 | 1 LU |
| 1 LU |
Where is the intersection between design and wellness? As architects, designers, and educators, we have a unique opportunity to create spaces that foster trust, empowerment, academia, and joy. In this presentation, we will share our experience of successfully incorporating wellness into the design of a 6-12 public school in Austin, Texas. As a school principal and architect, we believe that the physical design of a space can transform the quality of lives by either impeding or enhancing the richness of teaching and learning. We will provide practical guidance for achieving the goal of prioritizing wellness. Our presentation will cover the design concept, lessons learned, and how these spaces are used today.
Learning Objectives:
Kristina is an innovative educator with 33 years of experience. She is the retired Principal of the award-winning Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, where she led the programming during the design and build process. Kristina's unique skill set, including a Masters in Counseling and Educational Administration allows her to translate clients' vision and mission into creative, timeless, collaborative spaces for both students and educators. Kristina is a National and Texas conference presenter and is committed to merge design and human flourishing to change the landscape of teaching and learning.
Rebecca is a practicing Architect in Central Texas with a career focus on educational architecture. In the past 30 years, she has been in design leadership positions for over 20 new PK-12 educational facilities. She is grateful for the recognitions many of the schools have received but is even more grateful for having played a part in the experiences of the students and educators journeying through the facilities. Passionate about the conversations Innovative Learning Environments bring to the table, Rebecca is committed to seeking the balance of designing for human experiences, cultural context, and the natural environment.
This track addresses the Response to real-world events and experiences that impact our daily life and our ability to function normally and be productive. The response to these occurrences is reflected in the learning environments we create and leads to the question – how can schools respond to real-world crises in a way that supports the well-being of occupants and our students' learning journey? How do we respond with approaches and strategies that may be used to balance the inability and lack of needed financial resources to address deficiencies within our learning environments’ infrastructure? Topics expand on the Art approach to the theme, but also include Science in the form of findings and outcomes through case studies and examples of successful responses to real-world conditions and events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, declining student enrollment, economics, equity, and other topics.
Primary Core Competency
Educational Visioning: Exhibits an understanding of best and next practices related to educational leadership, programming, teaching, learning, planning and facility design. Establishes credibility with educators, community members and design professionals while conceiving and leading a community-based visioning process. Demonstrates the ability to articulate the impact of learning environments on teaching and learning and uses that ability to facilitate a dialogue that uncovers the unique needs and long-range goals of an educational institution and its stakeholders – translating that into an actionable written/graphic program of requirements for the design practitioner.