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Turning the page on Safety & Security in our Schools
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Serving the Needs of Young Learners
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Career Inspired Learning Spaces
TABLE OF CONTENTS Growth........................................................................................................................ 02 Turning the Page on Safety & Security in our Schools.................................05 Denton High School: The Next 125 Years........................................................ 09 Serving the Needs of Young Learners................................................................ 13 Thriving Through Growth; Creating a Future Together............................... 17 The Power & Passion of a Community.............................................................. 21 Career Inspired Learning Spaces........................................................................25 A Synopsis of Listening to High Schoolers......................................................28 Opportunity: to have Choices, for our Students, for our Community..... 31 Shared Values, Shared Expertise..........................................................................34 Moving Forward.......................................................................................................36
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GROWTH Letter from Sloan Harris, VLK Partner “Without continual growth and progress, words such as achievement, improvement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin This could not ring truer than in the experiences at VLK in the past year. Those of you reading this with whom we have been fortunate to partner in our work know that our firm has been celebrating growth for the past several years. While that growth can be seen in our employees, projects, and clients, those quantities only come with deep, meaningful growth in our practice, knowledgebase, personal development, and experiences with our peers and clients. We have built our practice from exemplary service, consistency, and stability. From those things, we are grateful to have so many public school districts we have served for years and years, and several for decades. But growth equals change. You cannot get better if you are not always changing and improving. Innovating. I started writing this with a focus on innovation when I quickly realized that was my message in the last Experience Magazine. Wow! How innovative to keep writing about innovation! But, the fact is, that is who we are. Innovation is change. It is qualitative change that has a positive effect on how we practice architecture, and the results it provides our clients. It is improvement, it is a change-agent, it is disruptive, it is provocative, and it advances relevance. We will never finish with innovation. This past year, we have continued our research and development in how our designed environments impact student engagement and learning. This is VLK | EDGE®, which contributes best practices to the educational cannon and informs our own learning as educational design professionals. We have further developed VLK | LINK® that guides school districts through deeply engaged processes with all stakeholders to develop long range plans in order to deliver their students the best schools possible. We have continued optimizing VLK | LAUNCH®, our charrette process that engages districts’ students, parents, staff, and administration so that we deliver on their visions for schools in their communities. We have further developed our Experience Design Studio that brings to life the concepts we design for our clients, and captures their experiences and reactions to those designs. We have developed VLK | PIXEL that works with our clients to brand their environments in order to celebrate the culture of the district and its community. And, we have continued to invest in cutting edge technology and resources throughout the firm so our clients know that we can deliver beyond their expectations, and that they are partnered with true thought leaders in educational design. VLK thrives on continual growth. Growth defined by improvement, continued learning, and real innovation that improves the experiences and services our clients receive. Can’t stop. Won’t stop. 4
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VLK thrives on continual growth. Growth defined by improvement, continued learning, and real innovation that improves the experiences and services our clients receive.
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VLK CURATION® The thorough process of action research, an inquiry focused on teaching and learning used with clients to scaffold our understanding in order to inform all aspects of design.
“One unique aspect of our project partnership with VLK Architects is the involvement of an Educational Planner who deeply understands the dual nature of student learning and the structural design of learning environments.” Jennifer Wilhelm, Assistant Superintendent of Learner Services, Allen ISD
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Dobbs Elementary School, Rockwall ISD >>
TURNING THE PAGE ON SAFETY & SECURITY IN OUR SCHOOLS Leesa Vardeman, VLK Principal On May 18, 2018, school safety changed forever for Texas schools. Eight students and two teachers were fatally shot, and thirteen were wounded at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe ISD, located near Houston. The shooting was the second-deadliest school shooting in the United States that year and it was in our backyard. No longer were we commiserating with public schools states away; we were faced with devastating violence in our own community. School safety immediately became a priority for state and local leaders. Governor Abbott called for a plan to make Texas schools safer and charged legislators to analyze the situation and report how the state could meet those needs. The Texas Society of Architects stepped into the discussion by creating a School Safety Workgroup that consisted of a dozen representatives of the top education design firms throughout the state to assist in solving this problem and become a resource to legislators.
As a member of the work-group, I witnessed a group of specialized, long-tenured architects who had dedicated their entire careers to designing schools that support learning, struggle to develop a solution that would just make this problem go away. As architects, we have a front-row seat with local school districts when it comes to planning, budgeting, designing, and implementing best practices. Each one of us has been part of significant safety and security-hardening and improved technology implementation over the past decade; yet the techniques employed did nothing to prevent this catastrophe. Beyond access control, security cameras, and twoway classroom communication, we quickly realized that to further harden our schools would only serve to exacerbate the situation. As architects dedicated to creating supportive environments, we were concerned that schools that look and function like prisons would serve only to amplify stress and anxiety in students. Continued on next page >>
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Don Carter Elementary School, Lamar CISD >>
Students need engaging learning environments where they can thrive; teachers need spaces that are interactive tools for delivering curriculum, not sterile sanctuaries. Our students shouldn’t start their day walking through metal detectors or be fearful going to band practice. They deserve a place that inspires health and happiness, free from fear. The number one challenge when approaching school safety is how to protect students from those who are supposed to be in the building and in the classroom, just as the perpetrator in Santa Fe was. To protect our children from their fellow students, it is time that we turn the page on school safety, move away from further hardening of our schools, and focus on identifying and treating the mental health of our students. Governor Abbott’s School Safety Action Plan rightfully places significant priority on the prevention of these heartbreaking events and has challenged our school districts to improve access to treatment, to report students’ concerns and any associated threat assessment, and expand education related to identifying mental health issues such as stress, depression, and suicide.
Designing for school safety is woven into all the decisions we make as architects. Rest assured that every line we place on the page and every conversation we have is tempered by what is best for our students.
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As architects we recognize that we too, have a significant role to play in addressing mental health issues in our schools. There are a number of ways in which this can be accomplished:
The design of engaging spaces, in which students feel comfortable and excited to participate, is Job One.
Designing spaces that support a school-wide culture where all students feel valued and a part of something larger than themselves.
Designing mental health counseling suites that are informally available to all students can improve access and reduce the stigma against seeking help.
Designing spaces that foster individualized learning and support unique learning styles improves engagement and can reduce stress.
The introduction of natural light into interior spaces has been shown to improve health and performance. Sunlight triggers the release of serotonin in the brain, enhancing our mood and overall sense of happiness. Without adequate exposure to sunlight, serotonin levels sink, which can lead to irritability, fatigue, and depression. “Light is essential for our health and well-being. Ensuring that we receive adequate levels at the appropriate times of day benefits our alertness, mood, productivity, sleep pattern, and many aspects of our physiology.” – Dr. Victoria Revell, Survey Clinical Research Centre In schools, design features such as large windows and transparent walls connecting indoor and outdoor spaces not only let in more natural light, but serve to link students with their community both within and beyond the facility.
Designing schools that break down large populations into more intimate communities allow a teacher to personally connect with each student.
Designing for school safety is woven into all the decisions we make as architects. Rest assured that every line we place on the page and every conversation we have is tempered by what is best for our students. This is a complex and multi-faceted problem that can’t be solved by metal detectors alone. Let’s move forward and start discussing modes of prevention while we continue to perfect a safe and secure infrastructure.
Walsh Elementary School, Aledo ISD >>
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VLK LAUNCH® Captures stakeholder voices in a collaborative inquiry-based process to create your conceptual design that our architects bring to life.
LAUNCH “VLK initiated each design process by listening to our wants and needs, as well as working within a budget for practical solutions. VLK operates with the highest level of integrity, ingenuity, and competence. They take responsibility for their projects, and ensure successful results.” Dr. Jim Chadwell, Superintendent, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD
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EXPLORE VLK | LAUNCH®
DENTON HIGH SCHOOL: THE NEXT 125 YEARS Sloan Harris, VLK Partner In 1884, a three-story 12-classroom building opened as the first “free” public school in Denton County, known as the Central School on South Locust Street next to what is now the First United Methodist Church. The school would evolve into several different buildings and locations over its life. Fast-forward to the fall of 2022, when students will leave their familiar campus and enter a new state-ofthe-art, 21st Century learning environment that is the new Denton High School. The vision for this campus started years ago. The Board of Trustees and Superintendent, Dr. Jamie Wilson, have been responding to their district’s fast growth for quite some time, opening new elementary schools almost every year, new middle schools, a professional development center, a career and technology center, and in 2016 they opened their fourth high school, with Braswell High School designed by VLK. But, despite the continued need for the district to build new campuses to accommodate
their population growth, they knew they needed to attend to their aging facilities as well. In 2017, they began discussions to create a vision to do just that, with their most storied legacy, Denton High School, as the flagship of the plan. The new Denton High School (DHS) will serve 2,400 students, grades 9-12, and has extensive specialized spaces for the arts and sciences, as the school is part of the International Baccalaureate Programme. The strength of this campus is how it was conceptualized and brought to reality. After the bond passed in May 2018, Denton ISD and VLK Architects began with VLK | LAUNCH®, following a comprehensive curation process of the school’s teaching and learning styles so that the design solution was responsive to the specific needs and goals of DHS. The VLK | LAUNCH® participants consisted of students, teachers, parents, community leaders, and administrators. Something significant happened during this process that Continued on next page >>
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would become critical to the design solution. The City of Denton has a particular architectural vernacular, and this campus was to be located in the city’s center. Therefore, it was important to honor that vocabulary in the new design, balancing the programmatic demands of a modern high school with the context and fabric of existing architecture in Denton. Inspiration was gained from one of Texas’ most notable fathers of architecture in O’Neil Ford, who, among several other projects, designed The Little Chapel in the Woods on the Texas Woman’s University campus. It was dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939, and in its day, was considered modern. However, its inspiration from the English Arts and Crafts Movement is clearly present today. In addition to the committee identifying the look and feel participants wanted in their campus, they also conceptualized spatial adjacencies, site location and access, site circulation ideas, and public spaces within the building. Specific attention was given to how they wanted the school to be viewed from the main streets around the campus. The results of their work created a prominent, symmetrically oriented, pronounced façade
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that expresses a very modern soul, while carrying the spirit of the architectural fabric from the history of Denton. The campus is a two-story solution with the classroom wings being two levels, while the more public spaces such as the entry atrium, the library, and cafeteria are a full double volume of height. The building is oriented around the library and student commons, which act as the hub of the campus and create a ring in the center. This area is an opportunity to celebrate the legacy artifacts of the high school in a “ring of honor” concept. And, since the campus is an IB campus, all of the flags of the IB Programme are hung for display. Two-story glazing looks out onto an outdoor performance area. This courtyard is an extension of the student commons and serves as a place to gather and congregate but can also facilitate performances with its platform and sloping lawn. The building is organized on the site so that different activities can happen simultaneously with adequate parking and large assemblies. For example, the indoor athletics wing, which houses the competition gymnasium,
“We’re changing lives, not only the ones who walk the halls once the school is built, but also bringing people back to our public schools in a very positive way.” Dr. Jamie Wilson, Superintendent, Denton ISD
has its own public entrance separate from the rest of the campus, making it possible to be independently secured. The fine arts wing performs in the same way, so events can take place in the auditorium without the need for any other portion of the campus to be in operation. The outdoor athletics are organized strategically as well, with fieldhouses serving their respective sports situated next to their fields and courts. Care is also given to minimizing the impact to any of the natural environment on the site. There is an environmentally sensitive area and flood plain on the south side of the site that remains untouched by the development, respecting the original landscape, and providing a more natural environment to the site context. The materials used both inside and outside are modern and focus on energy efficiency, durability, and low maintenance. For example, the flooring throughout the majority of space is polished concrete. Intentional design of where to locate elevated finishes to remain cost-conscious was important as well. Locally-sourced materials were used everywhere possible to be attentive to transportation costs, and for the project to have
positive impacts on the local economy. The brick for the entire project is sourced from the local Acme plant in Denton—another special nod to the project’s legacy as O’Neil Ford used to pick up bricks at the Denton Acme plant for a penny each as a teenager in the early 1920s. When students enter the halls of their new campus, not only will they be entering the most advanced, modern campus in the district and State of Texas, they will be entering the halls of a 125-year legacy that will serve Denton students for the next 125 years. “Very rarely do you have a chance to go back in and rebrand, and re-logo, and reconnect a community to what they stand for. The team from VLK just really got it. They captured it perfectly—the voices of our community, the voices of our students, the voices of our teachers, the voices of our principals.” Dr. Jamie Wilson, Superintendent, Denton ISD
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VLK PIXEL VLK | PIXEL works with the history and traditions that have created a school’s culture to capture the essence of a school’s brand and ensure that it is carried on in the new facility.
LAUNCH PIXEL “The design of any building is so much more than bricks and mortar. What VLK has captured here through the design process and the branding process is the pride that this community feels about its new school, the traditions that have made us who we are.” Dr. David Hicks, Superintendent, Sherman ISD
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EXPERIENCE VLK | PIXEL
SERVING THE NEEDS OF YOUNG LEARNERS Dalane Bouillion, Ed.D., VLK Principal & Educational Planner Pre-Kindergarten is more than en vogue; it has become a priority, recognizing that early childhood education supports the formal foundational requirements for future success. The readiness skills that continue to develop and that are used throughout life are experienced during this delicate time of childhood. Early Childhood Education is generally grounded in a constructivist approach, which is a theoretical understanding of cognition or how young children begin to construct knowledge and begin to understand their own meaning of the world. Constructivists subscribe to the philosophy that “knowledge comes neither from the subject nor the object, but from the unity of the two.”1 Meaning, students have the ability to use their experiences and self-reflection to build schema; schema, in turn, allows for deeper understanding. Young children make sense of their world by connecting the known to the unknown. With each new experience, perception changes and builds more complex understanding. Constructivism implies active learning, where students are recognized “as thinkers with emerging theories about the world.”2 Jean Piaget, was a Swiss psychologist known for his four Stages of Cognitive Development.3 Based on his observations of young children, he classified cognitive stages into four distinctions, described in the table below: Piaget, as he observed young children, thought of them as Basic motor and sensory experiences “little scientists” because they Object permanence - objects exist although they can’t were comfortable making be seen observations and responding Names and words attached to objects to the success or failure of the Pretend play manipulation of objects in order Egocentrism to learn. This notion supports Language development evolving instructional practices Beginning of logical thinking, but often very rigid that our newest generation Struggle with abstract and hypothetical is requiring. Methodologies Begin to consider how others think and feel have evolved to support active Can identify multiple potential solutions to a problem learning, and lesson design Use deductive reasoning teaches with precision, the Conceptualizes the abstract attributes that help create the conditions for students to volunteer their time, attention, and commitment in order to engage in academic content.4 Regardless of the pedagogical approach, students are required to inquire in order to master today’s standards. They must experience and then reflect on their experience to build schema that can be translated into mastery learning.
STAGE
DESCRIPTION
Sensorimotor Birth to Two Years
• • •
Preoperational Two Years to Seven Years
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Concrete Operational Seven Years to 11 Years
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Formal Operational Adolescence to Adulthood
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The intellectual development of children, together with curricula, should drive the design process for an early education facility. By understanding the evolution of the acquisition of knowledge and how to introduce academic content, early childhood learning centers can set young students on a path for a successful Continued on next page >>
McClatchey Elementary School, Midlothian ISD >>
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Understanding how children perceive and interact in the world is critical to the space we create for them.
educational career. Understanding how children perceive and interact in the world is critical to the space we create for them. Specialized learning centers have become commonplace in order to provide preoperational-stage students areas of discovery while at school. What is learned in small group settings builds on schema in order to master real-world concepts. The soft skills learned here also support the interpersonal needs of all individuals and teams. Architects and educators should be working together to design space for student experiences that will expose them to future careers early in life through their classroom experiences in order to assist them with choices. Some might say this is too soon to think about careers, but in the 8th, grade all students in the State of Texas must declare their intended high school endorsement or area of concentrated study based on their areas of interest. Knowing this, let us revisit some of the traditional learning centers that have defined early childhood classrooms. Although educators value the use of this type of active learning, no special architecture usually exists to support this type of learning experience. Educators are accustomed to looking at the four corners of the room they 16
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H.T. Jones Elementary School, Waller ISD >>
inherit, and deciding how to best use their assigned space. One corner becomes a reading area, one for dramatic play, one focused on language arts, and one on science. Then, they find a place to incorporate math and social studies into the designated space. How can we best design for future classrooms that will support the learning requirements of future generations? The dramatic play station allows students to understand symbols and explore roles such as family member, societal figure, historical character, artist, animal, etc. This learning area can be located within each classroom or it could be designed as a larger shared space where multiple classes are scheduled for use. Think of a modified small black box theatre area that allows for costumes and the use of props in order for students to build upon their prior knowledge and develop communication skills. It could have a small portable raised platform for more formal drama play or for presentations that culminate an intended instructional purpose. This modified space builds a set of soft skills that the theater arts industry continues to request of their new hires. With a small black box theatre, we can create a specific space where students can respond to a given situation or use as a free play opportunity to allow for creativity. These experiences build understanding regarding key literary concepts such as setting and time periods. No longer will dramatic play be dependent on “home center� content where everything revolves around the wooden kitchen. This specific center supports fine arts and humanities while providing for the next generation of thespians. The blocks station should become much more than a place in the corner of the classroom where boys want to watch a tall stack of wooden wedges fall. It should recruit both boys and girls, and it should be designed as a part of the classroom with future architects and engineers in mind, using delineated flooring with a soft surface so that self-designed skyscrapers can be built. A multitude of building materials should be available in sturdy well-designed storage spaces that allow for creativity. Here, properties of physics can be experienced. The beginnings of geometry are discovered. Design should be the intent of the station and students should be able to work to replicate drawings and diagrams of famous landmarks. White boards should flank the area, allowing students to draw and think as they build. A small dedicated library works to define comfortable reading and research spaces so that all students begin to connect content to context and the use of technology for almost all answers in their world. They can write and publish in this space using technology and paper/pencil as well as practice their oratory skills with peers. This space should function as the hub for all other stations, centrally located to allow research for all student interests and curricular foci. It should be flexible with inviting furniture that allows the lesson design to dictate the organization of the area. Small, yet inviting displays, should be designed within the area to allow for literature that helps capture the lesson intention. Reading nooks should foster both independent reading and partner reading. Future autobiographies start here. Book clubs are born here, as well as the initiation of an appreciation for classic literature. Continued on next page >>
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Ridgeview Elementary School, Keller ISD >>
The science station allows for independent discovery and clearly connects with our future scientists. This area should be designed with natural light, allowing for the best possible life science environment. Students use their senses here; they use the scientific method. They predict how tall their lima bean stalk will grow and they identify each of the plant parts. They understand basic needs of the plant and they learn to record data. They chart the weather and they begin to build schema around seasons. By designing an area where the floor is delineated for both wet and dry capabilities and where water is accessible, a student quickly learns the difference between sinking and floating, and schema develops to start the prediction process of various materials as they are placed in water. Displacement concepts are born in this center, and so are the primary thoughts around matter, mass, and weight. This area helps to support students who are drawn to the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), knowing also that the foundation for future hydrologists and oceanographers are born here. Each of these learning areas encourages intellectual development, supports the building of schema, and provides for needed vocabulary. For each of the described learning centers, vocabulary and experience work together to build schema which
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provides knowledge. Memorable and engaging experiences lead to mastery learning. By providing the most appropriately designed spaces, teachers can quickly plan for relevant, real-world lessons and complex learning experiences. It is never too soon to provide the best experiences for students. Exposure to learning experiences that promote thinking, questioning, and require complex reasoning can never occur too soon. 1. Brooks, J.G. & Brooks, M.G. (1999), p. 22. In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 2. Brooks, JG. & Brooks, M.G. (1999), p. 17. In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 3. Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. (n.d.). Retrieved from https:// www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/ human-development-14/theories-of-human-development-70/piaget-s-stages-ofcognitive-development-270-12805/ 4. Schlechty, P. (2001). Shaking up the schoolhouse. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. This article was previously published in Educational Facility Planner: Bouillion, D.E. (2019, April). Destining for the pre-operational student. Retrieved from https:// efponline.a4le.org/2019/04/11/designing-for-the-pre-operational-student/
It takes a village to raise a school. Hand-crafted, expert partnerships are key. and VLK is one of those rare partners that strives to understand the whole picture and provide guidance at every step.
THRIVING THROUGH GROWTH; CREATING A FUTURE TOGETHER Perspective from Dr. Jamie Wilson, Chair, Fast Growth School Coalition & Superintendent, Denton ISD; with insights from Clinton Schiver, VLK Principal It was the fall of 2005, and I had just started my first year as Assistant Superintendent in the Denton ISD.* The enrollment in our school system had just surpassed 15,000 students. The district was opening its third comprehensive high school and introducing the newly constructed advanced technology complex specifically designed to support our CTE programs. The greater Denton area was growing, but it was still a relatively “well-kept secret.” Our community was composed primarily of long-term residents within the City of Denton core who valued public education, the work of our teachers, and would bend over backwards to lend a helping hand. Fast-forward to the fall of 2019, a short 14 years later, and Denton ISD is expected to surpass 32,000 students, and will open its 24th elementary
school, Union Park Elementary. Our district has built 24 schools since 2000, 11 in the last 10 years, with not one of those 11 schools constructed inside the city limits of Denton.** Our rural, primarily agrarian areas of our school system have been making the transition from cotton fields to single-family “Disney style” developments, catering to younger families in search of not only a high quality of life, but an even higher quality of education. It’s been a challenge. In order to address fast-growth, aging facilities, a change in academic program delivery, a shift in community demographics, and efficiencies in school design, our growing district required a broad based community approach. While Denton had always been supportive of schools, education, and bond referendums to construct facilities, this fast-growth
*Clinton: At this time VLK was entering its third decade of service to public schools in Texas and had an ongoing 14 year partnership with Denton ISD. **Clinton: It has been our privilege to continuously work, plan, design, learn, and grow alongside them. This continued partnership and our market focus on public school design allowed us to develop a deep understanding of the mission and operational needs of this fast-growth district.
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*Clinton: Preserving the communities’ trust is of paramount importance, because we recognize the need to maintain community support for the many bond referendums to come. Our efforts to stay true to the master plan and to provide accurate cost forecasting, timely delivery of the projects, and transparent communication during a project’s development has ensured the bond program’s success. **Clinton: Re-framing the conversation regarding the long-term value of new construction and the positive economic impact on the community has created broad-based support for Denton ISD schools. ***Clinton: Building partnerships with cities, counties, utility providers, and transportation authorities has provided unified solutions that benefit the entire community. Ongoing communication and planning provides for optimal cost sharing and project delivery.
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phenomenon was different. Our voters were asked to allocate dollars to build schools for children whose families did not even live in Texas yet, much less in Denton. Every three to five years since 2000, our Denton ISD community assesses facility needs by establishing a bond committee to study the needs of a growing district while also addressing the aging facilities at the core of our community.* It is important for our citizens to understand the elements of economic growth, the benefits of economic development, and the impact of school construction on our region. School construction creates commerce, it creates jobs, and it stimulates the economy. Whether we build new schools to accommodate growth, renovate existing facilities or upgrade programmatic areas, our residents must understand that these expenditures are investments in our community, not expenses. Not only are we creating immediate jobs with our construction projects, but we are creating teaching jobs when we grow and we are creating an educated work force for the future. When we invest in ourselves and our community, we succeed as one. A rising tide lifts all boats.** Planning for future schools can’t be done in isolation. It requires partnerships.*** The obvious elements of planning include designs for safety and security of students and staff, instructional delivery, and innovative spaces. But there are other factors to consider: growth patterns within the district, land acquisition, utility locations, mobility plans, and more. As career educators, these are skills not often found in our toolbox. Planning meetings move from discussing familiar topics
such as instructional delivery, staffing, and transportation routes, to discussing building design and site development with engineers, planners, architects, demographers, traffic engineers, and renewable energy consultants. It takes a village to raise a school. Hand-crafted, expert partnerships are key.
The future is not something one simply enters, it is something we create, together.
As school districts grow, it is essential to find a good demographer. Demographic projections determine the need for new school capacity, the timing for new construction, and optimal locations that can provide the most capacity relief with the least feeder zone disruption.* Work with local governmental entities to determine mobility plans and best locations for new schools. If you must purchase land for future schools, be sure to include land acquisition in bond planning. We try to have land acquisition dollars in a bond program prior to the school that will be on that property. Having the “land in hand� quickens the planning and design process. It allows the superintendent to be at the table and ready to act when master-planned communities are being discussed.** Leading a fast-growth district is a unique challenge, but it can also be a blessing. We can design schools with customized instructional delivery and safety at the outset. Whether the goal is building new facilities or the renovation of legacy schools, our planning centers on student learning and student achievement. It’s a kinetic process. The future is not something one simply enters, it is something we create, together.***
*Clinton: We developed a unified planning approach long ago with fast growth districts like Keller ISD to link the demographic projections with operational capacities and design and construction schedules. This approach has closely aligned new construction with growth and kept students out of portables. **Clinton: Over the past 4 decades, VLK has learned the value of advanced real estate procurement and assisted districts like EMSISD, Lamar CISD, Aledo ISD, Socorro ISD, and many others in evaluating land purchased at the time it is available by the acre, long before houses and stores arrive, and it is bought by the square foot. ***Clinton: Our continued partnerships with Texas public schools as well as the inclusion of Educational Planners on our staff has increased our understanding of the teaching and learning at the core of these campuses.
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VLK LINK® Comprehensive process of analyzing school districts’ current and future needs of facilities through review of current conditions, educational adequacy, demographics, and instructional goals to create a long range plan to meet the needs of districts and the communities they serve.
LINK LAUNCH PIXEL “Beyond their amazingly talented school architects, VLK has experts in communications, curriculum, academics, graphic design, video production and elections. They bring a comprehensive team to make sure that your community believes in your project and then delivers on what they promise.” Kevin Worthy, Superintendent, Royse City ISD
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THE POWER & PASSION OF A COMMUNITY Dr. Rick Westfall, Superintendent, Keller ISD; Sloan Harris, VLK Partner; Ken Hutchens, VLK Principal of Creative From 2000 – 2011, Keller ISD opened 13 new elementary schools, seven intermediate and middle school campuses, two new high schools, and the Keller Early Learning Center. The district started the 2019-2020 school year without opening a single new building. As Keller ISD was reaching this transition period, in 2017, Dr. Rick Westfall was hired as Superintendent. Student growth was slowing as the district neared build-out and a new vision was needed for a district that had many aging facilities. The district undertook a visioning process as the first step with the guiding fundamental that the district administration knew this wasn’t about what they, the district, wanted. This was the community’s district. “What does the community want for the students of Keller ISD in the future?” This question and belief would drive the work ahead.
“As I reflect on 2017-18, my first year in Keller ISD as Superintendent, I remember the first question, ‘What is your vision for this district?’ My answer was always simple: I wanted to listen to the community to help bring its vision for Keller ISD to fruition,” said Westfall. Now, with the guidance of the Keller ISD Visioning Core Values, planning meetings between the district and VLK representatives designed a holistic approach to align Keller’s instructional practices and facilities with community expectations. Representing every corner of Keller ISD, more than 260 parents, community members, teachers, administrators, and students came together as the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee to discuss the challenges presented by current facility conditions and the future direction of the district. Continued on next page >>
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EDUCATION SPECIFICATIONS & TECHNICAL DESIGN GUIDELINES Work began with a core group of community members and district representatives that developed Education Specifications and Technical Design Guidelines. Teams representing all academic departments across the district developed the Education Specifications, studying next-generation learning environments, Keller ISD student learning styles, and Keller ISD’s teaching and learning expectations and goals. In addition, VLK hosted Furniture Expos at elementary and secondary campuses to gather student and teacher voices for preferences in furniture for classroom, collaboration, library, and teacher collaboration spaces. The student voice was also captured through interviews
with Dr. Westfall’s Student Advisory Council representing the five high schools in the district. Simultaneously, VLK and district representatives worked to create a new set of Technical Design Guidelines specifying the materials and systems to be used throughout the district. This would allow the district to move forward with the construction or modification of any facilities in a standardized and efficient way. This results in optimization of purchasing for facilities as well as in maintenance and operations budgets for the district. As the work of these two groups concluded, the resulting documents would serve as tools for the next step in the process.
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FACILITY CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT & EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT Additionally, VLK performed two assessments – a Facilities Condition Assessment (FCA) and an Educational Adequacy Assessment (EAA). In the FCA, teams of architects and engineers accessed every square inch of every campus, identifying materials and systems that needed or would soon need, replacement based on their physical condition and life-cycle expectancy. Life safety systems and building code requirements were also included. Costs for replacement and improvement for everything identified were calculated. The EAA analyzed all campuses’ capability
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of educating students in alignment with education facility design best practices, Texas Education Agency guidelines, and the district’s new Education Specifications described above. Principals at each campus were also interviewed to fully understand campus administration’s future needs and goals. These elements, combined with a Capacity Analysis derived from the district’s 10-year demographic projections, informed additions and renovations needed at campuses in addition to the FCA.
LONG RANGE FACILITY PLANNING COMMITTEE As the two previous phases of work concluded, the resulting documents would serve as tools and resources for the next stages of work for the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee-the results of which would be the Long-Range Facility Plan (LRFP) for the district’s 10-year business plan. Subcommittees were formed to focus on areas of alternative education, athletics, building maintenance, career and technical education, curriculum and instruction, fine arts, safety and security, special education, and technology. This allowed a much deeper dive into the specific needs of each discipline. After working through all the resources and discipline needs, each subcommittee prioritized their list to be considered by the entire committee.
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“I am struck by the power and the passion of the Keller ISD community always willing to come together to do what is in the best interest of our students. Parents, teachers, students, administrators, and community members are staying focused on their vision for educational excellence in our district,” said Westfall. “Our community is clearly helping us chart the path to even greater things for Keller ISD students.”
CITIZENS BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE The result of the nearly six month’s work was a prioritized list – composed by the KISD community – of 66 projects totaling nearly $1.2 billion that the committee recommended be addressed over the next decade. With the KISD Board of Trustees’ adoption of this Long-Range Facility Plan, the board then convened the Citizens Bond Advisory Committee (CBAC). Made up of KISD parents and residents, the CBAC met to address which of the projects in the LongRange Facility Plan should be considered first, taking into consideration the priorities assigned by the Long-Range Facility Plan and the district’s financial capacity. After two months of work using VLK’s Consensus Framework and proprietary bond-building application CoVoice, the CBAC proposed a slate of 11 projects to the board intended to impact all 42 campuses across the district with a proposed bond value of $315 million. This recommendation was approved by the board and is to be submitted to the community in a bond election for November 2019.
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This article is a snapshot of a process that lasted approximately 10 months, involved 260 stakeholders, dozens of architects, engineers, and consultants, and a board of trustees. This process is called VLK | LINK®. It facilitates the vision of a district and fully addresses all needs, culminating in a bond program. It aligns the community’s expectations with the district’s actions, and comprehensively captures educational needs, physical condition needs, capacity needs, leadership goals, and curriculum plans, resulting in a true longrange plan for future readiness.
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CAREER-INSPIRED LEARNING SPACES Lori Lambropoulos, Principal, Energy Institute High School, Houston ISD As an educator tasked with designing a first-in-the-nation, energy-themed high school, my first thought was, “I bet it would be a good idea to ask energy industry professionals what kind of employees they want in their corporations.” So that’s the first thing we did. Before we had teachers, students or a building, we visited the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston and went booth-by-booth asking questions and collecting data from a variety of professionals. We created an advisory board of energy professionals and we had a lot of conversations. Little did we know how these simple acts to connect would drive us to a mission and vision for our school that was dramatically different from a traditional high school. I’ve been in education for over two decades, why had I never thought of this before? I think it came from the synergy created by this public-private partnership. Professionals’ thoughts on needs for their skilled workforce changed the game plan for our school. All of a sudden, we were dreaming of a truly innovative schoolhouse built for project-based learning, high technology use, energy industry collaboration, student problem solving, and so much more. I think my colleague, Paul Niznik, Senior Consultant, Energy; Argus Media, sums it up nicely: To meet the unique challenges in the energy industry, the Houston public schools launched the Energy Institute High School (EIHS) around a mission to groom the next generation of energy employees. Obviously, an energy-themed curriculum strong in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) would be the primary focus. But to really engage the students and prepare them for the modern energy workplace, Principal Lori Lambropoulos incorporated a radical shift, changing the entire style of education to project-based learning. I was lucky to join on as one of EIHS’s industry advisors, and we were quick to agree that an energy-themed school achieved more relevance when designed around a project-based learning style. In order to prepare young students for the skills needed in the energy industry, project-based work is essential. So far, the results have been spectacular. The competitive energy business requires that everyone wear more than one hat to keep companies lean. Smaller teams
demand wider skill sets from each individual. With less oversight to guide or solve issues, employees also need to have the social skills to group-manage the wide set of personality types working on a deadline toward a specific outcome. There isn’t room in the energy world these days for the old stereotypes: the socially awkward engineer, the business majors who skipped science or the marketing personnel who don’t really understand how things work. Today’s energy sector professionals must have a broad base of learning experiences and the ability to apply them in a variety of situations. Take an energy company that requires a re-working of its operations due to new environmental standards. The company will build a team with internal operations expertise and well as members with design, environmental regulatory, and even public relations backgrounds. The project will have multiple tasks: diagnosing issues, designing solutions, communicating plans internally and publicly, and executing adaptations. Everyone will be challenged to work outside of a single, familiar job description. Continued on next page >>
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By the time a student graduates from EIHS, he or she will have participated in dozens of group projects and will be ready to hit the ground running when they enter the workforce. I’ve been lucky enough to participate in advising on projects as an industry mentor, and I can testify how the hands-on approach focuses the students on subjects in new ways, bringing a personal back-and-forth engagement with concepts that, in my day, were pushed out in a oneway lecture to a passive audience. Professionals who participate at the school are always struck by how project-based learning has organically built hard-to-find soft skills alongside subject mastery. The same personal challenges seen in industry projects are faced and conquered in the student projects: group dynamics, timeline pressures, expanding skillsets, and the apprehensive public presentations. When you meet an EIHS student with subject expertise and the personal skills sometimes missing in your own colleagues, you immediately think, “Leader.” I had a friend offer a summer position to an EIHS Senior right after a project showcase, joking that he hoped his student would remember him fondly when that student eventually became his boss.
The “hard skills” also benefit from the projectbased approach. Recently, I brought in some of my Argus colleagues to be “industry assistants,” touching base with the student groups along the life cycle of one project assignment. I was particularly interested to see how quickly the student groups incorporated suggestions on modern project tools and professional techniques, whether it was organizational software, presentation tools, or analytical programs. Since the students were already working in groups with assignment outputs similar to our industry, the suggested professional tools made sense to the students and their workflow. Sitting in rows isn’t how work gets done in the energy industry. In hindsight, it seems obvious to model a school and a teaching style around the way in which successful innovation happens in the professional world. EIHS took a bold step forward that may well become the new standard. Paul Niznik, Senior Consultant, Energy; Argus Media
Sitting in rows isn’t how work gets done in the energy industry. In hindsight, it seems obvious to model a school and teaching style around the way in which successful innovation happens in the professional world.
Energy Institute is on to something. Industry professionals come to our student project exhibitions in our up-todate and innovative space and they are floored. They engage in our students’ presentations, projects, and prototypes, and note how their problem-solving skills and execution are comparable to some of their own new employees who just graduated college. We know we’ve made a dent in the educational landscape of high schools. We see it in the different way our students now view their education—what it is, and how it’s done. For example, ask any EIHS student what their favorite subject is. They might look a little confused at first, but then they’ll say, “Oh, you mean my favorite project!” Paul Niznick works with EIHS students on a project >>
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OVERHEAD GARAGE DOORS FACILITATE PROJECT MOVEMENT WITH EASE
MOBILE TABLES TO FACILITATE A VARIETY OF PROJECT NEEDS
MOVABLE WALLS ALLOW FOR PROJECT TEAMING AND WORK AREAS OF VARIOUS SIZES
POWER REEL ACCESS TO ENSURE FLEXILIBTY OF STUDENT LOCATION AND SAFETY
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Energy Institute High School, Houston ISD >>
A SYNOPSIS OF LISTENING TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Dalane E. Bouillion, Ed.D. Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz, Ph.D. Lizzy Asbury, Ed.D. Grounded in pragmatism, a team of educational researchers with approval from the Internal Review Board (IRB) at The University of Texas at Tyler, conducted a phenomenological, qualitative research study aimed at exploring the impact that purposefully designed learning spaces have on the high school students’ engagement in learning at Energy Institute High School. Phenomenological research provides the investigators with a fundamental understanding of the experiences and perspectives of individuals who have experienced the identified phenomenon (Creswell, 2014). The investigators designed semi-structured interviews to ensure an adequate level of flexibility during the focus groups (Creswell, 2014). By collecting the data through focus groups, high school students were encouraged to selfreflect and also elaborate on other students’ comments (Carter et al., 2014). Two rounds of semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted. The first group was interviewed while the students were attending high school at one of the old buildings where the magnet school had been housed three years prior to the construction of the new campus. Students interviewed ranged from freshmen to juniors who planned on continuing to attend the high school once the new campus was built. In the first school year at the new building, two groups of sophomores, juniors, and seniors participated in the focus groups—all were enrolled at the high school housed in the old building and were then attending school at the new campus. Three separate focus groups were conducted to ensure dependability
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and data source triangulation. Additionally, to ensure investigator triangulation, each investigator coded the data separately and met to debrief and compare the identified themes. Three coding methods were utilized to analyze the interview data: open, axial, and selective coding (Creswell, 2014). Open coding allowed the authors to identify broad categories of information (Creswell, 2014). Following open coding, axial coding facilitated the identification of themes within the conceptual framework of the study, and selective coding was used to explain the relationship and interconnectedness of the themes (Creswell, 2014). Given that the findings are the results of focus group interviews, the investigators were cognizant of the limitations of focus groups and the influence members of the groups might have on the responses of others (Carter et al., 2014). The findings are limited to the themes and ideas students felt comfortable sharing in the presence of other students in the room. The pre-move focus groups, conducted while the students were in the old building, produced four main themes. Students expressed anticipation that the new learning spaces would not impact their learning. Contrary to the pre-move focus groups, the students consistently
indicated that the purposefully designed learning spaces they encountered at the new campus had an impact on their learning and engagement in learning. The coding of the post-move interview data resulted in three themes. Table 1 presents the pre- and post-move themes. PRE-MOVE
POST-MOVE
Lack of Purposeful Design for Collaboration
Space for Collaboration
Nature-Lack of Outdoor and Natural Light
Learning Preferences
Space Size - Inefficient and Lack of Space
Ease of Use and Access
Teachers Impact Learning: New Space will not Impact Learning
During the pre-move focus groups, students consistently indicated their skepticism about the impact spaces had on their learning while expressing opposing views throughout the conversation. During the post-move focus groups, the students consistently reported how the
spaces in the new building have impacted their learning and work. Only one theme was found in both the preand post-move interview data: the purposeful design of spaces for collaboration. While in the old building, students expressed frustration due to the lack of space conducive to collaboration and teamwork. Once in the new building, students continuously spoke about the spaces that foster their collaboration and teamwork. The findings of the study indicate that students can promptly identify the characteristics that positively impact their learning, and the mismatch between facilities and the curricula when old school buildings are retrofitted to house new, innovative schools. While students did not anticipate that the new facilities would impact their learning, the findings indicate that during their time at the old building, they were cognizant of the limitations of 1) housing a school focused on Project-Based Learning in a repurposed building, and 2) the importance of having purposefully built space for teaching and learning. Self-awareness of the attributes that support personal student motivation only garnishes a student’s ability to excel. When their identified preferences are made accessible, and in a beneficial environment, learning can be achieved at mastery levels with ease. For educators and architects like VLK, the value of the student voice is tremendous. It informs educational processes and has implications for curricular design and delivery, leveraging purpose-built learning spaces and student preferences to achieve the best public education possible. The full research manuscript, “Listening to High School Students: How PurposefullyDesigned Spaces Impact Their Engagement in Learning�, is available on the VLK Architects website. (vlkarchitects.com). References: Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, B., DiCenso, A., Blythe, B., Neville, A. J. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forums, 41(5), 545-547. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.) [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Energy Institute High School, Houston ISD >>
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VLK EDGE® VLK | EDGE® contributes best practices to the educational cannon and informs our own learning as educational design professionals.
“Our partnership with VLK was so genuinely successful because of their ability to advocate for our teachers and students every step of the way... The time the team took to lean in and genuinely understand what we were doing was amazing. It’s the people who were willing to listen, analyze, and interpret that made this project successful and original.” Lori Lambropoulos, Principal, Energy Institute High School, Houston ISD
Scan me!
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LEARN ABOUT VLK | EDGE®
OPPORTUNITY: TO HAVE CHOICES, FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR COMMUNITY Lauren Brown, VLK Principal; Dr. Michael McFarland, Superintendent, Crowley ISD Having the opportunity to interview Dr. Michael McFarland, Superintendent of Crowley Independent School District, I truly understand the depth of the educators’ passion in this district for creating opportunity for young learners in their community, especially as they relate to Career and Technical Education (CTE). First, Dr. McFarland talks about the experiences students need in order to be prepared for society: “The reality is, to graduate a student today with only a high school diploma, but without any practical, real-life experiences in the career and technology field, without certifications, without real experiences, really would set them up for a life that would be less than what they could possibly achieve
without that experience. I think a high school diploma is important, but also think that kids need to have a certification, experiences, and exposure to a profession, so that they can make good decisions. We want them to have more than a high school diploma. We believe, I believe, that experiences in the CTE building will give them just that.” In 2008, residents in Crowley ISD voted and passed a bond in order to help address the needs of the students that Dr. McFarland described. A future Career and Technology Education Center was identified as a need, but there was no facility to support it. A short-term solution was to utilize a newly constructed middle school to serve as the CTE Center which also supported the growing student enrollment in CTE courses. Although housed in spaces not originally designed with specific program needs in mind, the CTE Center flourished. During this time, Crowley ISD utilized a Career and Technical Education Committee (CTEC), composed of CTE district and campus experts to offer input on CTEC programming for the new campus. The process included a survey to allow each committee member to rank current programming and to offer suggestions for new ones based on the work force projections and future workplace trends for both North Texas and Tarrant County via consultation with Work Force Solutions for Tarrant County and Interlink.
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Then, using VLK | LAUNCH®, the Crowley ISD community shared beliefs and ideas that should be part of a new facility for the district. A cross-section of the district including administrators, teachers, parents, students, and business leaders met to develop the conceptual framework for the new Bill R. Johnson Career and Technology Education Center and Collegiate Academy. Serving two high schools and opening in August 2020, the goal of providing the absolute best facilities for students was met and exemplified throughout the new campus. Reflecting on the process, Dr. McFarland shared:
“It’s important that we design more than a school, that we would design a facility that gives us the opportunity to have choices, opportunities for our students, but also for our community.” -Dr. McFarland, Superintendent, Crowley ISD
“I think at the end of the day, my hope and my aspiration, my desire, is for our students to graduate from Crowley ISD with choices and opportunities. What that means for me as it relates to CTE, [is] that we’d have CTE students that are graduating, and understanding that college is a clear and realistic choice.” Community partnerships are integral to the success of the Bill R. Johnson Career and Technology Education Center and Collegiate Academy. Business leaders in Crowley and Fort Worth spoke to the benefits of having the new campus in their backyard. They believe the opportunity of this new facility allows confidence in the future workforce because business owners are assisting with writing curricula, giving recommendations for the equipment the students will use and are providing valuable information to assist with the education of students in the community. Dr McFarland shared his thoughts on the powerful opportunities that exist in the community: “We think that it’s important that we design more than a school, that we would design a facility that gives us the opportunity to have choices, opportunities for our students, but also for our community.” The Bill R. Johnson Career and Technology Education Center and Collegiate Academy is immersed in the community in which it serves. The students are involved with the greater community and amongst themselves; this was one of the drivers in the design and function of the new campus. Cross collaboration between the 13 programs of study with approximately 2,200 sophomores, juniors, and seniors occurs throughout the campus, facilitated by meeting rooms and collaboration areas strategically placed 34 2019 | EXPERIENCE | Vol. 6
to support teaching and learning. Cosmetology, culinary, automotive, and media arts are just a sample of the programs that will offer services to the public. The collegiate feel of the campus is apparent with different space types both inside and outside the building depicting the relevance of the learning environment. Crowley ISD plans to use the building itself as a learning tool with sustainability concepts on display such as the solar panels that cover the walkways, and the cistern to capture rainwater. An interactive dashboard located in a high-traffic area of the center tracks building data for the energy management system including gas usage, water usage, water collection, electrical usage, and specific power usage for the automotive program, so that solar power generated can be compared as a learning experience in this program. In response to the new facility designed for both Crowley ISD CTE students and the community, Dr. McFarland states: “What I see, is CTE not as simply an option, but I see it as an avenue for students to continue their career, to continue on, to go right to work and to gain real work experience. To have a certification where they can continue to improve their life and improve their status. I just think we have to give kids multiple options to be successful. I believe that CTE is just another option for students, and it’s one that should be available. We have to do everything that we can to make sure it’s available. This building, this facility, helps us to do that.”
LECTURE STAIR
SECURED COMMUNITY COURTYARD
VIDEO BOARDS
COLLABORATION SPACES
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CIS Tarrant County
SHARED VALUES, SHARED EXPERTISE Marissa Tang, Interior Designer; Lindsey Garner, President & CEO, Communities in Schools of Greater Tarrant County For VLK Architects, community service has been a priority since the firm’s beginning, more than 35 years ago. In fact, “Service” is one of the three pillars on which VLK’s entire practice stands. Placing value on service is how we meet every client’s unique vision while staying within budget. On a deeper level, however, it also assures that we are truly present in the communities and school districts in which we work and live. One example is our commitment to supporting Communities In Schools (CIS), a national drop-out prevention program serving Greater Tarrant County since 1992. By partnering with school districts, CIS places full-time social workers on school campuses, providing intensive case management services to at-risk students in grades Pre-K through high school. 36 2019 | EXPERIENCE | Vol. 6
Over the years, VLK has provided vital financial support through sponsorships, physical support through volunteerism, and leadership representation on the CIS Board of Directors. Working together, we have achieved goals that we could not have fulfilled separately. In 2018, we were honored and excited to partner with CIS once again, this time to offer our design services for a new office space and home base for their growing team. Following the design and construction (and an incredible ribbon cutting with the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce), we sat down with Lindsey Garner, President and CEO of CIS, to discuss how our partnership – and their new office – has impacted their staff and, ultimately, the students they serve.
Let’s talk about what happens here at the office. Who works here, and what were you looking for in a new space? This central office houses our administrative team, the CEO, our Director of Finance, our development team, our data management team, as well as our master-level supervisors who manage the social workers in the school[s]. We also needed space to accommodate all of our staff, multiple times a year, for trainings or events. The space is also used to host meetings and trainings for our corporate partners. Additionally, we were looking for an opportunity to increase visibility. In 27 years of serving Tarrant County, we have never had external signage on our building. We recognize that this is crucial for awareness and brand recognition. We also wanted a space that provided a higher level of professionalism, one where we would be proud to host donors, board members, and community leaders. How would you summarize CIS’s relationship with VLK? We have a long-standing relationship with VLK, which first began as generous support for our fall fundraising event as well as our annual spring Celebration Luncheon. From our first meetings with the team at VLK, we recognized that there was an alignment of our missions. So, as we were looking for a new space, it became obvious that there was opportunity there to partner. VLK very generously agreed to provide pro bono architectural work to make our new space beautiful. What was the design process like? We met with VLK very early on and went over the layout of the space as it used to be, and they shared with us a vision of what it could be: a space conducive to all of our needs, for individual offices, and for team workspaces, as well as a multipurpose room that would be able to hold our staff trainings. They provided guidance for choosing colors and materials. For many of us, this was a new and fun experience.
CIS relocated to approximately 7,000 square feet of office space within the building at 5601 Bridge Street in Fort Worth in early 2019. VLK’s pro bono services included site verification, space programming, conceptual designs for discussion, and a full set of construction documents. We were able to meet the team’s office needs including both formal and informal meeting spaces, a welcoming reception, and a communal break area that can be opened up to a large multi-purpose room. Although CIS’ most critical work is done outside the main office, Lindsey didn’t hesitate when explaining why a professional space is so important: “[Social work], while rewarding, can be a very demanding and intense job. You are responding to a wide variety of issues. Being part of a workplace that provides a sense of empowerment and professionalism, a place where you can come and feel support from your coworkers, enables our team to get back in the ring and provide our best work for students.”
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At VLK, we share a passion for what we do, and this passion is what keeps our firm moving forward.
MOVING FORWARD Todd Lien, Partner The practice of architecture attracts unique individuals who are creative but also logical; people who can dream big and push the boundaries, yet are firmly rooted in the realities of scope, budget, and quality. At VLK, we share a passion for what we do, and this passion is what keeps our firm moving forward. Our profession and our practice evolve every day. To create a more advanced, intentional research-based approach to the design of our clients’ educational buildings requires diverse teams. All VLK team members wear many hats in the multitude of tailored processes our firm employs in all of our work, enabling our firm to create innovative educational environments and to advocate for public education on many platforms.
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The dedication of our specialists in athletics, science, safety and security, branding, and much more are just a few examples of the talent and energy that are unique to VLK. With every successful project, we must continue to innovate and apply evolving processes to all areas of our practice - this is how VLK will continue to grow. Our mission, and strong values are the foundation of our success as a firm. The culture of trust, teamwork, and open communication, among our project teams and across all of our offices, will continue to propel us to greater success, while always maintaining the level of quality our clients have come to see as synonymous with the VLK Architects brand.
IN THE WORKS
AUSTIN • DALLAS • EL PASO • FORT WORTH • HOUSTON
