Schools being built today are not the little red brick buildings of years past, occupying the local neighborhood corner. In today's highly technological society, urban school facility design requires us to think smarter and act wiser. Construction budgets for both renovation and new school construction are skyrocketing, at a time when many school districts are faced with budget and funding cutbacks. Designers of these multi-million dollar facilities must think carefully about the impact of the design on those who occupy and maintain the building once the construction crews leave.

The designer must understand the school's educational program and how the building will be used before commencing design, a well-planned program for taking advantage of outdoor educational opportunities is essential for the long-term success of a school facility today. Too often, a building is completed and occupied and then turned over to faculty and children, who never participated in the design process. In some cases, facility managers must maintain a landscape, whose long-term preservation has not been well conceived. In other cases, a facility management group may not have the ability, staff or budget to support what the designer thought was an interesting idea on paper. Quite often a school building committee will make decisions without understanding how the facility will be used and maintained in the future. Over the past 20 years, I have observed that no two schools are alike in their respective needs. The one thing that is apparent, however, is that there is much the designer must think about before pencil is put to paper.

The world graphic (top) allows the racially diverse student body to point to places from which their parents emigrated. The area also acts as a community water play area in the summer months. The playground equipment (bottom) simulates ships coming into port, recalling how many of the children's ancestors arrived in Boston.

Providing for Outdoor Recreational Needs

The selection of materials to be incorporated into the schoolyard design is key. Schools with old playground equipment, which is non-compliant with today's safety standards and universal access codes, should consider replacement before a child is hurt. The number of accidents could be greatly reduced with safe equipment and a proper surface below the equipment. Today's playgrounds, if designed with education as a part of play, function as outdoor classrooms. Such is the case at the Chelsea Elementary School in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Carol R. Johnson Associates designed a world graphic that allows the racially diverse student body to point to places from which their parents emigrated. The area acts as a community water play area in the summer months. This playground is home to the city's 2,400 elementary students, who share this one facility. The challenge was to offer enough outdoor play space to accommodate the children, with green space as well as playground space. The playground also acts as a community playground and park in the off school hours.

In determining a building's appropriate size and in siting the building, the designer must be sure to provide adequate play space for each student. Providing adequate play space to accommodate the activities planned for each child varies according to the grade level of the children. Generally, children in kindergarten need enclosed, safe areas controlled by fencing, with play structures designed to meet their limited size and abilities. Children in grades 1 through 5 need more open space for lawn games than kindergarten age children. The size of playing fields for this group should reflect their ages and ability levels. For example, baseball fields should be designed to Little League standards for younger children verses regulation standards for older children. This age group typically uses more half-court basketball play areas than full courts. Play structures are at their highest use in this age group. They must offer more challenging activities for children of this group than those for children in kindergarten.

Children in grades 6 through 8 require more full-size sports fields and basketball courts. Accommodating the open space needs of students in grades 9 through 12 requires more land for expanded physical education programs, a difficult problem in any urban context. These students require full-size baseball, soccer, football, field hockey, and softball fields, and occasionally tennis courts. In some instances, playing fields may have to be segregated for boys and girls. Students in these grades also need outdoor space where they can hang out. Seniors need space in which to congregate, separate from juniors, sophomores, and freshmen.

Whenever possible, play activities, playgrounds, and even the surrounding landscape should be used as teaching tools and incorporated into the classroom curriculum. As Landscape Architects for a new K-8 grammar school in Methuen, MA, Carol R. Johnson Associates created a pilot environmental educational program for all 5th and 6th grade science classes, who used the school's surrounding wetlands as an outdoor classroom.

The landscape of Methuen K-8 Grammar School (top) was incorporated into a pilot environmental education program for all 5th and 6th grade science classes. Some equipment manufacturers like GameTime, based in Fort Payne, AL, offer their own graffiti removal product. Costly skateboard vandalism can be curtailed through the use of Skateblock (bottom) which is manufactured by Ravensforge.

As with landscaping, site improvements for the schoolyard and playground must withstand vandalism. Vandalism is a continuing headache for both urban and suburban schools must contend. With this in mind, schools should give careful thought to the selection of any kind of site furniture. Metal furniture may withstand heavier abuse. Consider the use of strong welds, connector, vandal-proof screws and bolts. When using wood, consider the ease at which the slats can be replaced, and whether the wood you are using is available in your locale. There is merit in the use of new, recycled plastic products instead of wood. I like to specify repair kits for each bench, trash receptacle, or play equipment item that I recommend, so that the facility manager is provided with an instant repair kit from the manufacturer from the start. Consider how easy it will be to touch up any damage to the furniture with a can of spray paint. Make upkeep and repair simple, and there is a good chance that they will get done. Where graffiti may be a problem, consider the use of anti-graffiti coatings on all walls, masonry, concrete or other vertical surfaces up to a height of 10 feet. This will allow the easy removal of any unwanted paint products. Some equipment manufacturers like GameTime, based in Fort Payne, Alabama, offer their own graffiti removal product.

The new craze in skateboarding has also left maintenance crews shaking their heads. Skateboards do serious damage to metal railing, concrete walls, stairs, cheekwalls, site furniture and other surfaces, which they can jump, slide down, or glide across. To deter skateboarders, consider the use of wall tops that have vertical raised edges, rails that have interruption points, or vertical loops periodically placed along the rail top. These small design details will reduce maintenance and replacement costs. Stairs can also be damaged by skateboarders. Schools should consider the use of metal edging to the risers to prevent chipping of the front of the riser by the skateboard.

Landscaping

For high-density urban school sites, landscaping must be safe and as maintenance free as possible. Throughout the U.S., there are different types of grasses for lawns in different climates, but the maintenance and care of lawns are the number one concern for most school landscapes. School lawns are subjected to heavy traffic, compaction of soils, lack of water, and misapplication or no application of fertilizers. It is a simple fact that lawns need well-drained soils, sufficient water, regular fertilizing, and sun.

The correct use of trees and shrubs is also a major concern. Trees and shrubs should be used where they are most cost effective, and where they also provide shade, seasonal interest, and framing of the architecture. It is important to make the greatest use of native trees and shrubs. Landscape Architects on a design team will be able to offer selections of plant types that are pleasing and at the same time non-invasive in the ecosystem. Using shrubs that require less water and pruning, which are also able to withstand abuse by children, is key. I am always careful not to use plants with larger thorns, as they can be dangerous to small children. I also carefully consider the types of plants and eliminate any whose leaves, flowers, or berries are poisonous if eaten. (See sidebar on page 6-7) On several occasions, I have seen kindergarten children in playgrounds become attracted to plants with poisonous, brightly colored berries, picking the berries while teachers, unaware of the potential danger, look on.

Depending on its region's climate, the most important tool a school can give its maintenance crew is a good, well-designed irrigation system. This is especially important in climates with insufficient rainfall, to ensure that lawns will germinate and plantings will become established. Because of cost estimate overruns, many projects suffer elimination of the irrigation system at the very end of the design process. There is also a frequent misunderstanding among building committees, who think that if the schools in their town have gone for years without irrigation, it is possible to establish acres of new lawn without an adequate means of watering. It is a proven fact that it does not take long to recover the initial cost of an automatic irrigation system, as compared to the cost of watering by hand or moving hoses.

Another innovative and increasingly popular technique is the use of recycled water for irrigation. Rainwater can be collected from rooftops and stored in underground storage areas, then pumped back out for use in an irrigation system. The underground tanks are especially effective, since they do not create an open body of water, which might otherwise prove dangerous to small children.

I should note that there is a whole new way of thinking when it comes to storm drainage design and water quality improvement. Many states mandate this type of new technology with respect to Best Management Practices and water quality improvement. There is no reason a school should not protect its water supply. I have found it a unique opportunity to come back to the school, once completed, and talk to the children about the design and the types of things that were used to protect the environment. We have done this on a number of occasions. The children are very keen on these issues, and I usually find that they gain more respect for the building and grounds when they have an understanding of the efforts that went into their design to protect the environment and to recycle materials.

For the Methuen Comprehensive Grammar School in Methuen, Massachusetts, we sited a 1,200 student building on an island of land surrounded by wetlands. With careful planning, pedestrian bridges were built to allow students to cross the wetlands and to view the habitat and animal life up close. One of the bridges comes out of the building at the second floor and thus is higher up in the tree canopy and the other is at ground level and offers passage through the marsh. It is a wonderful experience.

Conclusion

Finding suitable school sites and designing those sites successfully poses unique challenges. The process requires a keen understanding of a complex array of sociological, physical planning, and environmental issues. Landscape architects experienced in successful urban school site design, working with a good school design architect, can play a key role in this complex process. Although the challenges are significant, the benefits of a project well done will be realized for years to come. LASN