Photo by Benjamin Benschneider, courtesy of BLRB Architects Renton School District’s $19.2 million Meadow Crest Early Learning Center opened in 2013. The 68,000-square-foot center was designed by BLRB and built by Porter Brothers Construction.

Can you design a school theater that pleases everyone?
It’s hard to create spaces where speech and music both sound their best. Maybe it’s time to consider alternatives.
By MICHAEL R. YANTIS
Sparling

What schools can learn from Starbucks
The Internet is making single-purpose spaces like libraries less relevant. Why not replace them with spaces students will actually use?
By TODD FERKING
DLR Group

Renton preschool offers kids a running start
Each classroom wing has a unique insect mascot so that non-English-speaking students and families can easily find their way.

By ANDY COTTRILL
BLRB Architects

How replacing an old building is like selling New Coke
Architects face pressure to chase the next new thing, but a radical student center renovation shows that even a tired old building can be successfully revived.
By BARNEY MANSAVAGE
SRG Partnership

Locals designers help rebuild schools in Haiti damaged by earthquake
Architects and engineers working with a relief group are creating disaster-resistant designs for 10 new schools in a quake-ravaged area.

By DENNIS ERWOOD
Studio Meng Strazzara

What to consider when building a new school next to the old one
It takes a lot of planning and communication to avoid disruptions and keep staff and students safe.
By MIKE FINNEGAN and DAVID BEAUDINE
Heery International

WSU technology lab combines work with show
Visitors can see scientists at work in a lab equipped with a 25-foot-high traveling bridge crane and hooks that can lift 15 tons.

By ADRIAN MACDONALD and DEAN CLARK
LMN Architects

Do art and science mix? Lab designers give it a try
The Evergreen State College wanted to see if it could build a space that messy artists and fastidious scientists could share.
By ALEX ROLLUDA, DONN STONE and KATHI WILLIAMS
Rolluda Architects