Now more than ever K-12 districts across the country are looking for ways to keep students engaged while providing the latest in technology and dynamic learning environments.
In this issue, Project Manager Eric Stender, AIA, discusses the benefits of introducing esports to your curriculum. Project Designer David Palmer shares details on the latest technology tools LaBella has available when designing your projects, and Senior Interior Designer Danielle Lewis, CID, IIDA, WELL, provides insights into promoting wellness in education design.
In addition, as Spring gets underway and we move into construction season and wrapping up projects, we have some reminders and tips on closing out SWPPPs, wetland delineations, and the SEQRA process.
Want to see your idea in the next issue of In Session? We would love to hear more about it. Submit your topic to insession@labellapc.com.
As part of New York State’s Construction General Permit, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) inspections are required on all construction projects where land disturbances are greater than 1-acre. SWPPP inspections must begin at the onset of construction and continue until all land disturbance activities have ceased and all lawn areas have been established. Although land disturbance activities in New York State commonly cease at the end of Fall, final lawn establishment may not occur until the following Spring. As we enter the Spring season, school Districts looking to terminate SWPPP inspections
should refer to the following list of criteria to understand what is required prior to closeout:
• No exposed dirt or soil on-site
• All lawn areas established to a minimum of 80% germination
• All stormwater management practices (SMPs) have been constructed in conformance with project plans and SWPPP
• All erosion controls removed
• No further exterior site disturbance planned as part of project
• Long term operation and maintenance procedures for SMPs provided to Owner
If the criteria has been met, the Owner’s Engineer or SWPPP inspector may file the project Notice of Termination (NOT) with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) after obtaining signatures from the SWPPP Inspector, Owner, and if applicable, the MS4 official. After the NOT is filed, the Owner may assume all maintenance of the stormwater management practices. Our designers at LaBella are well versed in this process and are always available to guide clients through specific situations, so please feel free to reach out!
The State Education Department’s 2022 Manual of Planning Standards has updated site planning guidance to address both existing and changing state and federal wetland regulations. The updated guidance now specifically states “School Districts and BOCES are required to comply with State and Federal wetland laws and regulations.”
Federal wetlands and streams are regulated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) through the Clean Water Act. State wetlands and streams are regulated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and new regulations will be implemented in 2025. The State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) requires Districts to ensure their
projects are not impacting these regulated water resources. The first step to determine whether a wetland and stream delineation survey is required is to consult the National Wetland Inventory (NWI) website and the NYSDEC Environmental Resource Mapper (ERM). Unfortunately, these resources are very out of date and inaccurate to describe boundaries and possible jurisdictions. The NWI does not capture most wetlands and streams in New York, and NYSDEC will often take jurisdiction of wetlands that are not shown on the ERM.
To comply with state and federal wetland regulations, a wetland and stream delineation survey should be considered before any new construction or major maintenance of existing facilities.
Qualified wetland professionals at LaBella would survey the boundaries of any aquatic resource onsite and help Districts determine whether any present resources are federally or state jurisdictional through essential consultation with USACE on the federal side, and with NYSDEC on the state side. If it is determined that a District project would impact either state or federal wetlands or streams, then LaBella can help obtain permits for such work on behalf of the District. Permit approval timelines vary based on agency workload and complexity of the project, but a permit is generally anticipated within six to nine months of a complete permit application submission.
Schools across the country and world are incorporating esports or competitive video gaming into their curriculum—even offering full and partial scholarships—to meet the growing popularity and demand of virtual sports. This new genre of spectator entertainment generated $1.38 billion in revenue in 2022 and is projected to reach $197 billion in revenue in 2023, with user penetration at 32.4%, and projected growth of 7% annually.
In 2014 Robert Morris University was the first to announce an esports-sponsored scholarship based on the team-based strategy game League of Legends. In 2016, the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) hosted its first Collegiate Sports Summit with only seven colleges and universities with varsity esports programs.
Now, there are more than 170 schools that offer varsity-level esports programs and about $16 million in esports scholarships and aid.
In November 2022, the International Olympic Committee confirmed that Singapore will host the first Olympic Esports Week in June 2023, a major win in advancing the world of virtual sports and competitive gaming. The projected growth of the industry coupled with the increase in popularity of structured esports programs in colleges means that K-12 schools should consider implementing competitive gaming into their programming.
Esports provides an opportunity for institutions to bolster
inclusivity by implementing a highly competitive sporting activity that erases gender lines and allows students to compete together on the same team and in a coed environment. In addition to gender neutrality, esports also allows students with physical disabilities the opportunity to compete against their ablebodied counterparts on equal footing. Providing this opportunity for students who aren’t considered “traditional athletes” gives the benefit of a competitive team sport and contributes positively to the school culture and pride while driving social and academic engagement in students who may otherwise have been left out of alternative engagements.
Esports as an extracurricular activity also encourages interest in STEAM related courses and
careers, as many accomplished esports student-athletes are also interested in video game design. Any future video game designer can be expected to have an interest in art as a way to create fictional worlds that future game will be set in. They will be expected to creatively design creatures, buildings, cities, languages, etc. that will make up these worlds. A future video game designer with more mathematical talents could have an interest in programming and algorithmic problem solving, which would be necessary to engineer the programs and software engines the games will be built on. This will also be important in tracking player choices in increasingly complicated role-playing games (RPG) and writing programs for games that use complicated procedural generation in level design. As a student advances in the video game industry, interest in topics like marketing, operations, and project management will naturally develop as well.
To start, no team is complete without a coach. In addition to the role of a traditional coach, the esports coach will be in a position to identify student interests and to provide available paths to better capitalize on these. One example would be a student who seems interested in level design in a game and the impact it is having on strategy. Recognizing this, a coach could leverage this interest and suggest a career in architecture by pointing out the impact of building design on its occupants. Additionally, if a student seems particularly interested in how a game is reviewed or marketed, this could indicate an interest in business, and thus, using the
video game as a tool to talk about business principles could expose the student to this career pathway. Finally, students more interested in shoutcasting could be receptive to career pathways in journalism, podcasting or as a YouTuber.
Coaches will also be needed to review recorded gaming sessions to provide constructive game breakdowns and pointers on improving gameplay for the team and individual gamers. The coach will also be critical in identifying the great gamers from the good and to better position them to compete for collegiate level scholarships.
For a successful esports program, it is important to provide top of the line gaming computers with high GPU benchmark graphic cards, high refresh rate/ high resolution monitors, noise canceling and high build quality headsets featuring surround sound, and low input delay controllers/keyboard, among many other considerations. The furniture and casework should be adaptable to any seating (or standing) height and provide ADA accessible stations for students in wheelchairs to complete equally. To fully realize the equalizing effect of esports, considerations for students of other disabilities should also be incorporated. Using technology that can broadcast the video game sound directly to hearing aids is a simple way to allow another user group the benefit of full audio in competitive gaming and to compete at an equal level as their peers.
There are several additional design considerations when implementing a dedicated esports program.
It is recommended that a space is dedicated solely to esports and not shared with other programs. The space should provide experiences that are more robust compared to anything they have at home to incentivize and reinforce the decision to join the team. The design of the room should have a formal area for competitions that can also be used for the varsity team to practice for extended periods. Ideally e-casting/shoutcasting suites should be incorporated as areas for students to provide commentary for the online streaming sessions. There should also be an area for the students to relax and socialize between sessions, grab refreshments from vending machines, as well as take ergonomic breaks.
At the University of Buffalo (UB) for example, softer seating with built in work counters allows for students to relax while providing a collaborative area for informal play review or strategizing between matches.
The HVAC design of an esports room is an important factor and will require a system that can handle the increased heat produced from the overpowered PCs, as well as systems that do not generate distracting noises. Acoustical treatments above and beyond standard classroom finishes can provide aural relief while contributing to the dynamic atmosphere of the facility.
What’s more, the aesthetics of the room should respect and reinforce gaming culture. This can be accomplished through the selection of lighting, wall and floor materials, colors, and any added value enhanced items, such as murals, paintings, logos, statues, etc. that will match what the student can expect at the next
Esports: continued from page 5
level. For example, bold graphics, colors, and the traditional gaming “pixel” were celebrated in the UB project through the repetitive use of squares in floor, wall, and ceiling treatments.
Considering the speed of innovation in the industry, esports rooms should also be designed to react to future trends, with additional empty conduit runs, extra space designed into the electrical panels and served with the fastest Internet speed and cabling available. Furniture should be designed to allow for updated machinery and cabling and be easily accessible.
The size of the esports rooms can be adaptable, starting with a room capable of minimally 8 students, but should be expandable as the program popularity grows.
The location in the building is important and reflects the importance the school places on the program, which can influence the success or failure of the program.
For example, being placed prominently and easily seen through large expanses of glass with sun control will drive home the many benefits of an esports program and will ensure success. Further, placing the esports suite near the fieldhouse or athletic fields respects the competitiveness of the sport and allows the students to walk head-to-head with the school’s more traditional athletes. Placing the esports suite in the music or arts wing places more emphasis on the culture and theater of competitive gaming. Ideally, a large successful esports program would command its own section of the school at
equal prominence to the sports and theatre programs allowing its unique and strong culture to flourish.
The video game industry has seen steady growth since inception, with explosive growth more recently as the global pandemic forced many to seek new entertainment options at home. These new pandemic gamers are not going anywhere, and natural market growth coupled with an influx of new gamers provides a strong pool to draw from in forming a varsity esports program. Now is the time to meet students where they are, as well as prepare them for the multitudes of opportunities that competitive video gaming presents beyond school. Time to level up!
In the world of building design and construction, technologies such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) have enabled designers and engineers to create more precise and detailed drawings than ever before. Modeling technologies convey “real-life” designs to clients and public audiences. The maturation of laser scanning technologies, as well as the development of 360° photography and real-time software renderings are the latest tools that are transforming the design process.
While the concept of laser scanning was founded in the 1960s and has been used by surveyors since the 90s, recent innovations in the technology are now utilized in many more sectors of the industry. With minimal training, architects and engineers can capture data faster than the traditional methods of tape measures and paper. In addition, the data is more indepth and the measurements have a higher degree of accuracy.
The basics of the technology operate very similarly to handheld laser tape measures, but measurements are taken at 500,000 to over 2 million points per second. The result is a highly detailed cloud of points, often colored using photos from an onboard camera. The point cloud is an effective digital recreation of all visible existing conditions that can be viewed from a PC.
Designers can then translate this data into building information modeling (BIM) to create actual conditions, which reduces potential errors and changes during site documentation and construction. Additionally, at the end of a project’s lifecycle, a team can return to renovated areas and update the point cloud data with the latest as-built conditions for future projects.
360° photography offers more of an immersive experience than a typical rendering. The technology captures every point in every direction, side to side and up and down, and produces a quality image that acts as a “real-life” virtual walkthrough of a space. Progress of all phases of construction can be quickly captured and shared to design members, and replace the need for some site visits.
Advances in computer hardware have also enhanced the ability
to deliver much more dynamic visualizations of in-progress designs. Modern graphics processors have unlocked the ability to render 3D spaces in real-time as a designer creates BIM data. These renderings can be used for presentations or as an effective coordination tool to communicate discrepancies to designers and engineers.
These programs are tied to existing design tools that seamlessly integrate real-time renderings into a designer’s workflow. The software utilizes existing resources such as textures and lighting and tweaks them with built-in tools to further enhance visualizations. A typical still rendering can be exported to share design intent, or the models can be used to dynamically present the design to clients.
In addition to traditional presentation methods, many of these programs natively support virtual reality integration. The result is an unprecedented level of communication and collaboration for all project partners!
Student physical health, mental health, and well-being are increasingly discussed as imperative components to academic success. But how can “wellness” translate to the built environment?
The WELL Building Standard is an international rating system that seeks to improve human health and well-being through the built environment. This system uses a point-based rating scale to recognize projects, from Certified to Platinum. The current model, WELL v2, challenges designers to implement strategies that focus on ten core concepts: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community. Additionally, the WELL standard focuses not only on structural and design elements, but also organizational policies that can promote occupant health.
While each feature is packed with additional evidence-based requirements that must be met in full to achieve points, here are 10 examples from each concept your district can take toward WELL certification today:
Indoor air quality is a major concern for students and staff.
In fact, asthma is one of the leading chronic childhood diseases. One of the simplest strategies to mitigate poor indoor air quality is to offer users access to operable windows. Feature A07 Operable Windows requires that at least 75% of regularly occupied spaces have windows that provide access to outdoor air when outdoor air quality is within acceptable ranges. Many school buildings meet this initial requirement, but offering occupants the option for natural air throughout the building can lead to increased productivity and focus.
Now more than ever, it’s common knowledge that proper hand hygiene is critical for managing risks of contamination from various gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. Feature W08 Hygiene Support, requires building owners to consider universal access to restrooms, sanitary products, childappropriate fixtures, and proper sink design and placement for hand washing in kitchens, break rooms, bathrooms, and more. Areas like the hand washing stations at Fairport High School’s cafeteria promote good hand hygiene (see caption on next page).
It’s no secret that understanding nutrition information as well as how to prepare healthy foods can lead to increased overall wellbeing. The N07 Nutrition Education feature requires that districts offer some type of educational programming inperson or virtually to all building occupants multiple times a year. Live cooking demonstrations or gardening workshops can be incorporated into school curriculum and offered to students and staff to encourage hands-on learning and healthier food habits.
If you’ve ever felt groggy after the shift from Daylight Savings Time, you’ve experienced, firsthand, the profound effects of disrupting the circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms include physical and mental responses to periods of light and dark over a 24-hour cycle. Access to light during daytime hours and darkness at night are critical to human wellbeing and have a direct impact on mood, sleep, and productivity. This feature requires that a minimum of 70% of all work areas are within 25 feet of exterior glazing to allow for access to daylighting, while also providing glare control solutions such as solar shades.
As the function of learning environments has evolved over the past several years, furniture has also changed from static, forward-facing desks to active and customizable solutions that allow for student and teacher choice.
For districts hoping to showcase their commitment to student health and well-being, WELL certification is an excellent standard to pursue in your next capital project.
Feature V07 Active Furnishings, while originally designed for office workstations, requires that at least 50% of workstations are “active workstations” such as sit-stand desks. In an educational setting, both students and district staff can benefit from this concept. At Eastridge High School, the East Irondequoit Central School District embraced this idea and standardized on height-adjustable desks to allow for maximum student comfort.
As districts embrace outdoor learning spaces, thermal comfort considerations are becoming even more critical to their successful use. To protect from excessive sun exposure and wind, between 25% and 75% of plazas and seating areas and 50% of pedestrian walkways need to be covered by awnings, trees, or other structures. Creative landscape and site design can allow for imaginative outdoor spaces that are comfortable throughout the year.
Good acoustical design is critical to aural comfort and speech intelligibility. The NYSED Facilities Manual of Planning Standards lists specific requirements for noise reduction for some materials (like ceilings) by space type. Expanding on this, the S05 Sound Reducing Surfaces concept calls for more stringent acoustic considerations, with educational environments needing finishes providing at least a 0.75 noise reduction coefficient on 50% of ceilings and at least 25% of one wall.
The WELL v2 Materials Concept focuses on reducing and eliminating hazardous chemicals from building materials (i.e. asbestos containing materials) and aligns with numerous government regulations that are often critical pieces of district capital projects. This concept also delves into materials used in building maintenance through Feature X11. This feature dictates that districts develop and implement a cleaning plan and use products that meet low-hazard requirements by an ISO 14024-compliant Ecolabel or equivalent third party certification.
Humans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors and therefore, people largely have insufficient exposure to the outdoors and nature. Numerous studies have shown that the use of biophilia in design can lead to reduced stress, swifter recovery from illness, and increased productivity. The concept of biophilia refers to the human tendency and desire to interact with nature. Feature M02 requires that building designs feature natural materials, colors, and patterns and include plants,
water features, or views to nature to help improve student and staff mental health.
As part of the early project planning process, Feature C02 Integrative Design requires that the project team holds a stakeholder charette with the owner, facilities staff, architects/ engineers, employees, students, and community members to define project and community goals as well as a healthoriented mission. At LaBella, we incorporate multiple collaborative checkpoints such as our interactive Project Visualization sessions with users, students, and community to ensure your project celebrates your unique district mission, vision, and community.
The above strategies are just a few of the 124 features that are available for districts and designers to use while pursuing certification. For districts hoping to showcase their commitment to student health and well-being, WELL certification is an excellent standard to pursue in your next capital project.
Hand washing stations in Fairport’s cafeteria meet Hygiene Support criteria.The State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA or SEQR) requires school districts as well as local, regional, and state agencies to review the potentially significant environmental impacts of their actions, prior to the start of projects. While some may consider SEQRA to be confusing, stressful, and potentially cause project delays, the SEQRA compliance process can be manageable when expectations are set early during the process. This article will help you understand the SEQRA process and how to keep it from slowing down a project.
Actions undertaken by, funded by, and requiring discretionary approvals from state, local, or regional agencies are subject to SEQRA. When a project involves funding or approval by the New York State Education Department (SED), for example, SEQRA review is triggered. The Lead Agency is the agency responsible for SEQRA compliance. In most cases, the school district’s Board of Education (BOE) acts as the Lead Agency for school district project SEQRA reviews.
As Lead Agency, the BOE is responsible for preparing the SEQRA documents for SED.
The SEQRA process varies based on the scope of the project and can take anywhere from one month to over a year. The scope of the project dictates the SEQRA classification and ultimately the timeline of the SEQRA review.
At least 6 months ahead of the referendum vote, LaBella will review the project scope and determine the level of SEQRA review needed. LaBella will contact the district’s SEQRA Attorney to confirm the SEQRA classification and timeline. Capital Improvement Projects are often classified as Type I Actions given the extensive amount of site work proposed. Capital Outlay Projects and other smaller projects are often classified as Unlisted Actions. Type II Actions, such as the replacement of finishes on existing buildings, are exempt from SEQRA. The table at right outlines the three different types of SEQRA classifications (including project examples) and general requirements.
Approximately 5 to 6 months ahead of the referendum vote, LaBella will prepare Part 1 of the Environmental Assessment Form (“EAF”), identifying any potentially sensitive environmental resources in the project area, such as wetlands, floodplains, threatened or endangered species, archaeological or historic resources. If needed, additional studies will be performed, such as a wetland delineation, traffic study, threatened/endangered species habitat survey, historic resource survey or an archaeological survey. Performing this work early on will save time and money and could avoid the need for additional studies, permits, or approvals.
Type I Actions require a coordinated review. As part of the coordinated review process, the EAF Part 1 will be circulated to the state, regional local agencies providing funding, permits, or other approvals for the project (i.e.; NYSDEC, NYSDOT, NYSHPO, local planning boards, county DOT, etc.).
More likely to have a significant adverse environmental impacts.
Long environmental assessment form (EAF) Part 1 will be completed by applicant for SEQRA review.
Example: Project involving >10 acres ground disturbance, such as a Capital Improvement Projects with field work, parking lot work, or other site work.*
Predetermined to have no significant environmental impacts.
No further action under SEQRA required after action is classified. Environmental assessment form not required.
Example: Project typically involving basic repair or replacement of finishes within existing building or construction of small additions (<10,000 sf).*
Significance of environmental impacts unclear until SEQRA review takes place.
Long or short environmental assessment form Part 1 will be completed by applicant for SEQRA review.
Example: Project could include site and building work that doesn’t meet Type I thresholds, such as a Capital Outlay project involving less than 10 acres of ground disturbance.*
The SEQRA “Lead Agency” reviews the Part 1 EAF and then prepares the Parts 2 & 3 EAF, identifying potential impacts and evaluating their significance.
*A site’s vicinity to historic buildings, parkland or other sensitive resources can lower the numerical thresholds identified in this table.
These potentially involved and interested agencies are put on notice about the BOE’s intention to serve as lead agency, and they may provide comments about the project. The timeframe for coordinated review is 30 days.
Approximately 3 to 4 months ahead of the referendum vote, LaBella will prepare the Parts 2 and 3 of the EAF, analyzing potential environmental impacts and determining any potential mitigation measures. At least 30 days after the EAF Part 1 is circulated, the BOE will issue their determination for the SEQRA review (the goal is a
Negative Declaration or finding of no significant environmental impacts). The Negative Declaration will then be circulated to state and local agencies. The referendum vote must occur at least 45 days after the Negative Declaration is circulated to the involved and interested state, regional, and local agencies.
For Unlisted Actions, a coordinated review is optional but is typically recommended because school district projects often require multiple permits and approvals.
Conducting a coordinated review is ultimately up to the discretion of the BOE, as Lead Agency, and their counsel.
If an Unlisted Action undergoes a coordinated review, the timeline is nearly identical to a Type I Action. However, for an uncoordinated review, the timeline would be shortened. So, around 4 to 5 months ahead of the referendum vote, LaBella will prepare Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the EAF.
At a single meeting, the BOE will issue their determination of significance for the SEQRA review (the goal is a Negative Declaration).
Continued on back cover
• SEQRA might be discussed at multiple board meetings.
• Board to determine significance of the action (Negative Declaration or Positive Declaration). If Negative Declaration issued, project can be approved to have a voter referendum.
LaBella prepares Negative Declaration and associated documents to be circulated to appropriate agencies.
Projected Duration: Approximately 6-8 Months
SEQRA: continued from page 11
The referendum vote must occur at least 45 days after the Negative Declaration is issued.
For Type II Actions, which are exempt from SEQRA review, a memorandum is prepared by LaBella detailing why the project meets Type II criteria under SEQRA. It is optional, but good practice, for the BOE to also pass a resolution explaining the Type II classification so that it is on the record.
• Connect with LaBella early in the planning process to identify potential environmental concerns.
• From the beginning, focus on designing projects to avoid sensitive environmental resources. This will save time and money and could avoid the need for additional studies, permits, or approvals.
• SEQRA can be relatively pain free when the timeline is set early and sufficient time is allowed for additional studies (i.e.; wetland delineations, archaeological surveys, traffic impact studies, etc.)
