DESIGN FOR THE USER
 Good schools function well. Creating design responses that are based on the needs of the people who will use the building the most – the students, teachers and staff – will result in better functioning schools. This requires discussions between those users and the design professionals so they understand what the goals, needs and patterns of use are.
Good schools help teachers do their job better. A properly designed instructional area can help the teacher deliver the lessons by providing the right resources in the right place at the right time. Each tool the teacher uses has to have a place in the instructional zone. Providing the right storage, the right utilities, the right surfaces, and the right lighting will help facilitate a better interaction between the student and the teacher leading to a stronger learning connection. Accomplishing this requires the design team to sit down with the instructional leaders, both at a district and school level, and discuss their educational goals and strategies. This intimate understanding, by the architect, of the educational delivery method will better shape the environment and inform the design.
At East Bakersfield High School, in Kern County, the district was committed to revitalizing the school as a part of their overall capital improvement program. While the initial effort was focused on a modernization of the existing facility, the discussions with the principal and teaching staff identified a need to address problems with the instructional space. The result is a new addition and renovation of the industrial arts building on campus to enhance the school's career education programs. The result will be a stronger academic program supported by a quality facility for learning.
The design process should incorporate the following principles:
- Engage teachers and staff, in meaningful ways, in the design process. Work with and understand the educational goals and systems of the teaching staff to enhance the overall quality of instruction and instructional space. Discussion about educational delivery brings greater focus to the design.
- Provide for multiple levels of flexibility in the instructional environment. Flexibility comes from providing for different ways of delivering instruction, not from expensive systems that can be reconfigured. To accomplish this, the design team must intimately understand the educational delivery.
- Discuss, with teachers, in depth, the tools that will assist in the teaching process. Gain a clear understanding of the resources and tools required for the academic program to help shape the facility response.
Legacy facilities provide instructional staff with greater flexibility. By engaging the teaching and facility staff in a shared conversation, the design process can create stronger solutions that will provide for the long-term needs of the instructional and support staff.
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