Current School Building Trends and Safety Measures with Architect Mary Ruppenthal

The Brighter Side of Education: Research, Innovation & Resources

Send us a Text Message.

In this episode, I focus on school facilities design. How does the design of school buildings and classrooms impact student learning?
Mary Ruppenthal discusses future trends in school design. She is a registered architect and an Associate Principal at HED, one of the oldest and largest architecture and engineering firms in the country (www.hed.design).

She has nearly 30 years of experience in public and private sector educational, civic, and cultural design. Mary oversees Pre-K-12 and community education projects and has devoted her career to collaborating with school districts in the design of innovative, high-performing educational facilities that enhance the user experience, maximize efficiency, and help shape the future for students of all ages.

Apart from their homes, schools are where children spend most of their time. While curriculum and teaching methods are vital, one aspect that often goes unnoticed is the impact of school design on student performance. A well-designed educational environment can have a profound influence on student learning, engagement, and overall well-being.

Over the last fifteen years, evidence has been accumulating on the relationship between environments and users’ health. In 2020 a group of researchers conducted a comprehensive, systematic review focused on the effect of the educational environment design on students’ and teachers’ performance, satisfaction, and wellbeing that included 1,307 studies.

The overall results indicate that a series of school features, of both internal and external spaces, should be used, to fit with users’ needs and improve learning experiences.

Data showed the use of a pleasant, warm, and flexible learning space in both influencing students’ wellbeing and enhancing their academic marks.

In the long term, the results could reduce of the number of students who leave early, increased wellbeing of pupils with specific learning disorders, promote positive class social interactions (e.g.,reduction of bullying) and integration (e.g., reduction of ethnic prejudice), and preventi

Support the Show.

Please subscribe and share this podcast with a friend to spread the good!
If you find value to this podcast, consider becoming a supporter with a $3 subscription. Click on the link to join: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support
To help this podcast reach others, rate and review on Apple Podcasts! Go to Library, choose The Brighter Side of Education:Research, Innovation and Resources, and scroll down to Reviews. It's just that easy. Thank you!
Want to share a story? Email me at [e-mail].
Visit my website for resources: http://www.drlisarhassler.com
The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.
My publications:
America's Embarrassing Reading Crisis: What we learned from COVID, A guide to help educational leaders, teachers, and parents change the game, is available on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible, and iTunes.
My Weekly Writing Journal: 15 Weeks of Writing for Primary Grades on Amazon.
World of Words: A Middle School Writing Notebook Using...

Chapitres

1. Current School Building Trends and Safety Measures with Architect Mary Ruppenthal (00:00:00)

2. School Design on Student Performance Research (00:00:39)

3. Mary Ruppenthal Introduction (00:02:38)

4. School Design Evolution (00:05:34)

5. Three Growing Trends in School Design: untethered, spontaneous, and technical (00:09:11)

6. Biophilic Design for Mental Health (00:14:48)

7. School-Based Health Centers (00:18:10)

8. Making Schools Safer (00:21:19)

9. Resilient, Sustainable School Design (00:24:22)

10. Green Roof Tops (00:27:40)

11. Classroom Design Advice for Teachers (00:29:05)

12. Call to Action (00:33:51)