FRANKLIN, Tenn.—The Franklin Special School District (FSSD) has commenced buildout of a 38,400-square-foot Central Office building. The early-summer groundbreaking was attended by personnel from the district, the school board and members of the surrounding school community.

The Central Office suite was necessary as the older buildings were no longer able to efficiently host staff and other personnel dedicated to FSSD duties. Thus, on two levels, the Central Office will feature malleable areas for meetings as well as for larger gatherings.

As designed by Wold Architects & Engineers, the Central Office will radiate out from a centralized courtyard. A state-of-the-art, 2,800-square-foot assembly room will offer the latest in audiovisual technology, and the building will also be home to a fully stocked staff cafeteria, wellness area and storage facilities. Wold’s design allows for natural lighting to come in through the many windows; a common complaint of not only educators but other professionals is that the lack of sunlight can make for a more tiring day.

“[One] challenge was providing natural light into every office while maintaining a reasonable building footprint,” Steve Griffin, principal at Wold Architects & Engineers, said in a statement to School Construction News. “We achieved this by incorporating a central courtyard that provides windows to the interior, as well as direct access to fresh air and a pleasant space to sit or gather.”

In addition to the new Central Office facility, Wold and partner Nabholz Construction will be repurposing a nearby metal building to be reborn as the FSSD Facilities and Transportation Center. Accordingly, the 12,400-square-foot building will have administrative offices for facilities and transportation administrative, vehicular maintenance space, drivers’ lounge, as well as various storage areas.

Construction, now underway, is anticipated to finish in the early months of 2025.

Dr. David Snowden, FSSD Director of Schools, said at the groundbreaking that both he and the district view the changes to the school campus as positive for the future of the area’s children and the greater community.

“Having all of our district staff in one place will improve efficiency and communication as well as foster our organizational community as we continue to do the important work of providing a world-class education for our students,” Snowden said.

Wold, which has a breadth of design and engineering in school construction, provided construction administration services and environmental review for the new building, as well as coordinated planning efforts with FSSD to better understand the scope of the district’s needs for the Central Office.

“Supporting the communities in which we live and work is our priority, and we’re proud to continue designing innovative buildings with a historic touch to represent Franklin’s unique architecture,” said Wold’s Griffin.

Added John Strack, executive vice president of Nabholz Construction: “We are thrilled to bring this vision to life and construct a more expansive and efficient space for the Franklin Special School District community. This project aligns directly with our purpose to serve our clients and build our communities, supporting residents, students, faculty, staff and families throughout Franklin for many years to come.”

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Schools should be durable, flexible facilities adaptable to future needs. To meet inevitable changes in programming and student population, districts should collaborate with their architects and planning teams to consider strategies for future flexibility without sacrificing quality.

Lakeville Schools in Lakeville, Minn., serving 10,800 students, gained tremendous value in long-term planning with an architect to design schools with this approach. Lakeville has partnered with St. Paul, Minn.-based Wold Architects & Engineers for 25 years to collaboratively design schools to meet current and future needs. As the community expanded rapidly, schools accommodated seamless additions and renovations thanks to forward-thinking designs. Demographic shifts, programming changes and technology have been addressed proactively through this process.

Here are seven strategies to consider that will help ensure the schools communities fund today will be flexible enough to support the educational programming of future generations.

1. Collaborate During Design

Architects should not tell a district what kind of school to build. Instead, the design process should emphasize collaboration and ownership by all stakeholders. Ultimately, when building users play a meaningful role in the design, they embrace results and pass their pride and values onto future generations. Architects, administrators, educators and students can take part in planning discussions early on to ensure buildings are customized to the unique needs of the communities they serve.

2. Design with Change in Mind

Needs change constantly during a school’s lifetime. We may not know what or how schools will teach in 50 years, but we know there will be differences. It is important that schools are not overdesigned to only address today’s needs. Designs that incorporate easily adjustable walls and flexible common areas can adapt to future programming requirements. A design defines small, medium and large group spaces that could have different uses than current needs but provide flexibility in clustered layouts.

3. Design for the Greater Community

An adaptable school serves more than the students currently enrolled. Buildings that serve the community have longevity. Community spaces accessible through zoning and compartmentalization for group functions within schools serve a broader constituency keeping it active and purposeful to all. Designs should accommodate direct, secure access to cafeterias, gyms, performance and other gathering spaces. Spaces can be used by youth, seniors, organizations, businesses, etc. — for a multitude of uses.

4. Invest in Quality Materials

A school is a long-term investment, so school leaders should consider durable, timeless, low-maintenance exterior materials. Discussions between all parties should work to strike a balance between current trends and long-term flexibility for both functional needs and aesthetics. Paint, flooring and signage will be replaced several times during the life of a building, and provide an opportunity to address trends, but the shell should withstand time as well as potential impacts related to structural, site and climate changes.

5. Consider Expansion

Unknown factors could dramatically change the population demands on a school. By planning for the possibility of expansions or additions, a district leaves open the ability to gracefully expand rather than disrupt a school with awkward, tacked-on spaces. Wold designed New Prague High School in New Prague, Minn., to expand by 500-plus students by using removable exterior wall systems at key expansion areas and identifying future expansions on all site plans.

6. Assume Technology Will Change

Technology is a constant challenge facing schools. Computer labs, followed by laptops in classrooms and now handheld devices have changed the way schools teach and classroom design has evolved. Schools need to support greater power and connectivity. Easily accessible infrastructure allows transitions with lower cost and less disruption. While no one can completely anticipate future technology, districts can prepare by specifying accessible and expandable robust mechanical, electrical and technology infrastructure.

7. Consider the Future of Energy

As renewable energy sources become more affordable, many districts choose to invest in systems that will reach break-even points and return savings within a short window. Solar power and geothermal system costs continue to lower and can bring long-term value to schools. Many districts are also joining community-based renewable systems. Mechanical system designs should plan for adaptability when price, technology and options make it feasible.

Discussing proactive consideration and implementation of these strategies into a school’s design will facilitate future adaptability. Working with forward thinking architects that plan for the future will allow districts to meet future needs seamlessly.

Vaughn Dierks, AIA, LEED AP, is a partner with Wold Architects & Engineers of St. Paul, Minn.

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The 124,000-square-foot E-8 school will be the first ISD 728 school of its kind to be used for instructing a wide age range of students. Early childhood learners, kindergarten through fifth-grade students and sixth through eighth grade middle schoolers will all be taught in the same facility. This will help alleviate crowding issues at Rogers Elementary, Rogers Middle School and Hassan Elementary School as well as provide space dedicated to early learning within the district, according to Star News, a local news source.

“The City Council is very excited to see construction underway on the new E-8 building in Otsego,” said Otsego Mayor Jessica Stockamp in a statement. “We know this will meet the needs of both current and future families in our community that are within the ISD 728 school district. We are also looking forward to more discussion with the school board and staff for planning future facilities based on our continued growth in Otsego.”

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Otsego E-8 last spring as part of the plan for the new school to be completed by August 2017. The three other schools that make up the four-school building campaign include an addition and renovation to the Elk River High School gymnasium and activities center, an auditorium and science wing addition to Zimmerman High School and Middle School as well as a 7,300-square-foot addition to Zimmerman Early Childhood School.

The Elk River High School addition and renovation are scheduled for completion early next year, while the Zimmerman projects were completed earlier this fall. Leading the construction efforts on all of the projects is St. Louis Park, Minn.-headquartered Stahl Construction Company, with St. Paul, Minn.-based Wold Architects & Engineers as the design team.

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