Advancing student wellbeing
through data-informed design
Post-occupancy evaluations provide key insights to cultivate student health, belonging and learning outcomes in K-12 school projects.

JOANN HINDMARSH WILCOX,
BRENDAN CONNOLLY and SEAMUS KELLY
Mithun

Alki Elementary School:
Reducing emissions through mass timber
Using mass timber for the three-story, 83,000-square-foot school reduced embodied carbon by 30 percent and created a warm, welcoming environment for students.

By JOE MAYO
Mahlum Architects

Designing for cognitive diversity:
A case for neuro-inclusive school environments
Inclusion in the built environment means creating multiple pathways of learning supported by sensory-sensitive environments, quiet zones, and visual and tactile learning tools.

By MEAGHAN BEEVER
Gensler

Wood goes back to school
AEC professionals can help schools overcome traditional mass timber impediments so they can build better learning environments for students, faculty and the earth.

By ALEX LEGE
PCS Structural Solutions

A decade of design collaboration:
Eastside Preparatory school
and the making of a campus
How comprehensive master planning transformed a 1980s office park into a vibrant, light-filled campus designed for connection, curiosity and belonging.

By JEFF BOONE
PUBLIC47

The University Cooperative School's journey of reuse and innovation
The school's phased renovations were carefully coordinated with a whole-building seismic retrofit, allowing the school to modernize, expand its programs, and maintain full operations during construction.

By STEFAN HAMPDEN
CAST architecture

Twenty-five feet of grade change, 100 years of history: re-imagining SPS' most complex site
Montlake Elementary's new design brings a needed accessibility upgrade to the historic building while prioritizing flexible learning spaces and secure single-entry access.

By TODD FERKING and LILY SIU
Special to the Journal

Beyond the bond: Creative ways schools are financing capital improvements
Districts have options beyond traditional bond financing for school projects, and they may discover opportunities for broader community connections.

By MELISSA MCFADGEN
NAC Architecture

More than a school: How local
investment builds stronger communities
School building projects should include a commitment to local businesses, broadening student horizons and engaging with the larger community.

By BRIAN URBAN
Skanska USA Building

Transforming a Bothell office building
into a private K-12 school
Converting the former office building required a significant seismic retrofit and reimagining the space with classrooms, teacher support areas, a gym, a theatre and a cafeteria.

By MELANIE DEITCH and AARON BESMER
Cornerstone General Contractors