David Epstein, Author at TruexCullins

Digital Crayon: Article 11 – Aligning Existing School Facilities with 21st Century Learning

February 4, 2013

By David Epstein

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP In the last article, we discussed how greening an existing school is often more difficult than building a new school. The same could be said for integrating 21st century learning concepts into an existing facility. Despite the challenges, I would say this is a goal of every school […]

Digital Crayon: Article 10 – Greening Your Existing School Facility

January 21, 2013

By David Epstein

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP In our last article, we discussed the sustainability in a general way as viewed through the lens of the LEED Green Building Rating System. I am sure many of you are wondering: how do I green my existing facility. Here again, looking at LEED’s Existing Building: Operations + Maintenance […]

Digital Crayon: Article 9 – School Safety and Security

January 4, 2013

By David Epstein

In light of recent tragic events, I thought it would be timely to discuss safety and security at schools. It is always a difficult discussion. In many of our local schools, there is a feeling that the community is safe and something bad couldn’t happen here. The shooting in Essex, Vermont in 2006 certainly shifted […]

Digital Crayon: Article 8 – Sustainablity

December 3, 2012

By David Epstein

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP Sustainability, Green Schools, Environmental Design – it goes by many names these days. Everybody wants it for their schools, but few schools understand what it means and the level of commitment required to make it happen. We believe sustainable design is a great fit for schools because it […]

Digital Crayon: Article 7 – Technology in Schools

November 19, 2012

By David Epstein

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP In our last conversation, we looked at the Learning Commons (aka Library) and started discussing technology. This is a subject worth spending a little more time on. While schools we work with are all increasingly integrating technology into the learning experience, they are all at different parts of […]

Digital Crayon: Article 6 – The Learning Commons

November 5, 2012

By David Epstein

Last article we discussed 21st century learning concepts and their impact on school design. Nowhere is this more relevant these days than in libraries. It seems as though every one of our schools is grappling with how to transform their libraries into a “Learning Commons”. In our work and research, we have come to understand […]

Digital Crayon: Article 5 – 21st Century Learning

October 15, 2012

By David Epstein

Another key driver behind school change is the need to align facilities with the way schools now teach (or at least want to). The full spectrum of changes in education these days is generally termed “21st Century Learning”. This term refers to ideas like student-centered learning, project-based inquiry, interdisciplinary themes, etc. The goal is to […]

Digital Crayon: Article 4 – School Traffic and Safety

October 8, 2012

By David Epstein

Our last article was about growth and community. Another big issue with virtually all schools we work with is on-site traffic congestion and safety. Everybody is driving their kids to schools these days. This results in backups and delays, both on and off the school grounds. Because of this, people park everywhere and kids cross […]

Digital Crayon: Article 3 – Growth and Capacity

October 1, 2012

By David Epstein

First let’s talk about some of big drivers behind a facility project. Ideally, these are defined in a strategic plan, but that is not always the case. Having a strategic plan as starting point gives the school leadership team a clear mandate for pursuing its primary facility goals. Often, however, needs emerge from the […]

Digital Crayon: Article 2 – The School Planning Process

September 19, 2012

By David Epstein

Last article we discussed getting started on a facility project. In this article, let’s discuss how the master planning process might work. If it is an existing building or campus, we generally divide up the process into three components: Facility Analysis, Programming and Concept Design. If it’s a totally new project, then of course the […]

Digital Crayon: Article 1 – Musings on School Design

August 31, 2012

By David Epstein

Welcome to the first entry of Digital Crayon, a series on school planning and design. My goal with this series is to share with you some of the insights learned in our Education Studio and throughout my career. By way of introduction, I am a partner here at TruexCullins and co-lead our Education Studio […]