parent, what do you do with your child from most of the time, six to eight weeks to four-year-old preschool?
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Courtney): Being able to make that connection with a lot of our school districts, too, has been huge over the last year. Being able to provide that resource for your community, as well as starting to get those students involved in the school system early.
(Skyler): Exactly. It all comes full circle again. So, jumping over to the final point, and I know we've done it, you specifically have run some really interesting stuff where we had talked about having the students create their own space. What are some ways that we've worked with students at these K12 schools to say, "How can we make your space? How can we design this based on your ideas?"
(Courtney): This is actually my favorite part, or one of my favorite parts of the process is being able to talk to those students. And in a lot of cases, you don't get to talk to all of them because they have schoolwork to do. But we have an incredible book that's out there. If I built a school that we have done the activity where the classroom teacher reads this book that we've provided them, and they do the activity after reading. Being inspired by the book and then drawing their ideas. Because we know a kindergartener, first grader, or second grader may not be able to write a list of things they want to see in their classroom, but they can draw incredible pictures of what they want. We had this with a project not too long ago, and Shelby, our interior designer here, and I went through all of the different papers that were turned in, and it's so incredible to see what these students have come up with and what they think about. Because a lot of times we think, "Oh, they just want their school." But they have gotten down into some pretty impressive details of what we've done, and just being able to incorporate that, and bring those ideas full circle. They can see their ideas in the building when we're done and know that they made an impact on that. Now, when they start getting older too, we do focus groups with them, talk through different spaces that they have. But really, seeing their vision and applying it is so rewarding because it's theirs. It's unique to them. Which is why every single one of our projects is unique. It's going to reflect the community we're in, those that we've talked to, and be specific to that district. Which is why we also don't have all the same buildings.
(Skyler): Right. No cookie-cutter plans here by any means.
(Courtney): Not at all. But that part is what gets me excited personally, because I know how excited they are to be able to be part of the process.
(Skyler): I mean, we as professionals sometimes get a little bit boxed in with a lot of the technical details and the things that these kids can come up with because they're not blocked in by those boxes.
(Courtney): Right.
(Skyler): It's just so exciting and so, just incredibly amazing to be able to see. And then, on top of it, we've seen the Orange City School.
(Courtney): MOC Floyd Valley.
(Skyler): MOC Floyd Valley. The design of it was based on the kids drawings of the outside of the building.
(Courtney): Yes.
(Skyler): And it's so different and it's so cool. It's amazing to see kids think so outside the box with this kind of stuff. It's really cool. So I'm glad that that's something that we do regularly because it adds that, like you said, these kids wake up every day, and they either hate going to school or they love going to school. And when we can implement their stuff in there, and they go to school, and they see that, and they say, "I had a part in that." That's how you get them to love going to school.
(Courtney): Yep. And that means we did our job well.
(Skyler): Yes, absolutely. Well, Courtney, is there anything that I've missed so far that we had listed out that you wanted to talk about?
(Courtney): I think that hits on all of it. I just want everyone to know that research does show that these design intentions have a positive impact on students. Their motivation, their engagement, their academic success. But we have to invest in that so that we have well-designed classrooms. School can foster a learning environment that supports all the diverse needs of students. So it is very important to be able to bring that all together when we start looking at facilities and what we can do.
(Skyler): Yes, absolutely. Well, Courtney, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me, share this amazing info. Again, we do so much research here at CMBA to make sure that we are finding those new ways to bring these amazing new resources to students to increase their ability to learn, to increase their love for education. So thank you so much for being here to share a lot of that research and share a lot of that information.
(Courtney): Thank you, Skyler. And I love being here.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Skyler): If you'd like to find out more about the Laying the Foundation podcast, you can head over to any podcast streaming platform such as Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and others. You can also find out more about CBA architects through social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Additionally, you can head over to the CBA website at cmbaarchitects.com. If you're an architecture or design professional or an intern looking for an internship within those fields, please be sure to check out our website and click on the Careers tab to find out more about what opportunities we offer. This has been another episode of the Laying the Foundation podcast. We'll see you next time.