In Session - Fall 2020

FALL 2020

Lessons in design for K-12

IN Session

Topics and trends for educators and administrators from LaBella’s educational design & engineering team

fall syllabus j

Hybrid Education in the Built Environment

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LaBella’s Enhanced Quality Program is Underway

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Athletic Fields Will Be Tested

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East Irondequoit CSD Ivan Green 6 Library Wins AIA Rochester Citation Award The $35,000 Question: Change Orders

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Immersive Interiors: How Simulated Learning Environments are Revolutionizing Education

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In Session LaBella Associates |

Fall 2020

“PUBLIC OFFICE IS A PUBLIC TRUST.”

FINDING THE SILVER LININGS To put together an issue of In Session, one of our first brainstorming questions is usually “where are our clients experiencing challenges and how can we help them navigate those challenges?”

Nine months into this pandemic, we’ve all had regular updates on challenges. LaBella recently had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion, hosted by the Rochester Business Journal, on the “Future of Education” alongside higher education and K-12 leaders. And while challenges were certainly discussed, we also celebrated the accomplishments that have occurred and the takeaways we’ll carry forward. It is appropriate and even necessary to celebrate the ingenunity, innovation, and adaptability that our educational systems have implemented to date.

In this issue, we’ve taken care to incude content that’s not focused on where the rapid adoption of technology-led pedagogy is falling short, but where it’s opening up possibilities. When our communities are no longer threatened by COVID-19, what will be the silver linings that changed our practices for the better?

We welcome your comments and input at insession@labellapc.com.

LaBella’s Enhanced Quality Program is Underway We know that our clients rely on us for quality, consistent, and timely project deliverables. LaBella has always had a culture of service and accountability; when we make mistakes, we’re quick to own them and correct them. No firm is perfect, but consistent quality is essential to who we are.

Our firm has spent the last several months re-writing our quality program. We sought to make it more robust, without sacrificing the timeliness of deliverables. We provide a lot of different services, so we have developed a process that is broad in scope, and specific where it needs to be.

We call the program Quality GPS (Guiding Project Success) and, like a GPS navigation system, it defines the LaBella way. It includes not only the final product, but the process you experience getting there.

In the remote work environment, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, checks and balances, and technical reviews have never been more important. Our teams are training on these new processes, and have responded to working from home with intelligence and adaptability.

We know we can’t just tell you about our new quality program. Its effects have to be experienced. We welcome your feedback about the LaBella service you receive during COVID-19 and after. Contact Client Experience Manager Brittany McFee anytime at bmcfee@labellapc.com, or our leadership team.

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Fall 2020

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COVID-19 Impacts

Athletic Fields Will Be Put to the Test Synthetic turf fields will require additional maintenance.

While synthetic turf fields can handle the additional wear and tear, the fields may require additional grooming to maintain an even, welldistributed infill layer.

As part of their 2017 Capital Improvement Project, Brockport Central School District recently completed the design of a new turf field at their existing stadium.

Through this pandemic, the resiliency of those involved in athletics is inspiring. Athletes and coaches have found new ways to practice under constantly changing guidelines.

Similarly, facility and athletic directors have reconstructed schedules or seasons with little notice. The need for planning and teamwork has never been more apparent. These COVID-19 related challenges are having an impact on athletic facilities, so being prepared for a variety of challenges is imperative.

With condensed schedules and social distancing guidelines the competition for space is elevated, both indoors and out. That competition can put a strain on the expectations of staff and the facilities themselves. The CDC has recommended prioritizing outdoor practice and play over the use of indoor facilities as much as possible.

With snow rapidly approaching and more teams having to play during the spring season (such as the fall II football season), winter can be used to take inventory of equipment and materials while also planning a maintenance schedule for early spring activities.

Natural grass fields will be pushed to the limits.

The ability of natural grass fields to handle the increased pressure will depend highly on soil characteristics, irrigation, and drainage.

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Soil samples can be taken and sent to local testing facilities that can provide recommendations such as pH correction, grass seed (for over-seeding), or soil amendments that may improve drainage.

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Some districts may plan to make drainage improvements that can be implemented without taking a field offline.

This can be accomplished with the installation of narrow sand channel drains.

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Despite all the measures a district can take, natural grass fields ideally should not be used more than 22-24 hours a week to allow the grass time to recover. Recovery time should be included and identified in the prepared practice and games schedules.

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The grooming will keep the fibers in good upstanding condition, ensure appropriate footing, provide predictable ball bounce, and maintain safe head injury (gmax) levels.

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Concerns regarding disinfection of the playing surface should be discussed with the turf manufacturer to ensure the warranty is not affected.

It is expected that athletic directors and coaches will remove snow from athletic fields sooner this year with the expanded number of sports and teams anticipated. While synthetic turf fields have the ability to provide the same reliable footing and cushion in freezing temperatures, natural grass fields can be unpredictable and quite hard. Playability of grass fields should be monitored daily.

Looking forward to the months ahead as the season changes from winter to spring, there will be a variety of challenges to social distancing requirements, field maintenance, and athlete safety. With the upcoming fall II season in NY, football will be pushed into an already full schedule of track, baseball, softball, and lacrosse. Turf fields and wellmaintained natural grass surfaces with sufficient drainage will be essential to get teams off and running (pun intended) as soon as possible.

Keeping up with maintenance will provide longevity of these prized fields, which in turn will allow for athlete safety and social distancing.

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In Session LaBella Associates |

Fall 2020

As Featured in the Rochester Business Journal

Hybrid Education in the Built Environment

By Stacy Welch, AIA Combining traditional in-person teaching and technology-centered education into a hybrid curriculum in K-12 was inevitable. Shifting to a hybrid modality requires a redesign of the built environment to accommodate new methods of teaching. While many districts have already begun incorporating aspects of hybrid education into the existing curriculum over the past decade, for others, there is still a significant transition yet to be made.

Before this sort of technological integration, you might walk down a traditional school corridor and notice that each room had more or less the same configuration: classroom after classroom would likely feature rows of front-facing student desks. To redevelop and evolve spaces for a hybrid curriculum, districts engaged staff and students in public forums, online storyboarding sessions, and focus groups. From that data, pilot classrooms were developed, which aimed to integrate the increasing spatial and technological needs while allowing staff and students an

opportunity to provide additional feedback on functionality and usability.

To achieve a cohesive classroom environment in a hybrid setting, flexibility is key. The most successful transformations incorporate key elements to allow teachers to restructure classrooms with ease. The classroom redesign begins by incorporating different furniture throughout the room, including a variety of desks, chairs, lounge furniture, bean bags, and “fidget chairs,” which are often lightweight or on castors to move around the room. Movable furniture provides a variety of options to transition throughout the day between lectures, collaborative group activities, independent learning on apps, or one on one time with students. Many districts have installed ceiling mounted cameras to aid in the facilitation of online lectures, providing teachers with the ability to move around the room and use their boards, hands, or props to increase engagement and create the “in-classroom”

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The Webster Central School District has redefined their library into a hi-tech media center, equipped with group workstation and small rooms known as “phone booths” to provide a quiet space to study.

experience, even outside of the classroom. The recorded video lecture in turn provides students the opportunity to watch, re-watch, and absorb the information at their own pace.

While faced with the current pandemic, districts are forced to redefine the educational process by integrating technology through self-driven assignments beyond the classroom. In a virtual setting, the ability to work independently and without distraction or pressure from other students may provide added benefits. This may result in changes in class sizes, amount of classes required, and the reutilization of large or elective spaces. Districts are working to transform common areas such as gymnasiums, libraries, music rooms, and cafeterias, to provide multipurpose functions and incorporate features such as folding partitions to allow for a flexible transition of spaces.

Wireless access points and laptops set spaces free to be more flexible and no longer at the mercy of cabling. The current IT systems are being designed beyond current capacity to accommodate a greater adaptation of the hybrid model curriculum.

As many working parents and guardians often rely on schools to provide a safe environment for their primary school-aged child during the workday, hybrid learning models at this level require some additional consideration. In one model, cameras in classrooms would attempt to provide the virtual students with the same educational experience as students in the classroom. However, this option does not account for students who might thrive in an independent virtual learning environment, but don’t have the option of staying home. An option that might be more suited in that case is a hybrid model with supplemental study hall spaces.

Many districts already provide “wraparound” before- and after-school care, a practice we may see evolve to provide alternative options for students to participate in individual virtual classes and activities on campus.

Secondary level students typically have more independence and spend time between classes in various spaces throughout the school, whether it be classrooms, corridors, or library spaces. The Webster Central School District has redefined their library into a hi-tech media center, equipped with group workstation and small rooms known as “phone booths” to provide a quiet space to study. Functional spaces

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for self-driven independent learning for all grade levels will allow districts to encourage learning beyond the classrooms moving forward.

Technology has become, in many ways, the aspect of the building that students and staff interact with the most, from the invisible infrastructure (wireless access point, security controls, environmental controls, cabling) to the equipment (screens, interactive displays, computers, and cameras within the space). Districts are investing in robust integrated technology infrastructure and expanding their IT departments in order to meet the exponentially increasing needs to maintain a successful hybrid curriculum. The current systems are designed beyond current capacity to accommodate a greater adaptation of the hybrid model curriculum.

In the past ten years, computer systems have transitioned from desktops and computer labs that each require a hardline data port, to what is now nearly exclusively wireless devices. This required a major transition from data ports to wireless access point upgrades.

Wireless access points and laptops set spaces free to be more flexible and no longer at the mercy of cabling; what was once just a computer lab can now be an english or music classroom as well. The ongoing transition from one type of technology to another places a heavy burden on IT to maintain additional devices and infrastructure, as well as the expectation to adapt to new technologies.

Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, which demands an increasing rate of device replacement. Some districts that have adopted one to one student to device curriculums have assigned grades at which devices are to be replaced, meaning a student may have the same device from, for example, kindergarten to 4th grade. As devices

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In Session LaBella Associates |

Fall 2020

Hybrid Learning, continued from page 5 are distributed, students must have access to consistent, reliable internet. Devices are available with built-in internet connectivity and private industries are temporarily helping to provide students with wireless hot spots. Districts should continue to evaluate to combat inequity in internet access and provide long-term solutions to access reliable internet beyond campus.

Many New York State districts received grant funding from the one-time SMART bond fund. These grants allowed many districts to advance technological infrastructure and devices to transition to a hybrid curriculum. As districts develop budgets and plan for capital improvement projects, IT maintenance is essential in order to continue providing reliable and current infrastructure to support the needs of evolving hybrid curriculums.

Hybrid education is here to stay. As technology develops, the education system will continue to transform, requiring ongoing IT supports, a continued focus on staff needs, and further redefinition of the classroom as we know it.

Flexibility and multifunctionality is paramount to classroom design when working in small classroom spaces. Furniture that is easy to relocate allows for the seamless adaptability.

Award Winning

LaBella’s East Irondequoit CSD Ivan Green Library Wins AIA Rochester Citation Award On Friday, September 25th, AIA Rochester held its annual award ceremony virtually for everyone to see on YouTube. LaBella Associates was among the award winners, as the East Irondequoit CSD Ivan Green Library received the Citation Award. The awards jury said, “The ability to achieve such a transformation on a small budget shows the power of small intervention on a space that might otherwise be overlooked.”

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SED

The $35,000 Question: Understanding SED’s Change Order Intricacies

By Michael Place, AIA Anyone that has been through a construction project likely knows about change orders. While architects and engineers strive to minimize them in a project, there are almost always conditions during a project that require a change of some type. As such, it’s important for all parties involved with a project to have an understanding of the implications of change orders; public works projects in particular have their own set of requirements pertaining to change orders that must be followed.

This article aims to shed light on the change order process in construction, with specific focus on the process and procedures required of the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

Change orders are a common, anticipated part of the construction process. They allow for an owner to address unforeseen conditions that inevitably arise; they also allow an owner to add or remove scopes of work from the project as needed. At face value, a change order is simply a formal document that alters the work and/or schedule of a project,

At RCSD School 54, the unexpected discovery of asbestos in the soil during excavation triggered the need for a change order.

agreed upon and executed through signature of all parties involved. A change order does not always result in a cost change, and sometimes a change order can actually result in a credit toward the project cost. If your project is utilizing contracts from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), your change order document will likely be form G701, though variances in the form exist when there is a construction manager involved.

A change order is not inherently a bad thing in a project; however, as many experienced owners know, more often than not a change order is accompanied by an increase in project cost.

In the case of a cost increase, there is an implied need for additional materials and/or labor to complete the change in scope. On all New York State public school district projects, the NYSED requires a specific change order certification be provided along with all other change order paperwork. This particular form, designation FP-COC, requires the architect or engineer of record to provide detailed information

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pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the reason for the project change. The form itself is not a change order, but a document NYSED uses to track cost changes in a project that has direct implications and impacts the state aid the school district will receive upon completion of the project.

To recap, a change order is the execution of a change in contract between an owner (in this case, a public school district) and the prime contractor performing the work in a project. An SED change order certification is a tracking mechanism that allows the state to monitor the construction change process, as well as to determine the legality of the change in terms of cost amount…and this is where things get a bit more complicated.

New York State General Municipal Law, Section 103 pertains directly to advertising for bids and offers, letting of contracts, and criminal conspiracies.

Luckily we’re not discussing conspiracies here, but our interest does fall within the law’s requirements for bidding publicly funded work projects (tax-payer funded projects).

Section 103 states very clearly the following: “Except as otherwise expressly provided by an act of the legislature or by a local law adopted prior to September first, nineteen hundred fifty-three, all contracts for public work involving an expenditure of more than thirty-five thousand dollars and all purchase contracts involving an expenditure of more than twenty thousand dollars, shall be awarded by the appropriate officer, board or agency of a political subdivision or of any district therein including but not limited to a soil conservation district to the lowest responsible bidder furnishing the required security after advertisement for sealed bids in the manner provided by this section, provided, however, that purchase contracts (including contracts for service work, but excluding any purchase contracts necessary for

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Change Orders continued from page 7 the completion of a public works contract pursuant to article eight of the labor law) may be awarded on the basis of best value, as defined in section one hundred sixty-three of the state finance law, to a responsive and responsible bidder, or offerer in the manner provided by this section.”1 Pardon the long, legal jargon, but it’s necessary to understand the law at face value. The primary take-away from this section is the requirement to bid all public contract work in excess of a value of $35,000. Not surprisingly, the threshold for an allowable change order cost from NYSED is…you guessed it…$35,000.

NYSED matches the requirements of the municipal law, and as a result all change order certifications that are sent to the state for review are checked against this amount. Any certification submitted in excess of this amount will nearly always be flagged, with the district requested to provide rationale as to why the work was not publicly bid.

The law is designed to protect the interest of the public whose money is footing the bill for the work; unfortunately, the law does not accommodate the varied, and sometimes extenuating, circumstances that occur during a project. Construction and renovation projects at existing school facilities can be unpredictable, with many unforeseen conditions presenting themselves throughout the work. In many cases, an unforeseen condition can result in a change order cost that far exceeds the $35,000 threshold.

Now what? Projects in full swing, faced with a daunting, unexpected condition rarely have the flexibility to stop and publicly bid the work to address the condition. School superintendents and district school 1 https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/ laws/GMU/103

boards must rely on their architect and engineer in these circumstances to navigate the SED requirements.

A typical NYSED change order certification requires basic information about the project change, including who requested the change, how the change is related to the original project scope, the basis of the need, and the cost. When the cost exceeds the allowable threshold, there is additional information required from the architect and engineer before NYSED will consider allowing the change. According to the NYSED Office of Facilities Planning, “change orders which exceed the NYS bidding threshold of $35,000 must include, on the change order certification, an explanation of why it is in the best interest of the school district and the public to award a change order instead of putting the work out to a public bid.”2 This explanation must include the following, detailed set of information: 1.

A compelling justification as to why this work could not have been bid.

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Evidence of due diligence in evaluating change order costs versus potential bid amounts.

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An analysis showing how the cost of the work by change order would have been competitive with costs received if the work was bid, and why it was a benefit to the taxpayers to complete the work by change order, including but not limited to: •

Would the bid process delay duration of project? If so, would the delay increase costs to project? If so, by how much?

2 http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/ articles/D01_change_orders.html

The SED change order certification form is a tracking mechanism that allows the state to monitor the construction change process and to determine the legality of the change in terms of cost amount.

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Is the additional cost reasonable?

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How does cost to design, bid and mobilize construction crews compare to using contractors already under contract and on site?

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How is the district saving money when using a change order rather than a bid?

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What due diligence has been perfromed by the architect in evaluating a change order versus a bid.3

There are two primary risks involved with change order cost amounts that exceed municipal law limits: first is the potential for the district (superintendent and board) to be found in violation of the municipal law, should proper justification and due diligence not be provided. The second risk is there is a chance the change order cost will be disallowed by a NYSED auditor upon review of the final cost reports submitted for the project. In this instance the district would not receive state financial aid on the change order work, and 3 Information provided by a NYSED project manager within the Office of Facilities Planning

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as such would be responsible for paying the full amount of the cost.

This is of particular importance because it can present a district with an unanticipated, unbudgeted cost in the project. NYSED recommends that any district considering such cost changes in a project consult with their legal counsel and financial advisor for a thorough review of the change before a change order is executed and the work performed.

Additionally, in nearly all cases, it is recommended that districts consider the aforementioned process an exception rather than a rule, applied to unforeseen and mitigating conditions discovered during a project. Change orders for work that is added at the district’s request that also exceed municipal law cost limits will most likely be disallowed

by NYSED and expose the district to legal liability if not properly bid.

In circumstances where a district would like to add scope to the project work via change order (as an owner directed change and not an unforeseen condition), NYSED allows for this to occur, provided the additional work falls within the parameters of the original project. In this case, a district could also have such a change exceed the $35,000 threshold, so long as they bid the additional work. NYSED states, “the most common improper change order presented to the Office of

Facilities Planning is one expending unencumbered funds. Most often this occurs near the end of a project and the proposed change order introduces types of work which was not included in the original plans and specifications.”4 If the work desired was not previously reviewed and approved by NYSED it will not be allowed; if the work was not included in language presented to the voters as part of a referendum it will not be allowed; and if the work was not previously reviewed as part of the required SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) it will not be allowed.

NYSED notes, “…had a ‘shopping list’ of desirable items been included in the original plans and specifications as ‘add’ alternates, change orders to effect such alternates would be approved.”5 In rare instances, NYSED has been known to allow previously unreviewed work to take place in a project as a change order, provided the following occur: 1.

The district confirms the language of the proposition presented to the voters (who authorized the use of public funds for the project) is inclusive of the scope of work being requested. If not, the only

4, 5 http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/ articles/D01_change_orders.html

Heavy demolition frequently reveals unforeseen issues which may require a change order. This project is School 54, which is featured complete on our cover!

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way the work will be approved, and money encumbered for its execution, is by way of a new public referendum.

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The district provides the NYSED with an updated project scope form (SED form FP-SC), inclusive of the additional work, signed by the superintendent and board president.

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The district provides the NYSED with an updated project financial form (SED form FP-F), inclusive of the additional work, signed by the architect, superintendent, and board president.

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The SEQR for the project is amended to include the work, and is presented to and approved by the school board. (The date of the resolution will need to be updated on the SED FP-SC form.)

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An updated SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) review is completed for the additional work, and a SHPO Determination Letter or updated form FP-OPRHP-LOR is submitted.6

Navigating the myriad of NYSED and municipal law requirements on capital projects requires the effort of experienced professionals. The educational facilities architects and engineers at LaBella work with NYSED on a daily basis, and our many school district clients benefit from our relationships with the state education personnel. If considering construction change order requests within an active capital project, be sure to consult with your architect, engineer, and NYSED before moving forward with any work, regardless of its anticipated cost. A thorough understanding of the district’s options and responsibilities will mitigate financial and legal liability. For additional information on the change order process in public school capital projects, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to talk through the intricacies.

6 Information provided by a NYSED project manager within the Office of Facilities Planning

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Fall 2020

Trends from Higher Ed

Immersive Interiors: How Futuristic Simulated Learning Environments are Revolutionizing Education

By Barbara Burke In 1968, sci-fi movie-goers watched a space traveler make a video call to his young daughter back on Earth in 2001: A Space Odyssey. At the time, such technology was a thing of fiction, also depicted in The Jetsons and Back to the Future Part II. Today, many people carry the ability to make a video call in their pockets.

From jet packs to credit cards, the “future” that science-fiction predicted is increasingly upon us as technology develops at an exponential rate. The first two decades of the 21st century alone have seen the widespread adoption of the internet, pervasive smart phone use, 3D printing, artificial organs, digital assistants like Siri and Alexa, reusable rockets, robotic exoskeletons, and even the development of self-driving cars. With technology infiltrating virtually every aspect of our lives, how will education adapt? The use of tablets, interactive whiteboards, and online resources is already widely implemented in higher education. With some aspects of learning becoming increasingly intangible, there is unmatched value in creating multisensorial physical learning environments enhanced by technology.

Immersive experiences are critical to learning. As illustrated by Edgar Dale’s “Cone of Experience,” humans

remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, and 30% of what they see, but 90% of what they do. The more senses that are stimulated, the more memorable the learning experience will be. The traditional classroom, however, has not always been conducive to this type of immersive learning. But now, with the strategic implementation of technology, the “futuristic” learning environments of science fiction can finally be brought to life.

Nursing is an inherently fast-paced profession that requires quick decision-making in high-stakes situations. Nursing education, then, is challenged with preparing future nurses for these dire, often highly-emotional experiences.

While students do spend time in a traditional classroom setting, patient interaction is critical for developing good bedside manner, learning to diagnose and treat illness and injury, and building empathy - a vital skillset when working with distressed patients and families.

Volunteer actors from the community, called “standardized patients,” are often utilized for practicing typical procedures. To supplement this need and to protect live patients from potential student error, universities now run simulations with high-fidelity mannequins, remotely controlled by a technician. They breathe, talk, have a pulse, and provide physiologic responses to student actions. By

situating a mannequin in a simulated hospital room, the stage is set for a student to correctly diagnose and treat their “patient.” In one such simulation, I witnessed two students epitomize teamwork, communication, and decision-making while caring for their plastic patient, correctly diagnosing it with sepsis. From my vantage inside the control booth, I watched as the students entered the room, washed their hands (per protocol), and introduced themselves to the patient. The technician voicing this particular patient gave it a rather uncooperative, and eventually hallucinogenic reaction (consistent with worsening symptoms of sepsis).

The simulation ends with either a successful treatment or failure, which sometimes means losing a patient. The pressure is intense – but consistent with real-world scenarios.

After the simulation, the students review video footage with their professor, allowing them to take note of what went right or wrong. This instant feedback is an invaluable tool for improvement. These spaces are incubators for safely building inter-personal skills, self-efficacy, and confidence when faced with uncommon or crisis situations.

Cybersecurity is a topic only recently popularized, an inherent necessity in the digital age. The Global Cybersecurity Institute at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a pioneering program that

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partners with government and industry leaders to “implement solutions and commercialize research.” After in-person visits to professional training facilities, RIT and LaBella created a partnership to bring this caliber of simulation (along with improvements and lessons-learned) to an academic setting for the first time. The state-of-the-art “Cyber Range,” housed within a new 50,000 sq. ft. facility, will test students’ wits as well as their ability to remain calm during a cyber-attack.

The chamber, “capable of hosting more than 5,000 virtual machines simultaneously,” features an interactive video wall displaying

world maps, weather, traffic, flight patterns, social media feeds, stock tickers, and news - all live. During a simulation, inevitably there will be a disruption – Twitter will explode, banks will react, the stock market will spiral, and phones will begin to ring. Colored lights shift from blue to red. The temperature in the room is programmed to rise. The desks, fitted with transducers, vibrate. A white noise machine fills the room with an audible ringing. All of these systems are linked through software to ensure a seamless and completely immersive environmental shift. The chamber intentionally creates an atmosphere most people would find completely unnerving. Despite the anxiety-inducing environment, students must remain on-task, working together to strategize.

Information is shared from computer desktops to the communal video wall, while small groups outline their approach on white boards with video capture. As the clock ticks down, the class must locate and neutralize the attack. After the simulation is complete, the room is returned to normalcy. Instructors emerge from their observation booth and review recorded video footage, noting lessons learned.

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Nursing and Cybersecurity are only two of a myriad of academic applications for emerging technology.

Design students now have the ability to experience their projects virtually, as though they were walking through them. The aviation industry has long relied on flight simulators for training, but augmented reality can now also create realistic scenarios for flight attendants, safely simulating high-risk situations. Virtually any educational program can be enhanced with immersive environments, whether simulating interactions, procedures, or concepts that are too broad or invasive to accurately depict (the universe, the layers of the human body, etc.). At Monroe Community College, a classroom configured to look exactly like a convenience store, complete with video surveillance, prepares students studying public safety for shoplifting scenarios. By engaging in “real-world” simulations, the traditional learning curve from academia to the workplace may become a thing of the past.

In the 1970s, oil prices skyrocketed in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War and the Iranian Revolution. As people were urged to not “be fuelish,” an interest in renewable energy sources emerged. Vehicles were streamlined to reduce weight and become more fuel-efficient. This, and numerous other historical examples, demonstrate how international crises have been springboards for technological advancement. Will the COVID-19 era be remembered as the impetus for the next big technological boom? We can only imagine what the classroom of the future might look like, but it will undoubtedly be shaped by the technology of today’s daydreams.

LaBella has designed simulation environments for a number of higher education programs, including RIT’s new cybersecurity lab (rendering, above) and multiple nursing labs, like the one at St. John Fisher pictured left.

Rome CSD The Rome Central School District recently completed the rehabilitation of their existing athletic support stadium. The scope of work included the replacement of the existing turf with a new synthetic turf as well as a full depth asphalt replacement of the existing track. The stadium’s new black track and orange bordered turf now make it one of the most unique facilities in Central New York.

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