K-12 EducatioN LaBella has been serving K-12 clients for over three decades. From prereferendum to the last addendum, we’re committed advocates for our districts. In LaBella’s K-12 studio, we’ve always understood that schools need to be high performing and maintenance friendly. However, educational design requires more than that - it requires an understanding of the evolving classroom. Our partnerships with K-12 school districts have been long lasting and formative. We’ve completed over $800 million in capital projects for schools and along the way we’ve learned a thing or two. We continue to seek opportunities to learn from experts in pedagogy, benchmark projects from across the country, and explore new material and technology applications.
design for
K-12 Education
Most designers understand that educational environments need to be durable, but our definition of a high performing facility means more than that. Working with teachers and administrators, we’ve made a conscious commitment to furthering our understanding of learning. Our team of architects, engineers and interior designers specializes in the design of 21st century classrooms through the integration of furniture and your district’s technology standards. The results create active learning environments which promote engagement, collaboration
and safe environments for both educators and modern learners. The process includes interactive working sessions with faculty, staff, and students to understand current challenges while collaboratively developing solutions that enhance student instruction, enable learning space management, and provide flexible choices. Once the design is complete, our services include coordination and oversight of procurement, on site coordination of delivery of furniture, and review of furniture features with staff.
Design can reinforce existing behaviors or spark new ones. In schools, we’re working with teachers to transform learning. In some cases, educators lead the charge towards new modes of instruction, and we help districts retrofit their classrooms to support new programs. In other cases, changing the classroom first is necessary to enable instructional changes. Our online content hub, School’s In Session, documents our research and work at labellapc.com/ schools-in-session.
Today, it’s not just “smart boards” that are smart. We’ll coordinate the simplest bookshelf to the most advanced display system.
New furniture options can provide classrooms with integrated technology and the ability to experiment with new pedagogies. Our interiors team works with districts to identify how technology should be integrated into the classroom, and sample and test furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) that support that culture.
ff&E + Technology
acoustics Studies demonstrate that acoustics impact test performance, and that students with hearing, language, speech, attention deficit or other learning disabilities are even more susceptible.
LaBella has in-house acoustical consultants to help our clients address acoustics at every stage of a project. Many factors contribute to a school’s acoustic environment - reverberation time, background noise, and sound transmission from adjoining areas can all interrupt learning. Our team works collaboratively to ensure acoustic discussions aren’t limited to the music suite.
Our experience includes tracks, tennis courts, and single or multipurpose fields. We balance your vision with the opportunities and constraints of the site, determining the optimal layout for athletes, coaches, spectators and facility staff.
Districts have more options than ever when it comes to athletic facilities for their student athletes. We educate our clients on differences in maintenance, price, longevity and injury risk.
athletics
building performance LaBella’s K-12 engineering team specializes in the design of energy efficient, high performance educational facilities. We can provide full-service engineering and energy design services and we understand the many challenges faced by school districts with respect to energy savings, operations, and continued maintenance of their campus facilities. Our team of experts are well versed in the latest NYSERDA and utility rebate programs, and can help school districts weigh those important decisions with respect
to infrastructure upgrades and/ or system selections. LaBella has performed numerous building condition studies and commissioning projects as well as assisted in the execution of energy performance contracts (EPC’s) for many of our districts. Working closely with the project architects and school district, our engineering team has designed utilities distribution, central plants, classrooms, natatoriums, gymnasiums, as well as other specialty spaces found in today’s schools. Our team has the technical engineering expertise required to design high performance educational facilities that keep pace with the latest classroom and educational trends.
Whether your project requires new systems or the maintenance and retro-fitting of existing, our engineers have the technical know-how to improve building performance.
health and safety We don’t design a project and then add locks and cameras. Designing secure schools starts with detailed security planning as part of a holistic approach to the school’s operation. We understand the interplay of vehicular, pedestrian, and asset movements, along with storage, security and other operational considerations. Integrated security design doesn’t look like a prison. It includes areas of high visibility and strategic sight lines, as well as consideration of audible emergency management systems that are heard and not seen.
In addition to designing for prevention of crime, vandalism, or crisis situations, we have assisted school districts with health and safety concerns. Lead in drinking water, asbestos containing materials, or other indoor air quality issues can be adressed by our in-house environmental team.
At LaBella Associates, our job is to create – structures, plans, ideas, results. As a nationally recognized Design Professional Corporation, that’s a given, right? But here’s what really drives us: creating partnership between our team and our clients. So much so that we become one team, unified in the unrelenting pursuit of exceptional performance on each and every project. Reliability. Accountability. Collaboration. Respect. Not skills we went to school for, but innate in LaBella team members. The pursuit of partnership is embedded in our culture—has been since our inception in 1978. And it affects client outcomes in profound ways. It means we’re built to expertly execute projects from start to finish. That we have the talent and resources to take on any challenge. That projects are completed on time, on budget, and beyond expectations. And that we win awards – not just for our talent, but also for our ethics, employee culture, and growth. Today, our wheelhouse is broad, with four key service offerings: Buildings, Energy, Infrastructure, and Environmental. Our staff of over 800 team members is spread across more than 20 office locations. We’re headquartered in Rochester, NY—but our impact is seen, felt, and experienced around the world.
buildings
infrastructure
Architecture
Transportation Engineering
Interior Design
Municipal Engineering
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Engineering
Construction Engineering
Structural Engineering
Planning & Grant Writing Surveying
Site Development Hazardous Building Materials
energy
environmental
Electric & Gas Transmission and Distribution
Environmental Remediation & Compliance
Hydropower
Full Service Solid Waste
Renewables
Air Permitting
Program Management
Environmental Contracting
Construction Management
Pipeline Recycling
Visit us at www.labellapc.com to get a glimpse of some of the things we’re working on right now. But don’t let us do all the talking tell us about your goals by calling (866) 626-6606.
866.626.6606 | www.labellapc.com