For this year's judging, five experts in education design and construction met in Overland Park, Kan., to examine and analyze today's exemplary school designs and award citations to several projects. After sorting through numerous examples of education institutions, they discovered that several rose above the rest.
The criteria the jury used when determining citation winners:
- Security/Safety
What are the values of the community?
- Innovation
Does the building recognize and celebrate qualities that are innovating today's learning environments?
- Cost-effectiveness, life-cycle costing
Is it possible to do a great school on a small budget?
- Timelessness
Will the building be able to adapt and evolve?
- Community
Is the building available after hours to serve as a resource?
- Functionality
Is the facility built for the changes 25 to 50 years in the future?
- Sense of place
How does the building make a person feel?
