Brief+description+of+your+needs+assessment

In completing our needs assessment, our focus was interviewing stakeholders and interfacing with the builders and architects involved in the remodeling. The groups and individuals we interviewed consisted of the following: We also reviewed photos of spaces in other high schools and looked over existing data. There was little information that applied directly to the type of areas we would be designing, but we were able to glean a great deal of information from Jeffrey Lackey’s excellent website [|33 Educational Design Principles for Schools and Community Learning Centers]. Two of these design principles that guided our design concept are: The results of our research turned up information we expected as well as a few surprises. Some of the key findings included:
 * **Sundt.** The construction group was very willing to listen to our concerns, which may have been due to the fact that we were paying clients.
 * **BCA Architects.** The group was cognizant of the importance of flexibility, and willing to work with us within the parameters of the general blueprint. They were very helpful in making material recommendations, and when changes we asked for were deemed impractical, they explained clearly why our wishes were not possible.
 * **Staff.** An oft-changing core of 10-15 teachers, administrators, and support personnel worked with us in going through how the transitional spaces might be used, and how the spaces could be adapted to best fit within the basic architectural design.
 * **Students.** Volunteers from the students senators (at least two from each grade level) took part in brainstorming possible uses for the transitional spaces, and what challenges they foresaw.
 * **Parents/guardians.** Parent volunteers were surveyed concerning how they might use the spaces, what information could be provided to better serve visitors, and how to make the entrance more welcoming.
 * **Team members.** Members of the design team were asked to provide input in their area of expertise. SME’s on lighting, furnishings, ergonomics, and computer technology were all heard from in creating a user-friendly space.
 * **Educational Design Principle No. 1:** Maximize Collaboration in School Planning and Design. A wide variety of perspectives should be included in the design process, including that of students, in order to encourage sense of ownership, defuse political pitfalls, and initiate dialogue between school and the community.
 * **Educational Design Principle No. 4:** Plan for Learning to Take Place Directly in the Community. Not only should the school be a shared learning environment with the city, but it should also be recognized that learning should also take place in the surrounding urban and rural settings. “The school building is just one place where learning takes place.”
 * Findings**
 * Parents were particularly eager that the atrium entrance be more welcoming than the old administration buildings. There were many comments involving frustration with finding someone to speak with or not being sure where to go from those who had come on campus in the past.
 * All stakeholders showed interest in having a well-monitored place where students could access technology outside of the school day.
 * The SME’s and the design principles we reviewed all agreed that the spaces should be flexible enough to be used in a variety of ways. Though square footage is limited in each of the spaces, it was agreed that the furnishings needed to be comfortable, adaptable, and movable.
 * Parents and staff felt the areas should provide easily accessible information to the programs the school offers, as well as how SUHI is connected to the surrounding community. Access to college information was also mentioned, but much less frequently
 * Both Sundt and BCA Architects agreed that the proper materials would be essential in making the areas acoustically viable.
 * The students liked the idea of having access to these spaces both before and after school, as well as the fact that the spaces could be used both formally and informally. They did express concern about the use of security cameras monitoring the areas. Several expressed privacy concerns.