Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Winter Construction Update

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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Winter Update
Substantial progress has been made in the construction of the Cuyahoga Falls City School District's new 6-12 campus since the groundbreaking ceremony in September 2022. The winter months proved to be very productive, with the project remaining on schedule and on budget.

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Winter Update

The early site package for the Cuyahoga Falls City Schools District’s 6-12 campus was completed in June 2023, which moved the project into constructing the main buildings. That work included foundations, underground electrical, and plumbing.

The new campus will feature an auditorium, a black box theater, and an attached athletics stadium. The State of Ohio, through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), is funding $33.6 million of the total $133 million cost. The state-of-the-art facility will provide students and faculty with updated technology, expanded academic spaces, and opportunities for collaboration in a secure, comfortable environment.

Construction Administrator Lyle Satterlee for ThenDesign Architecture commented, “It’s always good to hit a milestone date on schedule. We were very happy with the outcome. Site Tech was our early site contractor, and they did a fantastic job for us.”

He continued, “It was exciting to see the project go vertical when the stair towers went up in the summer.” The steel erection began and continued around the central classroom core of the building. To the south, work started on the foundations for the performing arts center and art rooms.

"A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into this project."
Lyle Satterlee
TDA Construction Administrator

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Early Summer Progress:

Cuyahoga Falls Winter Construction Sees Significant Progress

The mild Ohio winter created better-than-expected conditions for the multi-year, 365,000 SF school development project led by Project Manager Scott Alleman of ThenDesign Architecture. Engineers and contractors with Hammond Construction continue on schedule through significant construction milestones.

A critical component of the Construction Management Team is having a project architect in place to ensure the integrity of the design is maintained during construction. TDA Project Architect Dan Clements has been active since the early phases of the project to assist in clarifying design intent and responding to the contractor’s information requests.

Aerial photography courtesy of Hammond Construction

Construction Thrives on Teamwork

“Hammond pushed hard to get the buildings buttoned up for the winter climate,” Lyle said. “Enclosures and temporary gas heaters were in place so they could complete interior construction during the winter phases.”

Cuyahoga Falls winter construction interior work included wall framing, masonry, plumbing, and mechanical and electrical rough-ins.

Fellow TDA Construction Administrator Melissa Blask acts as a liaison between the structural engineer and Hammond contractors. “It’s amazing to see how fast some things progress. You see walls come up that weren’t there last week. I find it fascinating that a new foundation and stage area can appear when it was just an empty space days before.”

"It is fun to watch the site grow and see our vision come to life."
Melissa Blask
TDA Construction Administrator

Winter Exterior Progress in December 2023

Four Sections Will Become One

In December 2023, the retaining walls for the stadium work were underway, and the high school gymnasium roof trusses were set into place.

The Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 school is being constructed in four main sections or “buildings.”

  • “Building One” is the central education core.
  • “Building Two” is the high school gymnasium, auxiliary gym, and administrative wing.
  • “Building Three” is the lower middle school gymnasium, cafeteria, and lower dining area.
  • “Building Four” is the art wing hosting the performing arts center.

Eventually, all these sections are joined together to make up the entire new school.

Winter Interior Progress in December 2023

Always Moving Forward

As campus construction spreads in all directions, each new phase reveals simultaneous progress inside and out.

As of February 2024, the “Building One” installation of air handlers began while drywall went up on the third floor. The air conditioning system’s large central chiller was set.

The steel erection for “Building Two” was completed, and for “Building Three,” it has begun. The middle school gymnasium’s masonry bearing walls were completed, and the foundations for “Building Four” were started.

Interior Progress Comparison Between December 2023 and February 2024

December 2023
February 2024
December 2023
February 2024
December 2023
February 2024

Interior Progress in February 2024

It's Why We Do It

“I just love building buildings,” Lyle said. “I’ve been blessed to have a career of almost 40 years. Being involved in architectural design and construction has been a joy.”

Lyle appreciates the long-standing partnerships shared on large projects such as the Cuyahoga Falls Campus. The team that includes TDA, Hammond Construction, and all the other trades on site has the community’s best interest in mind. Working together, they strive to build the school campus in the most efficient manner with the best quality the budget allows.

“It’s cool to watch adults walk through a new school you’ve spent years working on,” said Melissa, “but the way the kids’ faces light up just makes all that time and effort worthwhile.”

Cuyahoga Fall City School District looks forward to the completion of the new facility. Not only will the students have access to technology and a range of spaces that will enhance their educational experience, but the new campus will become the pride of the local community.

"I enjoy driving past a completed project and telling my family I had a hand in building that."
Lyle Satterlee
TDA Construction Administrator
Marc Cebrian

Marc Cebrian

Communications

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Marc has over thirty years of media production experience with a wide variety of storytelling projects that include commercials, documentaries, and live events. He began his career in the feature film and television industry in Los Angeles, California. Naturally driven by a passion for the creative and analytical, he believes that people should be kind to one another, and strives to live by example.
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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Groundbreaking and Site Construction

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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Groundbreaking and Site Construction
At the groundbreaking ceremony in September 2022, the Cuyahoga Falls City School district began constructing its new 6-12 campus. The groundbreaking celebration was attended by over 1,000 people, which included staff, students, and the surrounding community.

Cuyahoga Falls Celebrates A Milestone

At the groundbreaking ceremony on September 27, 2022, the Cuyahoga Falls City School district began constructing their new 6-12 campus. This multi-year project will culminate in the completion of a campus that will be home to a 365,000 SF 6-12 school with an auditorium, black box theatre, attached stadium, and practice fields. Built on the Newberry and Bolich schools’ site, this capital project totals $113 million, with $33.6 million of that coming from the State of Ohio, via the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) and being built by Hammond Construction. This state-of-the-art facility provides students and faculty with new technology, expanded academic space, and opportunities for collaboration in a modern, secure environment. 

The groundbreaking celebration was attended by over 1,000 people of all ages, which included staff, students, neighbors, and the surrounding community. Dignitaries who attended and spoke included Mayor Don Walters from the City of Cuyahoga Falls, Representative Casey Weinstein, State Senator Kristina Roegner, and Board of Education Members, including board president Anthony Gomez and Superintendent Dr. Andrea Celico. Special activities included demonstrations from the Cuyahoga Falls High School band, an acapella choir, and the Art Sparks TNT XD dancers. Complimentary refreshments were served, and attendees could take their pictures with hard hats, get their faces painted and “turn a spade of soil” themselves. The night culminated in a formal groundbreaking that ended with fireworks. 

"This night is about who we are as a community. We believe that the students of our community deserve more than what they have had for the past 100 years at Cuyahoga Falls High School."
Anthony Gomez
Board of Education President

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Groundbreaking Celebration (Courtesy of Hammond Construction):
"This groundbreaking event is symbolic of our city's commitment to educational excellence for every child in Cuyahoga Falls and marks the beginning of a new era in how we educate children in our community."
Dr. Andrea Celico
Superintendent of Cuyahoga Falls City School District

Completed Site Work

Since the groundbreaking eight months ago, construction teams have busily prepared the site before pouring foundations and erecting the school’s superstructure. While progress may not be evident viewing the site from the street, a tremendous amount of work has been completed. Site engineers have shaped the contours of the site, smoothing, removing, and adding soil in various places to support the building’s footprint. Additionally, a ring road and access lots have been created to aid construction. Now that the primary site plateaus where the building will sit are finished, viewers can see how the mass of the building steps down over the entire footprint. 

View a Design Animation of the new 6-12 Campus:

A Challenging Construction Environment

Scott Alleman, the architectural project manager from ThenDesign Architecture, is familiar with site challenges that could arise from a project of this scale.   

“Working with the soil is the biggest challenge at this point. The team works hard to ensure we are balancing the ‘cut and fill’ when developing site plans. This minimizes how much earth we are moving. It can get expensive when you need to move soil offsite.”

While the soil is being prepared, the team sometimes needs to stabilize and remediate weak soil to support the weight of parking lots and the buildings’ structure. This ensures that as construction progresses, there is a strong foundation. Scott continues, “You often spend a lot of money solving problems with soil, stabilizing the substructure, putting in foundations, and bringing utilities through. Unfortunately, you don’t ‘see’ the money you are investing here. You are literally burying it. It is necessary, though.”

With the site prepared, construction teams will focus on finishing retaining walls, underground electrical and plumbing channels, and structure foundations. Scott continues, “We started in the fall, which isn’t a great time, but the weather has cooperated, and the crew works well together. There are invariably little issues here and there, but we solve those as a team.”

Site Work Progress:

Looking Forward to the New Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus

With the site work wrapping up, construction progress will become much more evident.

“The site work is exciting because it is such a big change,” Scott added, “but soon we are going to see the building take shape. Once the foundations go in, then the walls will start coming up, and the steel roof will go in. While we are still a little way off, progress will start progressing very quickly.”

Cuyahoga Fall City Schools looks forward to the completion of the new facility. Not only will students have greater access to modern technology but also a range of spaces that will enhance their educational experience.

The new campus is set to open during the 2025-2026 school year.  

Marc Cebrian

Marc Cebrian

Communications

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Marc Cebrian

Marc Cebrian

Marc has over thirty years of media production experience with a wide variety of storytelling projects that include commercials, documentaries, and live events. He began his career in the feature film and television industry in Los Angeles, California. Naturally driven by a passion for the creative and analytical, he believes that people should be kind to one another, and strives to live by example.
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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus – Preliminary Design Unveiled

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Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus - Preliminary Design Unveiled
On Thursday January 13th, the community, school district and professionals from ThenDesign Architecture and Hammond Construction met to deliver an update on designs for the new 6-12 Campus.

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus - Preliminary Design Unveiled

On Thursday, January 13th, the community, school district and professionals from ThenDesign Architecture and Hammond Construction met to deliver an update on designs for the new 6-12 Campus. This presentation gave an overview of the schedule and provided a glimpse into key spaces for the new building. Inside the Cuyahoga Falls High School Auditorium, over 200 community members attended either in-person or online to hear the update and ask questions about the project.

The new $113 million, 365,000 square foot facility will serve grades 6-12 and was funded by a voter approved Bond-issue in 2019 along with funding from the state of Ohio, through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The goal of the project is to create a facility that provides strong, innovative programs for students, a safe and secure learning environment, and work as a gathering place for the Cuyahoga Falls community.

At this event, conceptual renderings and a site plan were shown and discussed with the community.
Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Preliminary Site Plan
Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Preliminary Site Plan
“This design puts academics first, and that's the most important part of the project. We are building new facilities because we believe they will help us provide better education to our students."
Anthony Gomez
Board of Education President

Project Timeline

In 2015, the Cuyahoga Falls City School District laid the foundation for future buildings by assembling a master plan. Planners examined the existing conditions of school buildings, student enrollment projections, and the needed square footage to serve future populations. This was then submitted to the OFCC in a report that is used to assess funding options for the District.

Then, in fall of 2019, community members approved a Bond issue that would provide $80.6 million for the project and the state would commit $33.6 million. As the Covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020, the state froze funding for new projects and the team was forced to delay until early 2021.

This is when design officially started with Educational Visioning happening in April.

Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Project Timeline
Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus Project Timeline
“This project will mean the world for Cuyahoga Falls. This current building has been here a long time, and has its challenges. Having a new facility will be a huge shot in the arm for this community.”
Russell Chaboudy
Interim Superintendent of Cuyahoga Falls City School District

A Challenging Construction Environment

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, construction material prices are inflated across the country. It is not unique to Cuyahoga Falls, or the state of Ohio. All school districts currently involved in a building improvement program have been affected. Supply chain shortages, labor scarcity and market conditions haven’t existed like this in recent history and challenge school construction projects everywhere.

In August of 2021, as schematic design was completed, TDA acquired two cost estimates for the project. One was from Hammond Construction, the Construction Manager at Risk and another from an independent provider. While both estimators agreed on costs, due to market conditions, initial designs were 20-25% over budget.

The team spent the next several months refining designs and making the building more efficient. A variety of design strategies were used to alleviate costs. A few examples of cost cutting measures included minimizing site work by incorporating the natural slope of the land in the stadium, reducing the building footprint by grouping some academic spaces into a 3-story structure rather than a 2-story structure and developing a more efficient building exterior. These modifications have lowered costs significantly from the initial estimate.

Board of Education President Anthony Gomez commented: “I think the community is concerned about the cost overages but recognizes the reality of the economic situation we’re in due to Covid-19.” He continues, “They feel that when you say something, you do something about it. We have to continue to look at our options that will make a difference in this project.”

While significant progress has been made on initial designs, the current 10% overage resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is still being addressed.
“In Cuyahoga Falls we have always faced challenges; our current buildings present some of those. This building project is a big deal for us and we will do it right. And we have to make the public understand that we're doing it for the benefit of future students."
Cuyahoga Falls Resident

Moving Through Design Development

Over the last several months, the District and design team have been outlining three pathways to solve the budgetary challenge. All three elements will be pursued simultaneously and evaluated through the next two phases of design.

  1. Examine alternate phasing and bid strategies for the locally funded initiatives (LFI’s). This means, bidding out locally funded initiatives separately, possibly at different times, to capitalize on construction efficiencies and capture potentially lower material prices when construction begins.
  2. Identify additional funding options that may be available to the District to help with overages. This could include grants, additional funding by the state or creative methods of leasing equipment and other items during the construction process.
  3. Continue to refine the current scheme in terms of design and construction methods to implement value engineering, making the school design as efficient as possible.

At this time, the building is being designed to its full scope, with all the academic elements of the building, along with the auditorium and stadium. By focusing on these 3 simultaneous pathways the District is hopeful to provide a path forward, solving the uniquely challenging budget conditions.

“I'm a Cuyahoga Falls graduate and now a freshman at Akron University and I think this is a really cool opportunity which is long overdue. I love the Falls, but I would love to see this plan built. It makes me want to go back to high school!”
Cuyahoga Falls Graduate

A Glimpse of Key Spaces in the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus

To better understand the site and design, the team developed a scaled model to display the current building scheme. This rough model has been a valuable tool to quickly assess site conditions, building massing, spatial relationships, and site visibility.

Interim Superintendent of Cuyahoga Falls City School District, Russell Chaboudy commented, “From my experience, a new building will bring people back to our schools and it creates new excitement for the teaching staff and students. I think it will benefit the student’s education and will mean so much to the kids in the community. You will see good things happening as a result.”

By working quickly between a massing model and conceptual renderings of the building, we can begin to imagine what the final building will look like. While imagery is still conceptual and being refined, the following perspectives provide a glimpse into the final design.

13th Street Entrance

13th Street Entrance
13th Street Entrance Rendering

West Entrance

West Entrance
West Entrance Rendering

Academic Space

Academic Space Model
High School Collaborative Rendering

Auditorium

Auditorium Model from Portage Trail
Auditorium Lobby Rendering

Stadium

Stadium Model
Stadium Rendering
“It is exciting to see the ideas of having outside areas and courtyards for student dining, learning areas and these beautiful plazas. Isn’t that what we learned with COVID-19? You should be outside as much as possible to benefit your mental health.”
Cuyahoga Falls Parent

Next Steps for the Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus

Over the next several months, the District and architectural team will be meeting with educators to continue developing the interior of building. This will include the layout of academic areas, shared and collaborative spaces along with discussing interior finishes and furniture.

The whole team is committed to developing the best facility to provide greater educational value for Cuyahoga Falls City School Students and meet the needs of the community.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

New Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus – Meet the Architect & Construction Manager

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New Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus - Meet the Architect & Construction Manager
As design commences for the new Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus, the school district conducted it's first "in-person" engagement with ThenDesign Architecture, Hammond Construction and members of the community on April 15th. The team met to introduce themselves, describe the scope of the project, answer questions and talk about how this new facility will impact education in the community.

New Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus

As design commences for the new Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 Campus, the Cuyahoga Falls City School District conducted its’ first “in-person” engagement with ThenDesign Architecture, Hammond Construction and members of the community on April 15th. The team met to introduce themselves, describe the scope of the project, answer questions and talk about how this new facility will impact education in the community. Held in the Cuyahoga Falls High School Auditorium, the interactive session was offered for both in-person attendees and via livestream video for the community. The team provided an inside look on how buildings are designed and presented the next several milestones to look forward to. While this is only the first of many engagement opportunities, many community members came out to support the project, offer ideas for the future school and better understand what opportunities this facility will bring in the years ahead.

The Project Scope

The project scope includes the design and construction of a new 370,000 sf building that houses grades 6-12. The building will ultimately sit on the site currently occupied by the Bolich Middle School and will host a performing arts center and 5,000-seat sports stadium. This innovative facility will open up a range of new possibilities for academic programming and collaboration, larger athletic events and a streamlined education experience for students.

In a recent interview Cuyahoga Falls City Mayor Don Walters recently commented, “This will be the ‘missing piece’ to our City and everything will be complete because the campus environment is perfect.” He continues, “It’s just time [for this new school], and once that is built, and we get the old high school redeveloped and every piece is covered in the City. We will have a good economic base, we have good school systems and everything is complete. So, we are really, really excited to see that.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by those at the community meeting, many of whom supported the bond process in 2019.

The project is estimated to cost $113.8 million, with the district funding $80.6 million, from the bond issue, while the state of Ohio through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), is contributing $33.2 million. That amount goes directly towards the new construction of a 6-12 building, stadium complex and demolition of Bolich Middle School and the Newberry Elementary School.

"We're going to be meeting with our staff and we'll be listening to what they have to say to inform the design. We are beginning with an "educational vision" and designing a building to meet those needs."
Dr. Todd M. Nichols
Superintendent/CEO

Cuyahoga Falls New 6-12 Campus Design Process

In order to kick off the design process, ThenDesign Architecture, along with the district, has planned a series of engagements crafted to inform the overall design of the project during initial schematic and programming phases. Chris Smith, president of TDA, commented on Thursday night, “We’re in the thinking business, not simply the drawing business. We don’t believe our “name” should be on the door, our nature is to be collaborative, it’s not about us, we don’t dictate design. Our buildings reflect the communities where they reside and I think you’ll be proud to call this your design, your building.”

Architects have also begun speaking with educators from the High School, along with Bolich and Roberts Middle Schools for input on the interior layout. Teachers are asked to discuss their educational needs, while imagining new ways their initiatives can be improved by this new space. Ideas generated from these sessions are used to inform the interior adjacencies, classroom sizes, collaborative areas and furniture needs. This type of engagement will continue throughout the summer. These initial sessions allow current staff to expand their minds on how their new building can improve their efforts.

Cuyahoga Falls New 6-12 Campus and 21st Century Design

A major element of this project is combining the high school and middle schools together into one campus. This arrangement brings a variety of benefits.

While a physical separation between the two schools is still maintained, efficiencies are achieved by having both schools share major spaces such as athletics areas and the performing arts center. In addition, bringing all educators under one roof allows for collaboration which simply wasn’t possible before. With better access to a variety of educators, middle school students can potentially take advantage of accelerated programs offered at the high school. Finally, young students often find that the crucial transition from middle to high school is much easier, since they are in the same familiar building, now just in a different wing.

Even though the building is still in the early stages of design, Dr. Nichols made it clear that an important aspect of this project is to create a nurturing environment where 6th graders can gently transition into their new environment, providing them a safe environment and autonomy to prepare for their future education.

This mixture of educational collaboration, flexibility and autonomy are all hallmarks of good 21st century design.

"We firmly believe that we have to trust our professional educators to design the inside of the building. Then we believe that the community at large, lends a leading hand in helping us design the exterior of the building, how it interfaces with community playgrounds, parent drop-offs and pickups. So there is a trust there."
Chris Smith
President TDA

Cuyahoga Falls Community Feedback and Questions & Answers

For many longtime residents, who have been through the Cuyahoga Falls school system, they look forward to the new campus. One attendee commented: “We’re very excited for the school district, for Cuyahoga Falls and for property values. We feel that Mayor Walters has done so many good things for this City and that Dr. Nichols has done good things too.” They continue, “the school is like the “pièce de résistance.” It’s the final touch. We need it, and we have to do it.”

Speaking to when the project will be completed, Bill Schurman, President of Hammond Construction commented, “We are committed to the new building being occupied in August [2025]. So that means we turn it over in the summer, allowing for a transition period for staff. These dates will be fine-tuned as the design evolves.” Residents can look forward to future updates as the design process progresses.

After the presentation, the district, TDA and Hammond held a Q+A session. Questions ranged from project construction phasing, how the construction process worked, what separation between the middle school and high school would look like, how much time was lost by the Covid-19 pandemic and how safety measures will be implemented in a school of that size.

Some questions revolved around the site usage, and whether traffic flow would negatively impact the surrounding neighborhoods. Mr. Smith responded, “Part of our philosophy in facility design is to get all the school traffic off the street. This is so all of that is contained on our site, we want to get it off the street. The same goes when managing storm water. this is key in the low areas by Newberry Elementary School.”

Dr. Nichols encouraged those with questions to submit them to the district for further consideration. The district is committed to keeping the community updated on the project throughout the process on their construction focused website: “Building Community.”

Homework Assignment for Cuyahoga Falls Community Members

The next engagement session for community members will be held on May 13th, focusing on a “Visual Preference Exercise.” They were encouraged to think about their favorite building in Cuyahoga Falls and why. This can then start to establish a common aesthetic trend for what the exterior of the building could look like. Scott Alleman, Project Manager for TDA commented, “Examples for this could be the Natatorium, or the church down the street, but think of something that is your favorite piece of architecture and why you feel that reflects the community. Keep that in mind when we come back on May 13th for the visual preference exercise!”

What is your favorite piece of Cuyahoga Falls Architecture and why? Drop us a line and let us know!

Reach Out to Learn More

Closing out the engagement, Dr. Nichols embraced the collaborative spirit in the community and the team making this new facility possible. He looks forward to the process continuing, “I want to thank you all so much for being here this evening. Talk to your neighbors, talk to your friends, engage more and more of the community. We’re going to be meeting with our staff and we’ll be listening to what they have to say, to inform the design, because we are beginning with an educational vision and designing a building, to meet those needs.”

If you are interested in learning more about this project, visit the Cuyahoga Falls page “Building Community.” If you have ideas or questions surrounding the process, reach out to John Wasylko, Community Relations at Cuyahoga Falls City School District at cf_wasylkoj@cftigers.org.

Also, let us know what your favorite piece of architecture in Cuyahoga Falls is and why! Send your pictures to Ryan Caswell at rcaswell@thendesign.com. We want to hear from you and incorporate that feedback into the exterior design!

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

“Architectural Programming” – How a K-12 School Building is Planned

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“Architectural Programming” - How a K-12 School Building is Planned
"Just how do you plan a new school building?" We get that question a lot from districts and owners at the beginning of their projects. Through our relationships with clients across Northeast Ohio, we have developed systems for success that address the design process known as "architectural programming."

The architectural design process is intense and spans months, with designers considering a building from many perspectives. Naturally, many of our clients ask, “What is the most important aspect of designing such a big building?”

The answer surprises most of our clients.

A foundational element of building design isn’t in the architectural drafting, detailing or 3D modeling. It’s not in the problem solving sessions or even a thorough and detailed understanding of construction techniques. Those are all significant, but the most important aspect begins well before a building is considered. It is realized early on in the design process and revealed in simple conversations, it’s known as “Architectural Programming.”

Abby Rainieri is the Educational Design Lead at ThenDesign Architecture and regularly engages with districts and architects in the pre-design phase called “Architectural Programming.” Having completed many successful projects, she has developed flexible processes for this phase that include determining project funding, community surveys, public engagement and OFCC design compliance.

Abby recounts, “Many times, our clients come to us, not even knowing what to ask for. This leads us to help them discover what they need and what to ask for. We call it “problem seeking.” It’s a lot of listening, data collecting, assessing a facility and trying to understand the problems they are trying to solve. We encourage conversations and explore multiple solutions with the goal of putting projects on an overall path to success. A lot of the biggest things we need to grapple with as we move into programming and schematic design are established in early planning conversations about the project. It sets the tone for the rest of the design process.”

Design Phases Simplified:

A blog post image showing the design phases of an architectural project.

Master Planning and Architectural Programming

“Master Planning” proceeds “Programming” and is also a crucial time for conversation. During “Master Planning,” we seek to understand the unique educational needs of a school district, the condition of their existing facilities, their budgetary needs and any other curriculum requirements. Armed with this context, we have an all-encompassing understanding of who the project will serve. Only then, can we begin programming. 

To better grasp “architectural programming,” consider how computer programming works. Software designers need to consider how a proposed program should work, then write the complicated computer code to allow it to function. Throughout this process, they consider how an “end user” ultimately experiences that program and are responsible for making sure the features work for a wide variety of users. When updates are needed, they ensure these additions work cohesively with the existing software.

“Architectural programming” is quite similar. Early in the process, architects and designers work with future building users, clients and stakeholders to understand the features and functions desired for the finished building. Keeping in mind user experience, they create a list of ingredients, (square footage and spaces) that will make up the new building.

At this point, we aren’t even considering a building yet. We are brainstorming and talking through how the building should function in the future and its role in the community. We imagine the key activities inside and ensure enough space is allocated for those purposes. It’s only then that we can start to think about architecture. Once we have a clear idea for how the building should function and a list of needed spaces and their square footage to accomplish these functions, then we can start to think about architectural forms and materials.

The more effort put into the programming phase, the more likely the project emerges successful.

"Many times, our clients come to us, not even knowing what to ask for. So that leads us to help them discover what they need and what to ask for. We call it "problem seeking."
Abby Rainieri

“As we [document necessary spaces] we move into engagement and work sessions. Our “Educational Visioning Sessions,” are a piece of this, along with staff engagement. We take different user groups or a core team on tours of new buildings, so they can see how other districts have solved space problems. In this initial concept phase, we are getting further into planning and feedback. After that, we begin the traditional kind of architectural process of making diagrams and drawing plan iterations, then continue engagement with the community, the board and the staff.”

OFCC and Project Funding

How each project is funded also plays an integral role in the building process. Many districts find that partnering with the OFCC (Ohio Facilities Construction Commission) allows them to receive financial assistance and be able to build structures that would have been out of reach if they tried to do it alone.

Since 1999, the OFCC has provided over $700 million to districts across Ohio and has been involved in opening over 1,200 new or renovated school buildings. This is a common way districts pursue state funding based on their needs for future facilities. However, rarely does the OFCC fund a project in its entirety. District administrators still need to convince voters to approve school construction bond tax hikes to cover some building construction costs.

How does this impact the programming design phase? In order to qualify for assistance, the school design must follow guidelines directly from the OFCC to ensure the educational needs of the building are met. These guidelines come in the form of a “Program of Requirements” guideline or PORs. The POR is essentially a checklist of spaces and square footage that need to be allocated inside the building. Since each district is different, there are a number of POR options to consider. One option is a “Traditional POR.” This is the most rigid in terms of square footage and spacial requirements, another option is a “Partial Order Reduction POR,” this allows some flexibility in spatial requirements and allocating square footage. Another type of POR is the “High Performance Learning Environment (HPLE) POR” which gives the most flexibility in the design of educational spaces. However this plan needs to be accompanied by rigorous curriculum documentation and support from the district with professional development for teachers which include plans on how to use the spaces in their new curriculum. While flexible in design, this requires the most district planning early on to ensure the new space will work for students.

PORs directly influence architectural design, since they are the starting point–a list of spaces and square footages which need to be included in the building. It is the job of a creative designer to make the most of these spaces within the district’s given budget.

Engaged Learning Environments

“Within the traditional POR, there have been times when districts wanted to create extended learning areas. They wanted to create collaborative learning areas, but they’re not going to go through a documentation and educational visioning process for an HPLE. (Imagine a spectrum of traditional PORs on the left and contemporary student centered learning (HLPE PORs) on the right, some districts may fall in the middle of that spectrum.) We can work within the Traditional POR to make some extended learning spaces.

For the last five to ten years, a lot of districts have wanted to create extended learning areas or flexible learning spaces in their buildings. Since there wasn’t always a vehicle to do that within the “Traditional POR,” we carved away 10% chunks of some of the academic spaces, we’d gather those chunks up in what we called “donor square footage” and we would create those other types of learning spaces that they wanted. There are ways to manipulate and move within the Traditional POR and still design unique learning environments. Another example is to move the space dedicated to a media center or computer lab into classrooms or to other collaborative spaces, so students wouldn’t be confined to a central area but could access these resources in their classrooms. So, there is some flexibility in these plans, all of this planning and initial design takes place during architectural programming.”

Technically, programming is establishing the spatial relationships, quantities and functional solutions for an end user.
Abby Rainieri

Even though the OFCC is known for assisting with funding for public projects, they also help with comprehensive guidance throughout the project, from groundbreakings, to the demolition of old facilities, then to the completion and opening of the new building. They have resources to help smaller districts complete a large project such as a new school building.

“In order to ensure spaces are compliant with the OFCC standards, the architect partners with the OFCC, particularly in the early phases of design. “There’s either going to be a project administrator from the OFCC an OFCC planner, or what’s called an RPC (a Regional Programming Consultant) to check in on progress. So they’re essentially acting as eyes to review and make sure you’re following all the OFCC requirements. They’re the ones that are going to review square footages, and your overall building square footage once we start submitting drawings, to make sure you meeting requirements.”

Open Collaborative Learning Environments:

Architectural Programming: How a School Building is Designed

Having been through the programming phase many times as a registered architect, Abby places a huge important on this initial phase of design. “Technically, programming is establishing the spatial relationships, quantities and functional solutions for an end user.

As architects and designers, I think sometimes, we are too eager to jump into architecture. Sometimes the building owners are too. They’re excited, they want to see pretty pictures and almost immediately want to start planning a groundbreaking ceremony. However, if we set up an approach to program the building intentionally and with an open mind, we setup the successful integration between defining all the necessary spaces and the schematic design. We can create the best, most useful and interesting spaces this way. So that’s why I think architectural programming is so important.”

It's important to recognize how much of it is about communication and gathering and analyzing data ... ultimately we get to design something that serves, kids and young people.
Abby Rainieri

The design phase “programming” is key to a successful project. In this phase the architect, district, and community can imagine (or reimagine) what their building should be. Without being bound by costs, or materials, they can think broadly about how this structure can function, improving the lives of the community and students. Then armed with a list of spaces and square footage, the designer begins laying out diagrams to show relationships between spaces-which are the beginnings of successful architecture.

“Most of those actions, that I just described really don’t have anything to do with architecture. They integrate nicely with it, when we’re ready to go there. But it’s important to recognize how much of it is about communication and gathering and analyzing data. Then with the understanding that this is all K-12 architecture, ultimately we get to design something that serves kids and young people. I mean, come on, that’s just the coolest thing–and why I do this.”

Key Takeaways:

  • The pre-design phase know as "Architectural Programming," is a time for conversations focused on how the future space should work.
  • Conversations between the architect, owner and district are the key to success.
  • When working with the OFCC, their guidelines will affect what spaces are included in the final building.
  • As "Architectural Programming" is completed, architects build a list of necessary spaces and square footages for the building. From this information, they create diagrams noting the relationships between spaces.
  • This pre-design phase sets the tone for the rest of the project. Ideas and needs from these conversations will be "programmed" into the future building.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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