Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center by VMDO Architects

Emil & Grace

Shihadeh Innovation Center Winchester Public Schools

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Carpentry Lab in renovated Gymnasium 1

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Project Overview The Shihadeh Innovation Center is a hub of workforce development for the community – preparing students and the community to meet the demands of the regional job market. By 2025, there will be a 10 million job shortfall in skilled labor market in the US. The average age of skilled workers is 55 years old. Rising to meet these challenges, the new Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center will prepare Winchester Public Schools students and community members for the new workforce of tomorrow. The project is a product of multiple funding sources, including private donations, grants, and an unprecedented amount of state funding. A radical transformation of an existing unused elementary school, the mission of the Center is to ensure that every student is prepared and empowered with a marketable skill that leads to full, high-paying employment and that every regional industry is fully supplied with dedicated, skilled workers that will sustain and improve their business model. A joint venture with Lord Fairfax Community College and local industry partners, the Shihadeh Innovation Center will be a hub of workforce development for the community. Using hands-on learning strategies, students will develop the necessary skills that will lead to marketable certifications. Industry partners will play an active role in the development of the program of study, while also committing to work-based learning opportunities for students. Lord Fairfax Community College will provide instructors and equipment for certification and credit bearing courses. The Center will embody Winchester Public School’s motto of “Learning for all, whatever it takes.” The culture at the Innovation Center will be interdisciplinary and organized into industry themes where CTE teachers, academic teachers, and students will be working together on real-world problems. All John Handley High School students will have an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to practical skills at the Innovation Center while adults and professionals can learn a new trade to re-enter the workforce or mentor youth interested in their professional field.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Shihadeh Innovation Center The Innovation Center occupies a transformed 1970’s elementary school located a short walk from Handley High School.

John Handley High School Originally built in 1923, Handley High School was conceived with powerful, progressive ideals at its core. Handley’s legacy focuses on the heritage of the school as a central civic institution and a focus of regional programs and pageantry. The majestic landscape and powerful 2010 renovation (by VMDO) in many ways reinforces Winchester’s “educational promise” to the surrounding community.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Small Space, Big Impact Shihadeh prepares students for the future with smartly designed spaces and empowers teachers with novel means of educating 21st century learners. The culture at the Innovation Center is interdisciplinary and organized into industry themes where CTE teachers, core academic teachers, and students work together on real-world problems. Lord Fairfax Workforce Solutions will also partner to increase opportunities. All John Handley High School students will have an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to practical skills at the Innovation Center while adults and professionals can learn a new trade to re-enter the workforce or mentor youth interested in their professional field. The Innovation Center is organized around three academies •

Health Sciences Academy

•

Advanced Technology Academy, and

•

Professional Skills Academy

Each offer programs that will equip students with the skills and credentials needed for their future career. The building will house CTE classes currently offered at Handley High School, featuring high intensity trades and professional skills labs, a health sciences suite, and lab spaces that support cybersecurity, digital design, robotics, and computer technology. High visibility work labs, dynamic collaboration and presentation spaces, abundant natural daylighting, healthy materials, and indoor air quality, and reduced energy use were all design-drivers.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

“If we can help educate and give people the chance to make good wages, and also give back to the community while we’re doing it, what bigger win can there be?” – Jimmy Robertson Coordinator of Innovation, Career Technical Education & Business Partnership Winchester Public Schools

Existing exterior conditions before renovation.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Planning Phase Key to the philosophy of the Center’s curriculum is “Project Based Learning,” acquiring educational knowledge or skill sets by engaging in real-world projects and scenarios. The Innovation Center includes specialized spaces to support the intended curriculum and a diverse range of academic programs. “The Five C’s” of the Shihadeh Innovation Center provide guiding principles for how learning happens in the Center and connects to the larger global job market: 1. Critical Thinking - Student owned projects that solve authentic problems through critical thinking with engaging student designed activities requiring reflection, revision, and renewal. 2. Creative Thinking - Projects blended with personal choice and developmental solutions while finding resources and discovering answers to in-depth questions for contemporary problems. 3. Citizenship - Student-owned learning processes, mentorships with community partners, and a visible celebration of place. 4. Collaboration - Mastering competencies while acquiring time management, perseverance, and team conceptual understanding for the modern workplace through project and blended instructional strategies. 5. Communication - Projects based on interactive community partnerships with businesses focusing on a “work local, think global” directive requiring student-initiated collaboration. Prior to building design, a programming and planning phase sought to explore how space can support “Project Based Learning.” Engagement with Winchester Public Schools educators and leadership directly informed the range of programming that the Innovation Center ultimately includes, with a focus on flexible, collaborative learning environments and high-intensity, “realworld” workshops. In addition, preference was expressed for less “finished” spaces with the ability to adapt easily, as needed.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

V R

V G

C A

U R

Q D

T X

R S

K F

E I

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Interdisciplinary Program The Innovation Center is organized around three academies – each offering programs that will equip students with the skills and credentials needed for their future careers. Technical spaces are stitched together with open commons, hubs, a forum, a cafe, and a roof terrace to promote interdisciplinary collaboration.

Civic + Social

Health Sciences

A Synapse Hubs

M Nursing Lab

B Genius Bar

N Physical Therapy

C Forum

O Med Lab

D Community Cafe

P Anatomy Lab

E South Lobby

Q EMT Training

F Secure Entry Vestibule

R Shared Classroom

G West Entry and Roof Terrace H East Entry

Food Service J Reception K Administration Suite L Community Commons I

Advanced Technology

Professional Skills

S Arch. / Eng. Drafting Lab

V Prof. Skills Labs

T Computer Tech Lab

W Welding Lab

U Cyber Security Lab

X Carpentry Lab

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

East Entry to Professional Skills

Community Cafe 11

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Civic + Social As all learning is fundamentally social, students must learn to collaborate, laying an important foundation for communication — an essential prerequisite for students to practice critical thinking and creative innovation... which ultimately helps develop the confidence to take risks and iterate on failures. To do this, civic learning needs to be part and parcel of the current movement across many schools in America to equip young people with 21st-century skills. Advances in the science of learning have bolstered the 21st-century skills movement. Learning scientists offer that young people master math, reading, and science much better if they have an educational experience that develops their social and emotional learning competencies—like self-awareness and relationship skills which are the foundation of later workplace skills—and puts academic learning in a larger, more meaningful context. Alongside academic competencies, these students have support spaces to spearhead small group projects and collaborative work. Universal design principles (illustrated at left) were used to make all spaces accessible, and corridors were purposed for independent learning and collaboration while making programming visible. The Community Cafe is a choice touchdown space for independent learning and sharing a meal.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

The Community Forum accommodates direct instruction, collaboration, and project sharing via tiered seating, writable surfaces, and large format projection. Overhead sun-tubes provide natural daylighting to this internal space.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

“This is once again proof, beyond a doubt, that when good people work together, good things happen.” – J Hamilton Lambert

Executive Director & Trustee Claude Moore Charitable Foundation

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Nursing Lab

Med Lab 15

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Detail B • 1/2" thick • Paint all e • Paint mas • Finish with • Blind-stud Installation • Install to e • Install nex existing di • Installatio relation to

1 3/4"

4 1/2"

36"

Valley Health System

WAY_A: Primary ID

APPR

Front Elevation View - Scale: 1-1/2”=1’

Health Sciences John S. Whetzell, Jr.

_A1

WAY_A: Primary ID Front Elevation View - Scale: 1”=1’

Valley Health System

Dave and Kathy Holliday

WAY_A2 Students within the Health Sciences AcademyWAY_A3 gain skills and knowledge in lab spaces that emulate real-world settings. 21st century world.

The Health Sciences Academy provides students a foundation for postsecondary education or work force readiness in certified health-related professions. Students explore core content with technology through integrated projects, case studies, and focused learning experiences by exploring core content with technology through integrated projects and focused learning experiences. Highly specialized equipment enable students’ clinical laboratory practice in a safe and supervised learning environment. Opportunities are available for virtual and simulated experiences to further enhance learning. The Nursing Lab emulates a real-world hospital environment with state-of-the-art equipment donated by community partners. Adjacent Simulation Labs and an ambulance pad allow for supervised emergency scenario simulations and testing.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Architectural / Engineering Drafting Lab 17

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

12"

1 3/4"

4 1/2"

36"

Valley Health System

WAY_A: Primary ID Front Elevation View - Scale: 1-1/2”=1’

Advanced Technology by

John S. Whetzell, Jr.

Valley Health System

WAY_A2 The mission of Advanced Technologies Academy is to keep pace WAY_A1 with innovation to support student success by empowering WAY_A: Primary ID a diverse student body to succeed in a competitive world by 2 Front Elevation View - Scale: 1”=1’ promoting academic concepts, technological skills.

To compliment the adjacent academic programs of Handley High School, the Innovation Center is infused with flexible, technologically advanced spaces that support discovery and experimentation. Increasingly, hands-on spaces that support architecture, engineering, cybersecurity, computer networking, and systems technology are in demand and deserve an innovative home with real world technical resources. The Architectural / Engineering Drafting Lab supports a vibrant program of design and fabrication. Shared 3D printers and plotters located on the adjacent mezzanine make fabrications visible to all students. The adjacent Computer Tech Lab is on display through the original stage opening.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

“We connect Career Technical Education with core academic education - there is truly innovative learning happening in this building.” – Dr. Jason Van Heukelum

Superintendent Winchester Public Schools

West Entry Stair and Rooftop Learning Terrace 19

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Welding Lab with overhead door to exterior work court

Professional Skills Labs 21

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Detail B • 1/2" thick acrylic cut to shape and sanded smooth on all sides • Paint all exposed planes (1) of (3) colors (PNT-3B, PNT-5B, PNT-6B) • Paint mask decoration on face of panel in PNT-1 • Finish with a low VOC satin clear coat • Blind-stud mount flush to wall surface Installation • Install to existing plywood panels • Install next to existing dimensional letters shown in installation elevations, existing dimensional letters are not in contract (NIC) • Installation elevations provided by designer. Final installation should be in relation to existing dimensional lettering already on site

36"

alth System

APPROVED

Professional Skills Valley Health System

Dave and Kathy Holliday

WAY_A3 The Professional Skills Academy addresses the skills gap in our workforce by equipping students with technical skills and training in state-of-the-art lab spaces that support hands-on, real-world projects.

State-of-the art Maker Foundations, Welding, and Carpentry Labs include equipment and tools to support hands-on training of materials assembly and construction techniques. Adjacent share classrooms are utilized for lessons on safety, compliance, and technical content.

WAY_A

G.10

Primary ID In addition, flexible lab spaces are equipped for instruction on Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical trades, and support evening classes in partnership with the local community college.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

“We should have this in every single region of the Commonwealth. That’s how we’re going to be successful.” – Terry McAuliffe, Former Governor of Virginia

Maker Foundations Lab 23

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Professional Health Sciences Skills Environmental Environmental Graphics Graphics

Professional Skills Environmental Graphics 25

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

Graphics + Wayfinding Environmental Graphic Design helps promote pride, encouragement, and community by rooting the Innovation Center in a sense of place and highlighting common goals. Throughout the Innovation Center, large-scale graphics incorporate local photography to cultivate student community and shared values, which translate into the project-based work performed in classes. In addition, each of the Center’s core programs include a specific color branding to support the ease of wayfinding throughout the facility and reinforce professional identities: Civil/Social: The color Red is used as the main branding accent for the Innovation Center and its exterior, establishing an identity of movement and vitality. Health Sciences: The color Blue is known to lower blood pressure and as a healing color for nervous disorders. It also helps to promote general health and wellness and provides a calming influence to combat the tension of high-stakes healthcare environments. Professional Skills: The color Green promotes security and enhances concentration, providing an ideal color accent to areas that require more quiet and extended concentration, as well as high amounts of visual activity. Advanced Technology: The color Yellow suggests spontaneity, innovation, and raises visual alertness, which married well with settings with active creative projects and where socialization is encouraged.

Winchester Public Schools Shihadeh Innovation Center

For more information on K-12 Education work please contact: VMDO Architects vmdo.com | 434.296.5684 200 E Market St Charlottesville, VA 22902 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 7000 Washington, DC 20006

Robert B. Winstead, AIA, LEED BD+C winstead@vmdo.com Kelly Callahan, AIA callahan@vmdo.com