Blog

Sterling | Downtown Celebrates LEED Platinum

This LEED Platinum project includes a number of environmental sustainability features like a centralized hot water system powered by solar thermal collectors to reduce energy usage in producing hot water to residents, low-flow plumbing fixtures and efficient landscape irrigation to reduce water usage, and covered parking to reduce heat island effect with shade provided by solar photovoltaic (PV) panels that generate energy bringing the HERS to below 60.

Outdoor Learning Spaces in School Architecture

More elementary schools are seeing the benefits of providing outdoor learning spaces that go beyond the playground. These varied spaces create learning opportunities that complement what is being taught inside the school.

Radiation Therapy: Design Considerations to Improve Patient Experience

Advancements in technology and radiation therapy are showing promising results in cancer treatment, but the number of cancer patients continues to rise. Radiation therapy room design, also known as linear accelerator vault design, is particularly challenging because these rooms can be quite intimidating for patients. There are a few techniques to make radiotherapy room design more comfortable for patients while still meeting shielding and space requirements.

Classroom Utilization: Space Savings and Staff Collaboration

Classroom utilization is a powerful tool to help high schools figure out how to balance space efficiency and budget constraints with flexibility and space needs for specialized courses.

Open Media Centers: the Heart of the School

Many elementary school educational specifications or project goals talk about how the library or media center should be the heart of the school and a more active and engaging space, but often concerns about things like collection counts and standardized testing, and a more traditional vision of a library, end up taking precedence over that vision.