Experience K-12 Vol 10

CO NT EN TS

IN THIS EXPERIENCE

DALANE BOUILLION, ED. D. | CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

KEN HUTCHENS | CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

Dear Reader,

Noting that Volume 10 of Experience means we’ve been publishing for a decade, our team has been reflecting on how the spirit of innovation is an apt theme as it describes all that’s come before and is also undoubtedly a direction for the future.

Architecture and education are similar in that if you are not innovating, you’re falling behind. Innovation can take myriad forms; for example, educators are meeting the challenges of recruitment and retention with a range of creative strategies such as constructing housing options for teachers and staff. Likewise, at VLK we’re enhancing and augmenting our teams through a range of technological tools and comprehensive onboarding to add the kinds of experts, thought leaders, and top talent to our teams to serve clients with creative solutions and always, exceptional service.

In this volume of Experience, you’ll read about strategies to mitigate inflation and other construction complications from Principal Marty Sims. We also explore the power of experiential graphic design to transform Perry Middle School with Associate and Creative Manager Cody Jones. This issue also shines a light on our unique perspective on internships and bridging the gap from students to professionals, while an article from Senior Associate and Project Director Lee Hill highlights how a client’s vision for a different kind of administration center is met with a creative building that makes the most of its unique site.

Our firm is always evolving, with the spirit of innovation constantly driving our culture, the way we practice architecture, our service to clients, and how we develop our architects. That’s as true today as we present the 2023 edition of Experience as it was 10 years ago for Volume 1.

Dalane Bouillion, Ed.D., Chief Development Officer

Ken Hutchens, Chief Creative Officer

ROYSE CITY ISD | RUTH CHERRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

THE POWER OF EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CODY JONES | ASSOCIATE, CREATIVE MANAGER

Aroom is just a room, right? Four walls, a ceiling, a floor, maybe some furniture, and you have a functional space. But do you have a meaningful and engaging place? Placemaking provides the opportunity to take a useful space and encourage dynamic interaction, emotional connection, and a sense of belonging within those four walls. Experiential graphic design is just what it says it is – using graphic design in a space to enhance the experience of the user. It enhances those architectural solutions by telling a story and providing an intentional destination for the students that call these places their educational home.

The rich history of Perry Middle School can be traced to the earliest days of Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD). A two-story red-brick building, the first school officially constructed by the district, was built on this site in 1915. In 1936, a new building, known as Carrollton High School, was constructed at the same location, and it remains the nucleus of the school today. The campus became DeWitt Perry Junior High in 1962 when the new R. L. Turner High School opened. From 1962 to 2008,

the campus had numerous additions and renovations and was always called the “old high school” with pieces added. In 2017, CFBISD started planning for a comprehensive renovation to the building that would reimagine it as DeWitt Perry Middle School with a goal to intentionally create a learning environment that visually represents their legacy and unified student body.

The complete renovation of this campus was designed to revitalize an aged facility in a way that would use the bones of the building and honor its long history. Students requested that VLK make the courtyards more useful so they can be used for studying and socializing. The renovated facility also needed to provide its young learners with a modern-day campus that would aid in their nextcentury learning and provide environments that are both comfortable and allow students to support and interact with each other. As part of the project, VLK worked with the district to create a comprehensive visual story for the campus. This included collecting the history of the school, researching current artifacts and elements to be preserved,

CARROLLTON-FARMERS BRANCH ISD | PERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL

PERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER

What we are doing is bigger than making a pretty building. We are showing kids that they deserve nice things, and they deserve the best. They feel like they can come to school and appreciate what they have … they want to take care of their place

and studying its rich culture. VLK worked with current students, teachers, administration, and longtime alumni to uncover the complete account of the campus in order to craft the best approach to accurately memorialize these aspects in the renovated campus.

Let’s face it, the middle school years can be a bewildering time for any student. Your body is changing and can often feel unfamiliar. The academics are suddenly more complex and demanding. You’re not afforded the same level of grace that you were as an elementary student. Part of the challenge with this project was ensuring that this campus feels like a place where each student knows they personally belong. We started by leveraging the school’s mascot (the eagle) and integrated it into everyday life for the students. While a simple solution to encourage school spirit would be to apply the mascot in multiple areas around campus, our team wanted to go further. Rather than take this approach, we studied the life stages of an eagle from an eaglet to a full-grown eagle, and the changes in habitat and routine that the eagle would experience as it grew. These stages were then tied directly to each of the three grade levels on the campus and function as an immersive visual representation of the stages of life a student is experiencing as they progress through middle school.

Each grade level is housed in its own village on the campus, and each was named to reflect a life stage of a young eagle. Sixth grade is the Nest, as our learners in this grade level are just entering their middle school careers and transitioning into adolescence. They are welcomed with the straw textures of an eagle’s nest, and accents are meant to be bright and white for this entry grade level. Focus rooms are adorned with feather overlays and labeled with words aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy. Seventh grade is the Perch, as eagles grow to adventure away from the nest, but aren’t quite ready for full flight yet. Perch employs imagery of tree lines and features gray tones and accents throughout the village. Eighth grade is the Summit, as learners have reached the peak of their middle school careers and are ready to take flight and transition into high school. A strong red is the featured color in this space, and the collaboration area features a colossal 60 feet wide eagle soaring through the skies. This village features expansive mountain ranges, representing the journey these learners will take during their year. As one of the teachers shared,

“The graphics definitely help when it comes to the different areas. They bring what our school is all about together.”

-Perry Middle School Teacher

Outside of the villages, in the common spaces of the campus, a revitalized display of school pride is abundant. The robotics room features oversized gears and technical designs with nods to the eagle mascot woven carefully into the pattern, the karate room is adorned with the program’s mantra, the gyms and weight room feature inspirational school spirit super graphics, and the art, music, and theatre rooms are all easily identified by their own unique branding/ wayfinding.

One of the most important things about the process was the translation of the major wayfinding graphics in the school. Perry Middle School serves about 1,000 students and includes a significant population of students who speak languages other than English. Wayfinding graphics are translated into the five most spoken languages in the school to ease navigation for students and family members for whom English is not their first language.

When A.W. Perry settled the land where Perry Middle School now sits in the early 1800s, he couldn’t possibly have imagined that it would one day be home to such an innovative middle school. He might have taken comfort in the fact that the future community would invest so heavily in the well-being of their middle school-aged children and build a school environment that would foster their educational and emotional growth during these pivotal years. During a post-occupancy interview, one of the teachers said,

“What we are doing is bigger than making a pretty building. We are showing kids that they deserve nice things, and they deserve the best. They feel like they can come to school and appreciate what they have … they want to take care of their place.”

-Perry Middle School Teacher

The thoughtful renovation of Perry Middle School is an impactful example of how the extra effort to create a place that means something to students helps to support their emotional wellbeing, sense of belonging, and fosters pride in their school and community.

MANAGING SCHOOL DESIGN IN THE CURRENT CONSTRUCTION MARKET

For anyone who has bought a carton of milk or a dozen eggs recently, much less been involved in any kind of construction, it’s hardly news to hear about rampant inflation and volatile markets. As VLK Architects looks ahead to the remainder of the year, we see no changes to the status quo. We have experienced the average cost of school construction reach unprecedented levels, many over the $400/sf mark. Through the first part of this year, we have continued to experience close to 1% a month escalation. While some models predict that will taper off, most are continuing to carry .75% per month increases through the remainder of the year.

This pricing volatility has been driven by a number of factors; we are seeing some materials having peaked in 2022, coming down in price, while others previously unaffected, are suddenly rising. We are also encountering subcontractors who overextended through the pandemic, now folding under the stress of higher interest rates. Beyond materials, tightness in the labor market continues to intensify, and some material costs are beginning to drop, only to be offset by increased labor costs.

Another factor driving construction timelines is material lead times. While we have seen materials like roofing and steel decking become more readily available, items with electrical components are harder to obtain. This is impacting HVAC, audio/video, and fire alarm systems. Electrical switchgear and access controls lead times have more than doubled from last year, with switchgear, in some cases, taking over a year to procure. This is particularly impactful when you consider school construction timelines are driven by the first day of school each year. If we consider when these long lead time materials are required during construction, it is clear that items like switchgear and access controls likely will need to be ordered prior to the traditional start of construction.

Pricing volatility and product lead time can be mitigated through the following smart strategies:

Building Design Efficiency

Building size and configuration matters when it comes to managing costs. We are all accustomed to scaling back on

square footage to save dollars, but other factors are equally important. Building volume has a direct, but often overlooked, impact on cost. Consider limiting dead space above the ceiling; push the design team for an efficient floor to floor dimension. Having extra space may make running ductwork and sprinkler piping easy, but ultimately contributes to additional expensive exterior envelope, and provides more space to heat and cool. Also consider the efficiency of your building’s perimeter. Shifting classrooms in and out provides additional opportunities for natural lighting and views, but also increases inside and outside corners, and linear feet of exterior walls – adding cost in materials as well as flashing and labor at these undulations. Seek a balance between providing visually inspiring and engaging spaces and the budget, saving the investment for particularly impactful spaces. Additionally, push your design team to provide an efficient ratio of usable space to circulation/service space. Avoid single-loaded corridors where possible, and challenge administrators to a higher utilization of classroom space to avoid redundancy or empty rooms.

Easy Procurement

Procurement strategies can also play a mitigating role. Districts and architects could issue separate, early packages. In the case of a Competitive Sealed Proposal (CSP) delivery method, the system selected for early release would have to be designed, issued, bid, and awarded to a contractor ahead of the remaining scope, which could lead to different contractors working on the same project. A way to avoid this confusion would be to issue the entire scope with a prolonged procurement phase, increasing the overall construction duration to accommodate these procurement times. Be mindful of managing general conditions during this timeframe, and clearly identifying this timeframe in the published schedule.

Districts should explore procuring and storing materials themselves for future projects. This requires assumptions to be made regarding the system size and type – and for the design team to commit to utilizing the prepurchased systems. However, this can be problematic to manage warranties, and places burden on the owner to make sure there are no gaps between the prepurchased materials, system design, and contractor provided materials. Additionally, it could have more upfront cost or less efficiency to purchase standardized equipment to the worst-

According to the Federal Reserve Economic Data database we are seeing the following impact to costs:

• Diesel, after generally trending down for the last half of 2022 and first part of 2023 is now trending back up

• The producer price index of iron and steel peaked in late 2021 and has been generally trending down since

• Switchgear pricing has risen sharply since January of 2022, leveling off April, June, and July which hopefully means it has hit the peak (leadtimes for some manufacturers are still just over a year)

• Concrete continues to trend up

• Global aluminum has dropped to pre-pandemic levels about halfway between its peak in March 2022 and its low in April of 2020

case versus getting a more varied and customized solution for the specific need of each space. For example, consider purchasing only 3-ton roof top units when you might really need a variety of sizes ranging up to the 3-ton. The considerable upside of early purchasing allows the district to take advantage of today’s prices, and to have those materials ready to use, unaffected by supply chain complications or delivery delays.

Districts should consider hiring a Construction Manager. The option potentially providing the greatest overall value to districts is utilizing the Construction Manager at Risk (CMaR) delivery method to engage a CM early enough to begin procurement while the remainder of the project is being designed – essentially fast-tracking the work. This provides the most flexibility to the owner as the CM can provide real-time pricing feedback as the market shifts month to month. Be mindful to document the cost and scope of the pre-construction services each CM offers as part of their proposal and understand the value they can bring through subconsultant following, relationships with suppliers, and deep understanding of their local markets.

Systems and Product Specifications

Another consideration to manage costs and lead times is to be careful selecting any single product. While we have seen the cost of shipping containers drop since its peak in 2022, transit times for freight coming from overseas have continued to increase. Engage your design team and maintenance staff to avoid sole-sourcing around one manufacturer, or a proprietary system that limits competitive pricing. Instead, focus on locally stocked or domestic products that are readily available where possible. Seek standard colors, finishes, and repetitive systems; for example, use consistent structural bays for repetitive joists design, and maintain standard lighting and mechanical equipment where possible. Don’t let one showpiece light drive the entire lighting package.

Bid alternate manufacturers for major systems and take the one that provides the best overall value to the district. Similarly, you may engage a design partner who has expertise in a variety of systems that may be outside your “normal”. It may make sense to look at tilt-wall or Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) versus traditional steel and stud construction. Plan to gather unit prices around items often added during construction, such as power/ data/exit signs. These types of items can never be purchased as inexpensively as on bid day, so get that unit price documented for the future. Further, identify items where your money may go further later, like televisions

or projectors, and establish an allowance to purchase them under the construction contract at a date closer to substantial completion.

Plan Now for Expansion

Lastly, evaluate the cost of phasing for future expansion; it will likely cost much less today than in the future. Be sure to anticipate core needs to avoid future rework. Master plan your facilities to avoid costly utility rework with additions. Consider investing in core service space, like an additional serving line, that may be landlocked in the future. Find a balance between what you can afford now versus what you know you will need later and educate your community on the value of making earlier investments.

Most critical of all of course is to engage a design partner who understands the evolving challenges we face with cost escalation and has the experience to provide strategies for you to still be successful on your projects. As your partner, VLK Architects wants to meet the goals of your community by providing the best quality product, at the best price, and greatest long-term value, while meeting the schedules you have promised your community.

SEEK A BALANCE BETWEEN PROVIDING VISUALLY INSPIRING AND ENGAGING SPACES AND THE BUDGET, SAVING THE INVESTMENT FOR PARTICULARLY IMPACTFUL SPACES.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE THE RISING TIDE THAT LIFTS ALL TEXANS

FOUNDER,

FRIENDS OF TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SCOTT MILDER | PRINCIPAL, K-12 MARKET LEADER

Public schools are the rising tide that lifts all Texans. With two-thirds of the state’s population identified as economically disadvantaged, Texas simply cannot thrive without its constitutionally mandated system of free public schools. All children, no matter their family circumstances, income, or learning abilities, have the same opportunities to become educated, productive citizens because they are all equally welcome in a neighborhood public school. Yet, there are many forces working to fracture and dismantle this essential institution of public education. Decades of inaccurate political rhetoric condemning public schools as failures has fueled the rise of sophisticated and highly profitable privatization schemes disguised as school choice.

Ironically and by every measure, Texas public schools have never been more successful than they are today. Visit www. fotps.org/data to read about their recent achievements. Our schools are filled with highly skilled, professionally trained educators who love kids. Public schools are truly the best choice for a quality, well-rounded education. We at VLK Architects have the privilege of witnessing daily their success and honorable service to Texas and find ourselves

continually dumbfounded by the incessant, mean-spirited criticism leveled against them by some of our state’s elected officials. With a front-row seat to their good work, we deeply respect and admire Texas educators and the foundational role that public schools play in our state’s long-term success.

The critics of our public schools are skilled and savvy messengers. It sounds reasonable to suggest that parents should have the freedom to choose where their tax dollars and children go to school. Let the tax dollars follow the child, they say. Give them a voucher, they say. Call it a scholarship, they say. The truth is, these efforts do not serve the best interests of economically disadvantaged, low-income students, nor the state of Texas.

Why? First, gifts of public funds are not legal. Second, every child already enrolled in private school will receive that voucher, or tuition coupon. Third, a voucher will only cover a fraction of a private school’s full tuition cost and low-income families likely won’t be able to afford the rest. Fourth, many private schools won’t want economically disadvantaged or learning-challenged students in their schools because

BRAZOSPORT ISD | OGG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

they cost more to educate. They’ll accept the best and leave the rest. Fifth, every yutz with a buck will open a school and accept those state dollars. Such a system will invite corruption.

Unfortunately, many Texans, including many well-meaning elected officials, have bought the choice narrative they’ve been sold by a handful of politicians and billionaires seeking their piece of the $65 billion a year pie that Texas invests in public schools. They want in on the action. Most who support such proposals don’t know what they don’t know. They do not understand the dire unintended consequences of “school choice for all,” or the latest rhetoric, “education freedom”. While Texans are misled and the privatizers get rich, our public schools will have even fewer resources than they have now. Texas currently ranks 49th in how much money is invested in its public schools.

Shedding light on these injustices and the grossly misleading failure narrative by educating Texans about their public schools and the politics invading them is essential. Advocating for the 800,000-plus honorable Texans working in our public schools, and the millions of students they serve, is paramount.

That’s why VLK has partnered with Friends of Texas Public Schools and quietly hosts its founder’s work. That’s me. Although I am a full-time employee at VLK Architects, the firm donates much of my time back to Friends of Texas Public Schools so that I can focus on the organization’s public education advocacy work.

Friends of Texas Public Schools was one of the first private advocacy organizations to form in defense of the state’s public schools, and more importantly, the students and highly trained professional educators who work in them. The conversation about our public schools was, and remains, very negative, often-times hostile, and frequently meanspirited. We wanted to do something to counter all that negative energy.

VLK’s advocacy efforts do not stop with Friends of Texas Public Schools. We helped create and continue to fund the Texas First Coalition, which is a pro-business, pro-family, and pro-Texas 501(c)4 non-profit focused on electing rational legislators who believe in and support a strong system of public schools. VLK also supports the work of the Texas Parent PAC, whose singular focus is to elect educationfriendly legislators in both political parties. Our firm is involved in a number of other organizations and initiatives as well.

There are many grassroots efforts working to unite the supermajority of Texans who believe in and support their local independent school districts, and to mobilize them as advocates for the institution of public education, and more specifically, the children served and the educators serving. The more Texans we can reach, the more pressure we can put on state leaders at the polls to increase support for public education. Legislators, governors, lieutenant governors, and the rest listen to those who vote.

Our Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and many Texas legislators undermine our state’s public schools at every turn. Rarely do they exhibit behavior or promote legislation that supports educators and promotes learning. And most of what they come up with is punitive in nature, which slows progress and inhibits learning.

Every student enrolled in a public school is taught by certified, professionally degreed educators and supported by a host of other specialized educators, including counselors, diagnosticians, librarians, speech therapists, music and theater teachers, art teachers, coaches, and more. Public education really is the rising tide that lifts all Texans. The Texas Constitution mandates a system of free public schools for the public good of all children. It does not mention an education system for each individual’s good, which is exactly what a school choice voucher system would create.

When you hear sound bites from politicians and read headlines that disparage or feature something negative about our public schools, please remember that it’s the anomaly of the day, not the norm. With more than 800,000 people serving 5.5 million students, something somewhere is going to go wrong while thousands upon thousands of things just quietly work exactly as they’re designed to do. Let’s have the backs of our community educators and defend them against the drama, misinformation, half-truths, outright lies, and political theater that plagues our state and nation.

The more Texans we can reach, the more pressure we can put on state leaders at the polls to INCREASE SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION.

ROYSE CITY ISD | RUTH CHERRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

KELLER ISD | FLORENCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WHEN SUCCESS IS THE JOURNEY AND NOT AN OUTCOME

CLINTON SCHIVER | PRINCIPAL

When success is defined as the journey and not the outcome, it creates a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. This culture of improvement and innovation requires, sustains, and promotes diversity because every journey is unique, and the outcomes unconstrained. The journey also requires effort; and the greater the effort the further the journey goes. At VLK we have embraced the journey; rewarding the effort and innovation then celebrating the new places it takes us. We have defied conventional norms and redefined success with a culture of putting merit above all else, and the belief in the power of individuals. Our firm has forged a unique path, one that champions diversity in all its dimensions. Within our teams, people from all walks of life, representing a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities, come together as a collective of talent, united by their shared dedication to their craft, their clients, and each other. Our paths diverge and converge always leading to our growth as individuals and teams. As we celebrate the momentum diversity has on our collective success, we find ourselves reflecting the diverse communities we serve.

From my first day at VLK 18 years ago to today, I have been, and continue to be, surrounded by a diverse group of brilliant people. The greatest example of our culture of innovation focused on the journey and effort comes from each of us, our stories. I talked to a few of my colleagues, and reflected on my own journey as well. Below are some of our stories.

Clinton Schiver | Principal

I will begin with my story. I was born and raised in San Antonio. My father is Caucasian, and mother is Tejano. My parents worked hard so we could live in a good area with great public schools, attending school in North East ISD. My parents’ commitment and hard work allowed me to succeed and become a first-generation college student. Being away from South Texas did make me aware that being Hispanic meant I was a minority. Up until then, my only brush with this concept was that my father’s father kept his distance from my sister and I, considering us to be mixed. He was not

a good person in general, and my grandmother remarried when we were little. She and her new husband were always loving and supportive. From this, I learned that while racism and racists do exist, there are others that are not. I can dwell on the negative thoughts of the wrong group, or I can focus on the support and love that does exist. My parents taught me to work hard, focus on the problems I can solve, and to always pursue becoming better. This helped me to do very well in grade school and be the first of our family to graduate from college. After college, I worked at one firm for a few years and then followed a friend to VLK Architects. From the start, VLK was a place that valued hard work and collaboration. I am curious by nature, and love to find out how and why things work. VLK empowered me to follow my curiosity to learn about the chemistry behind single-ply roofs, all sorts of sciences of sustainability, and building codes. I was able to turn this into a great career as a Project Architect. Then I was allowed to follow that curiosity to learn about how the public school system really works. I built relationships with educators and school leadership – which led to opportunities as a Project Director, and eventually to the role I serve today as Principal. Each step of the way, I was encouraged to pursue excellence, grow and learn; to follow my interests and passions, and to find my own best way forward. One of our core values is to find a better way, to innovate. Most importantly, this value does not have a set equation. A “better way” could be about better design, better customer service, greater efficiency, more watertight solutions, and so on. We are pushed to be better and are allowed to define than on our own terms. The open and collaborative approach to improvement leans into diversity and empowers all employees to chart their own careers.

Gabriella Bermea | Associate, Design Architect

In 2009, during my freshman year of high school I made the to a district with a new STEM program. Although we had no other engineers or architects in the family, my parents provided the best things they could – support, and a deep care to see their child find her place. In that public school program, I found educators who believed in every student who walked in the room, and understood while each person’s story may look different, his or her impact in that moment could influence an entire story. My time in the STEM program with Texarkana ISD was filled with teachers like Mr.

George MacCasland and Mrs. Susan Waldrep, and countless others who reminded me -- no matter the career that I chose, we are human at our core, and every person who steps onto our path deserves kindness and respect. I understood then, my purpose is to serve others and help bring these incredible educators’ visions to life.

As I transitioned from high school to university, I struggled. I had long, honest conversations with my family and professors and questioned whether this was truly the path for me. I realigned my priorities, interned with an Austin educational architecture firm, and suddenly began to clearly see the bigger picture. To be a better servant for others, I could use my skills of kindness and vulnerability to build longlasting relationships.

I was the first person in my class to achieve licensure and now represent the 1% of licensed architects who are Latina. Today, I work with some of the most outstanding district partners, designing thoughtful, community-led projects that will far outlive me. I have the incredible opportunity of working with VLK, a firm that aligns with my purpose and has a legacy of building significant client relationships. Our firm has shown great care and respect to those around it and leads with a client-first mentality while still pouring education, support, and empowerment into professional development.

Lauren Brown | Principal

I grew up in Arlington, Texas in the 80s and 90s, or as my kids refer to it as the 1900s. I am a first-generation American; my parents are West Indian from the island of Antigua. My childhood perception of challenges was limited because my perspective was isolated to my direct influences of family, school, and PBS. I was in elementary school walking home one day when I was called n-word by an older girl who I didn’t know. It was confusing to me, and I was saddened that my skin color was provocation enough for another child to lash out in anger. Moments like that stay with you, but don’t define you. I was raised to not offer up excuses and to not lament on the “why.” I was taught to work hard, be dedicated, be respectful, and be grateful for all the gifts God has provided.

I mentioned PBS earlier because it was one of the few channels on television that was available via antennae that provided educational content. I watched This Old House and cooking shows like Jacques Pepin’s. When I was discussing

my options for a career with my mother at the age of 10 or 11, I was sure I was going to be a famous chef and move to France like Jacques, but I was quickly convinced the passion of cooking would surely become a chore if it was a career. I then brainstormed and thought about becoming a contractor like Tom Silva from This Old House and I thought about my father and his job as a contractor. I thought more about the process of construction, found it very interesting, and took out my trusty World Encyclopedia and researched the word “architecture.” I was sold … I was going to be an architect!

Fast forward to 14, when I wanted to be an intern for an architect. Because I had access to a phone book and Yellow Pages, I started calling architecture firms in Arlington. After a few calls, I was directed to reach out to Ken Loose of Loose Architects. Ken allowed me to come in for an interview, which included my mother, and I was given an opportunity to intern. I learned so much about the art of architecture while working with Ken. I was also exposed to the process of architecture. I worked after school, then walked across the street to the library and used the computers to research what college I wanted to attend. I graduated from high school at 16, and I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Norwich University in Vermont by age 20.

I have worked in the field of architecture for 27 years and my architectural license is symbolic of an actionable goal backed by hard work. The opportunity for growth within my chosen field was not predicated by my skin color. The tenacity it takes to push through the noise and be a leader is challenging, given the predominate race and gender in the AEC industry. What made the biggest impact on my life was opportunity and respect.

Our culture is diverse, inclusive, supportive, and merit based. Some believe that these subjects are mutually exclusive. I believe they are fundamentally tied to and supportive of each other at our office. We are fortunate to live in a country and state that provides a high-quality education to all students. While more can always be done to increase opportunities, we cannot lose appreciation of all that is already happening. At VLK, we are fortunate that our leadership and our history have embraced a layered and faceted approach to success, allowing each of us to find our own way. Improvement and innovation are the goal; each of us is pushed to develop how we define this, and how we get there.

Our firm has forged a unique path, one that champions diversity in all its dimensions.

VLK has been able to successfully grow by being diverse and inclusive, by hiring the best candidates, empowering the pursuit of passion and growth, and promoting the best performers. Our core values and our mission make diversity and inclusion essential. These values drive us every day inside and outside of the office. Building an understanding of how our design decisions impact teachers, students, and community members requires us to embrace multiple perspectives and seek different backgrounds and experiences. Designing for everyone requires that everyone has a voice in the process. This belief extends beyond our staff, and into our clients and communities, evidenced in our projects.

BRIDGING THE GAP TO THE AEC INDUSTRY: FROM STUDENTS TO PROFESSIONALS

GABRIELLA BERMEA | ASSOCIATE, DESIGN ARCHITECT

SARAH GARDNER | ASSOCIATE, ARCHITECTURE DIRECTOR

It is said that an architect’s most important charge as a professional is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. To be licensed and take on this responsibility in the state of Texas, an architect must first complete five to six years of rigorous coursework to earn a degree from an accredited architecture program, then demonstrate ability to perform 96 key tasks within six practice areas, 3,740 experience hours, and finally pass six examinations that cover different aspects of the architectural practice today. Based on current data from National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), it takes candidates approximately 13 years to complete the entire path to licensure – from beginning their first college degree to finishing their final licensure requirement. This is no easy feat! Even once this is accomplished, the journey has only just begun as our profession is one that brings a lifetime of learning.

While the path is arduous, there is much more that doesn’t come from studying. Our own observations and research indicate that our most effective employees possess strong personal qualities such as integrity, resourcefulness, tact, communication, and critical thinking skills, and are no less necessary to a professional architect than technical knowledge and skills. At VLK, we recognize we have the responsibility to develop highly competent, well-rounded architects in all aspects of the profession through development of an apprenticeship community by engaging with the school districts we work with. While client relationships with school districts are crucial, we also recognize that the aspiring architects of tomorrow are

walking in the halls of the very buildings we design with and for our clients. Through a range of initiatives, from High School Shadowing Day, to ACE Mentoring, to our University Internship Program, we seek to foster the kind of skills and talent needed as VLK endeavors to elevate our craft for the benefit of our clients.

Over VLK’s 38-year history, building partnerships focused on client service has been part of our foundation. From designing supportive and context-rich projects, to championing our Texas students, our team understands the value that comes from engaging new voices early on in their architecture careers by bringing in interested students to each of our offices as high school and college interns. While technical skills and knowledge of construction are a critical part of what we accomplish during a career, an aspiring architect may display attributes like problem-solving, persistence, self-motivation, adaptability, and much more –in short, just like our VLK teams.

We have an incredible opportunity to start molding the future earlier than ever through the partnerships that are offered at the high school level. Our high school and university internship programs, paired with non-profit programs, such as ACE Mentor Program of America, create exceptional results for future architects within VLK and beyond. We see the critical value mentorship has within our firm and our communities.

Exposure through other touchpoints like career fairs, speaking engagements, and juries are opportunities to give interested students a baseline definition of the profession.

For the students who find these experiences enticing, we have started to take things a step further and partner with senior practicum classes where the student gets a hands-onlearning opportunity and experience that occurs as students and interns are brought on to the VLK team and contribute to our practice. Key components of the internships are jobsite visits, assigned mentors and project teams, and project work that teaches discipline, responsibility, team communication and collaboration, and technical knowledge.

As of today, VLK has hosted more than 150 students across our five offices between High School Shadowing Day and High School practicum student internships. Our VLK interns represent high schools from ACE Mentor of America, Klein ISD, Cristo Rey College Prep, Crowley ISD, Keller ISD, Austin ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Plano ISD, Frisco ISD, Arlington ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Waller ISD, Conroe ISD, and Montgomery ISD. Our interns visit the office for programming focused on reviewing the resources from National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), American Institute of Architects (AIA), and National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). Students are then rotated to shadow different professionals from disciplines ranging from design, production, and construction administration. Immersed in the professional environment, students are challenged to step out of their comfort zones and engage with VLK team members to learn what professionalism means in the workplace while developing relationships that are long-lasting and fruitful.

Our mentorship also goes beyond the office, spanning to local non-profit programs like ACE Mentor Program of America. In Austin alone, over 40 local high schools have been exposed to the AEC fields through the mentorship of our surrounding firms and partnerships.

In our university internship program, students are immersed in the professional environment. We have a diverse pool of students coming from regional architecture programs, including Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Arlington, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Arkansas. Our internship program ranges from semesterlong partnerships to support the student’s professional experience to summer-long programs, filled with project experience and collaborative engagement with the project team. The students get access to technical skills for programs like Autodesk Revit, Adobe Suite, and others are bolstered by the professional soft skills such as presenting to a client.

In addition to experience, students and emerging professionals are strongly encouraged to start building their NCARB record and track their required hours toward becoming a licensed architect. The National Council of Architectural Registration Board, or NCARB, defines the real-world training associated with a paid internship as the Architectural Experience Program, or (AXP). When paired with Education and Examination, the paired elements become the three-legged stool that bolsters the destination

toward becoming an architect. Through the AXP, candidates learn about the daily realities of architectural practice, acquire comprehensive experience in basic practice areas, explore specialized areas of practice, develop professional judgment, and refine their career goals. At VLK, we actively support these efforts, approving hours and shepherding licensure candidates toward their career goals from high school graduation to licensure.

We are very fortunate to have had a number of students –and now professionals – who have experienced the full circle of high school partnerships, our college internships, and architectural licensure. Clarissa Suikkari Epps, an architect in our Fort Worth office, is an example of a professional who has participated and excelled in such programs. She had this to share on her journey,

“I feel very fortunate to have had an opportunity as a high school student to network with professionals in the field that I planned to pursue as my career. As a mentee in the ACE Mentor Program, I got to visit real AEC firm offices, collaborate with my peers on multi-disciplinary projects, and speak with industry professionals to get their expertise on college and career paths before applying to or entering college myself. In hearing from my mentors, I saw getting an internship early on as very valuable to my career advancement.”

Clarissa’s first experience with VLK came through her mentor, and Project Designer at VLK, Chris Ortiz,

“From the connection made with my ACE mentor Chris Ortiz and staying in contact with him, I began interning at VLK the summer after my sophomore year of college. My four years of interning while in school were invaluable to me as I learned parallel skills in the academic and professional realms, time management skills in balancing the two, and got an early start being exposed to real projects and clients.”

Looking ahead as a profession to new technologies and bridging the gap between high school to professional practice, VLK Architects continues to be dedicated to empowering our new generations toward a future of innovation. We cannot predict what the future of our profession may look like and how that may change the role of the architect within that landscape, but we can prepare the next generation with a set of skills that will only elevate the role of an excellent architect.

Helpful resources for students exploring a career in Architecture, Construction, or Engineering

NCARB’s K-12 Student Resource Guide ACE Mentor Program of America

STRONG ROOTS: GROUNDED AND CONNECTED

LEE HILL | SENIOR ASSOCIATE, PROJECT DIRECTOR

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District is in a fast-growing suburban area northwest of downtown Fort Worth. The area includes Fort Worth, Saginaw, Blue Mound, and parts of unincorporated Tarrant County. The land is wooded near waterways but is composed mostly of rolling prairie with a long history of farming and ranching. New residential developments have sprung up over the last few decades which are bisected by busy highways and rail lines. Along these are a congregation of heavy and light industry. In the early 1990s, the school district built a small administration building featuring a boardroom and office space. Over the years as the district grew, a conglomeration of pre-engineered metal buildings and converted commercial spaces have been utilized throughout the district to house such departments as student services, facilities operations, maintenance, fine arts, athletics, human resources, finance, child nutrition, and Superintendent’s office.

Long identified as a need, the cost for a new administration building was included in the district’s 2017 bond program. Careful planning allowed the consolidation of the district’s administration functions and professional development under one roof. In addition, the building was to serve the community in a variety of ways, from local homeowners’ associations to various community forums – to serve the community and not just those assigned to the administration building. A large, wooded site was selected near the Marine Creek Lake Recreation Area. VLK was selected as design partner, and planning for the new administration building got underway in 2018. As part of the programming phase, the team implemented VLK’s Office Analytics to issue a design survey to the various district departments and employees to identify the desired character and layout for the new design, its orientation, and location on site. In addition, the team toured modern office campuses, training environments, and labs to serve as inspiration.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN-SAGINAW ISD | EAGLE MOUNTAIN-SAGINAW ADMINISTRATION

High on the list of priorities were close adjacencies of all administrative departments, ample natural light, views, and a strong relationship to the surrounding wooded landscape. Also desired were natural materials inside and out, bistro-style food service, discovery science labs for students, and the creation of an open and inviting face to the public for board meetings and other public events. Lastly, a prairie-style sheltered work environment was identified that would accommodate both the culture of the district’s administration and memories of a historic ranching community that is fast disappearing.

Because the district had reached a tipping point in its administration growth, various departments housed in different buildings, some several miles across town, were becoming more challenging to manage. In-person employee interactions, which are critical for collaboration and creativity, were becoming increasingly less spontaneous and effective. While at the same time, interactions with students and the public were becoming more distant and harder to organize.

Since the new building was to be located on the side of a rolling hill oriented to the southwest and looking toward Marine Creek Lake, a multilevel plan solution with three administrative areas connected by an interior spine of lobbies and corridors was developed. The design is expected to allow for many years of future growth and these three areas, located mostly at ground level, house facilities operations, main administration, and a formal boardroom. Since the building is located at a distance from surrounding restaurants, a sit-down bistro with fullservice breakfast and lunch, along with a micro mart serving grab and go food throughout the day, are included and managed by the district’s food service staff. This also gives administrators a closer relationship to the food featured in school kitchens throughout the district.

The building features direct access to Marine Creek Lake and is connected to a six-mile-long municipal nature trail. Two natural science classrooms are located on the lower level to accommodate student field trips and specialty science activities. These have operable glass walls allowing for outdoor teaching, exploration, and field experimentation. A boardroom featuring a large glass wall has access to a raised outdoor walkway and nature overlook. This outdoor

walkway runs along the western side of the building under a deep sheltering roof overhang adjacent to floor-to-ceiling glass exterior walls with views to the woods and lake. The walkway also creates a secondary exterior path of circulation from one department to another.

The building is faced inside and out with golden brown stone complimented with a dark gray cement panel system and glass walls that are framed with a bronzed colored storefront system. Roof lines were kept low with deep sheltering overhangs. The overhang at the west side of the building is supported by a series of exposed “V” columns that give the effect of tree branches. Responding to direction from the district to bring the outside in, VLK focused on the use of exterior materials that wrap to the inside, corridors that always end with a view, and layering of views to the lake with various architectural components such as columns, rails, walkways, and window frames.

The district desired a building that would bring its staff closer together in a calm and inviting atmosphere with visual connections to the natural outdoors all while nurturing a culture of creativity and collaboration. The resulting design sits on the site in quiet reflective pose similar to a park building or nature center. This encourages administration staff productivity, retention, and recruitment while creating an inviting presence and stronger connection to students, parents, and the broader community.

The district desired a building that would bring its staff closer together in a calm and inviting atmosphere with visual connections to the natural outdoors all while nurturing a culture of creativity and collaboration.

A CITY WITHIN A CITY: DESIGNING AND BUILDING COLLABORATIVE HIGH SCHOOLS

LAUREN BROWN | PRINCIPAL

In so many ways, developing a collaborative high school campus is like creating a mini city, with consideration for everything that a city needs. In many cases, a large high school provides necessary support, much like a small city. Let’s explore these various elements, and discover how each contributes to the overall process.

Development

Urban planning is both a technical and political process. It funnels resources into determining how land is used, guides the development of design, and lays out a framework on how to build upon the natural environment. The process requires architects, civil engineers, landscape architects, mechanical electrical plumbing (MEP) engineers, and demographers who comprise the design community. Building codes and regulatory bodies work hand-in-hand to inform how cities are constructed.

As new housing starts and demographic projections within a district increase, the need for a new high school can feel

imminent and inevitable. Meanwhile, the established high school(s) in the district often carry a strong sense of both community pride and loyalty. It is this tipping point that should launch the district into a collaborative planning effort to gain consensus on everything from size to site planning and beyond. These details comprise significant decisions, as a high school campus usually requires 80 to 130 acres of land.

Offsite infrastructure needs should be considered when districts are planning for future costs. This can include access to at least two public rights of way, potential upgrades to portions of the public roadway serving the new high school, and utility services to the site including potable water, sanitary sewer, natural gas, power, and communication cabling. Coordination with city, county, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), the Army Corps of Engineers, and other Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) is a best practice that will benefit planning and mitigate potential delays.

WALLER ISD | WALLER HIGH SCHOOL

Teaching and Learning

A well-developed campus fosters an engaging and challenging learning environment while maintaining high expectations and accountability. Thoughtful development stems from the need to address the whole community’s standard of living. Certain aspects of the city can contribute to better meet individual citizens’ needs. Schools need engagement and consensus from representatives of all community members to socialize and gather feedback on the needs caused by growth.

At VLK, we address this challenge using VLK | LINK® and VLK | CURATION®, our services that facilitate the vision of a district, and fully addresses all needs, culminating in a bond program. Using a variety of voices within the community, preferences, ideas, and potential solutions are considered. This process 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 long-range plan.

Safety and Security

Behind every daily drop-off, pick-up, and extracurricular event is a considerable amount of trust that parents place in teachers, staff, and administration. To honor that trust, school staff regularly attend training to be prepared to protect young people. In order to address ongoing safety and security challenges, campus security is multifaceted – often working in conjunction with municipal first responders and district police departments, while implementing state requirements and best practices or recommendations by safety and security experts.

In October of 2022, the Governor of Texas empowered the Commissioner of Education to address school safety and uphold minimum standards for all students and staff in Texas public schools.* (For more information, scan the QR code at the end of this article.) VLK has a history of helping address these challenges. In 1990, we assisted the Texas School Safety Center to draft the first-ever school safety guidelines. Serving on the Texas Society of Architects School Safety Workgroup, we advocate for safe public schools at the state level, including the state legislature.

Along with active safety solutions, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is the basis for using the built environment to reduce the occurrence of fear of crime. The four principles of CPTED are natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance and management. At VLK, we not only use the principles of CPTED, but further develop the design of the school by incorporating visual security and hardening measures to meet client-driven needs.

Utilities

Utilities – potable water, stormwater, wastewater, electricity, natural gas, and communication infrastructure – provide basic needs for our quality of life. As essential infrastructure, utilities are critical to city development and planning. Before designing the campus, the first consideration is the availability of this infrastructure. This is especially important since utility decisions that are made early in the process have a strong impact on whether the schedules can be met.

Particularly on green sites, utility coordination with developers, the city, the county, and all franchise utility providers should occur early in the process. This mitigates costly delays in the schedule caused by a lack of available infrastructure. While integrating energy efficient design elements and ideal building orientation reduces the overall cost of power demand, water demand has never been higher, and intricate communication infrastructure plays a vital role in safety and security.

Transportation

Cities must consider appropriate access for transportation, including roadways, safe-bike and pedestrian routes, and parking availability. High school campuses have several modes of vehicular, pedestrian, and special event transport, with entry points often separated for the safety of the entire population. Vehicles driven by parents/guardians, staff members, and students each require a different level of awareness. Bus site planning should account for specialized transportation services for special program students in addition to regular program students. Chaotic queuing situations can be avoided by separating parent drop-off and pick-up lanes from bus lanes. The student drive is designed to allow for less-experienced drivers to navigate safely to their designated parking.

A high school’s drive provides intentional navigation to parking and outbuilding structures with designated parking areas for students, teachers, visitors, and buses. A wellcoordinated bus transportation plan takes into account the regular route drop-off, special route drop-off, and athletic event bus drop-off both during and after school hours. To avoid conflict with vehicles, pedestrians (both walking and riding bikes) to school need to navigate the sidewalks around campus to their designated destination. Planning the safest route for all transportation to and from the campus, necessitates close collaboration between the school district, civil engineer, and architect.

Reflecting on how sporting or special events can impact traffic is equally important. When attending a football game with upwards of 7,500 spectators, vehicle circulation needs to change to accommodate visitors who are less familiar with the campus. A private drive can be designed to flow traffic to the city streets, while keeping home and visitor traffic interactions minimal or even separated. Designated parking at athletic events needs to account for the band, drill team, cheerleaders, athletics teams, and media.

Nutrition

A well-planned city provides food access through stable availability of nourishing foods. Planning helps avoid food deserts, those areas where access to affordable, healthy food options like fresh fruits and vegetables is limited because grocery stores are too far away. Physical and economic accessibility are important elements, along with production systems that prioritize the well-being of food producers and consumers.

Similarly, each student on campus is ideally provided access and opportunity to a meal at breakfast and lunch without economic limitations that would cause food insecurities. Several factors improve food access through design. A service drive and delivery route to the kitchen take into consideration the size of the delivery truck and the method of delivery. The kitchen dock area design gathers input from the district’s child nutrition department alongside civil, structural, and architectural consultants. Even sizing of grease traps serving the kitchen, bistro, and concessions is a coordinated process with the plumbing engineer and district. With an eye on long-term operability and maintainability, the goal in design is to reduce maintenance requirements or offensive odors that may emanate from the grease trap.

Construction

Construction takes a minimum of 30 months from the contractor’s Notice to Proceed to Substantial Completion, accounting for academic, administrative, and athletic facilities. Factors that can impact the construction schedule include permitting with the AHJs, material availability, labor, and coordination with offsite development. It’s a complicated process, with plenty of hurdles that can slow progress. It takes coordination of a lot of separate teams, all working in concert with each other towards our common goal.

The first day of school is a hard and fast deadline, where students arrive ready to learn and teachers ready to grow future leaders. Regardless of any kind of weather delays,

materials complications, or issues that may arise during construction, there can be no timeline extensions. The importance of both onsite and offsite coordination is critical to ensure that the school’s infrastructure is as ready to go as the students and their teachers will undoubtedly be.

As populations in Texas increase, demographic projections create the impetus to proactively support the learners. The complex nature of a campus that runs most of the year, and much of the day, is the essence of a city, imparting to the inhabitants a shared sense of identity, pride, opportunity, and safety. Comparisons can easily be drawn between a campus’s main academic building and the surrounding outbuildings, to a town square-type pedestrian hub. On the first day of school, students are filled with nervous excitement as they start their journey in this new space – much like a microcosm of a city in which they live. Some young learners and parents find that the first day of high school is a rich, shared experience. At VLK, it is our passion as architects to create a space that meets the needs of these communities, free from the ego of architecture getting in the way of a successful project. In decades to come, and for every future first day of school, we take pride in knowing that proactive future planning will serve the district and community positively for decades to come.

A well-developed campus fosters an engaging and challenging learning environment while maintaining high expectations and accountability.

Source

*Office of the Texas Governor

MOVING FORWARD

SLOAN HARRIS | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PARTNER

Every year we use the holidays over Christmas and New Year’s to celebrate, rest, and reset. When we come back from break, I lay out our goals for the year. Typically, it’s one overarching theme that all can use to set their own individual goals that work under that theme. This year has been Balance. I can’t think of a more perfect goal given the trials and tribulations of the current affairs in our society and specifically the space of educational planning and architecture. It can be a guiding light in all things, professionally and personally. It’s so easy to be off-kilter — work-life, financially, politically, educationally — and there are always things outside of your control that can pull you off balance as well.

This year has certainly brought challenges to stay balanced. In this issue of Experience, you’ve seen some of the ways we have handled those challenges, for instance, the construction market’s volatility and the continued issues of supply chain delays, labor shortages, and radical inflation. We’ve amplified our focus on the quality of our construction documents so the bidding environment is highly competitive and bringing best value to our clients, and on our partnerships with

the construction community to be sure we are employing best construction practices and specifying materials and systems to overcome construction escalation, and on our partnerships with our clients pertaining to schedules, budgeting, and procurement so they can strategically and responsibly deliver facilities for their students and teachers despite the immense challenges we continue to face.

In addition to the market, the 88th Legislative Session has done its best to throw everything off balance for our state’s public education system. While it’s nothing new to have legislative attempts to erode away at our state’s most precious public institution, this session has been special to say the least. And it’s not over. However, we will not be discouraged, and we will not stop doing everything within our power to support our public education leaders to ensure every student in Texas is supported and thriving as they prepare for adulthood. We continue to provide tremendous support to organizations and elected officials that are propublic ed and will only look for opportunities to increase that support.

DENTON ISD | DENTON HIGH SCHOOL

Lastly, we are making significant investments in our people and our practice technologies to ensure we are driving the practice of architecture forward, especially as thought leaders in educational planning and design. We know that the pathways of delivery of design and service are evolving, and we are helping steer that evolution through our very robust internship program that prepares students to enter the profession as they leave academia. That’s bracketed with technologies we are deploying, including artificial intelligence, so we can continue to serve our clients and deliver solutions at the most optimal levels. But, this requires balance. Technology will never replace the human condition in education or architecture, but how we leverage it to take those practice areas through the next several decades is the focus and will ensure we can continue to be expert consultants and advisors to our clients to work through the challenges we are facing today along with the unforeseen that the future will no doubt bring.

sloan harris chief executive officer | partner

AZLE ISD | WALNUT CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL