Last month, an eclectic group of education and community leaders, design professionals, education experts and other thought leaders convened in the Washington, D.C., area to take part in the National Summit on School Design. The goal: to initiate dialog to help improve the quality of America's schools and the communities they serve, and chart the course of school design for the next generation.
Sponsored by the American Architectural Foundation and the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, the interactive, three-day event explored myriad issues in education facility design and the impact a building can have on learning and community. Similar exercises have been conducted over the years, but school facilities have not been in the national spotlight for some time. With meetings such as this, attention may be refocused on the importance of facilities to the learning process.
For almost 25 years, American School & University's Architectural Portfolio has brought to you real-world examples of facilities that excel in their goal of providing innovative, exceptional environments for learning. This year is no exception, as more than 200 projects are featured, exhibiting some of the best ideas in education facility design.
Judged by a panel of school and university administrators and education architects, a number of projects were awarded citations in recognition of excellence. The two top citations — the William W. Caudill Citation and the Louis I. Kahn Citation — exemplify the best in education architecture and design.
Special thanks to the knowledgeable panel judging this year's Architectural Portfolio competition (turn to pages 10 and 12 to meet the jury and read its commentary). Also, congratulations to the architects and education institutions selected for publication. Your sharing of projects will serve as inspiration as the next generation of learning environments are planned and constructed.
SCORECARD
Number of school and university projects featured in the 2005 Architectural Portfolio.
Number of citations awarded in this year's competition by the five-member jury.
Elementary school projects selected for publication in this year's Architectural Portfolio.
High school projects selected for publication in this year's competition.
Post-secondary projects included in the 2005 Architectural Portfolio.
New
State with the most projects featured (17), followed by California (15).
