Security and Safety: For Students, Staff, and the Community

As Americans in every industry face heightened security concerns, architects that design Environments for Learning need to create facilities that protect our nation’s youth as well as some of our most state-of-the-art technologies and research. Architects must consider both active and passive systems in designing and planning any Environment for Learning. Active systems such as security cameras and passive systems such as site configuration or community participation facilitate control of the environment, allowing for quicker, more effective reaction to any internal or external security concern.

Outdated educational design that includes multiple entrances, maze-like hallways, sprawling campuses, or hidden corners prohibit rapid evacuation and complicate measures to account for all students present in an emergency situation. In addition, these design flaws make regulation of who enters the school more difficult to control, and  increase complications in keeping track of visitors once they are inside.  

Cutting-edge architectural firms have implemented such innovative ideas as courtyards that can be designed to promote safety by forming a natural barrier with the walls of the existing building, and prevent outsiders from accessing the courtyard easily. Designing  “Schools within Schools” is another solution to increased security concerns. This trend separates children by grade level within larger schools to foster a sense of community and hence promote group security.