…In one corner of the room, a student is building an airplane out of popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners and circuitry. At the center of the room, a small group of students is playing games with geometric blocks that teach them math as part of an interactive game…and just outside the studio window…a team of teachers [...]
In the case of schools, architects can leverage the transformational potential of design to improve health and well-being where students live, learn, and play. Co-designed by a team of designers, educators, and public health researchers, the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Design Guidelines (HEDG and PADG) – incorporated in the design of Buckingham County Primary [...]
By Dina Sorensen, Assoc.AIA, LEED AP Design that allows physical activity and movement to permeate school culture empowers kids with the choice of when and how they need to move - to learn. In 2010, our team of public health scientists and design practitioners began to engage in a multidisciplinary effort to formulate a platform [...]
In 2010, Buckingham County, VA committed to an emerging area of research that recognizes the role of a school facility in promoting healthy eating behaviors and attitudes. Collaborating with public health researchers, an interdisciplinary design team transformed two outdated schools in rural Buckingham County into a national model for healthy school design. The Buckingham County [...]
The Buckingham School’s design-research team recently presented “Designing Schools for Obesity Prevention: A Collaborative Model of Architecture and Public Health” at the 2014 AIA National Convention in Chicago. Building off of collaborative relationships and mutual experience working on the “Healthy Eating Design Guidelines” (HEDG) and related research at the Buckingham School, the team examined the [...]
The Washington Post hosted a summit on Wednesday, June 18 dedicated to discussing the topic of Health Beyond Health Care. From architects to educators, creative minds from across disciplines convened to look at innovative efforts currently in effect that are working to improve the health and well-being of millions of Americans. VMDO Project Designer Dina Sorensen, LEED [...]
The AIA Committee on Architecture for Education has named Buckingham County Primary & Elementary Schools a 2014 Education Facility Design Excellence Award recipient! This is one of the highest honors an educational facility can receive. Jury Comments: "This project successfully revitalizes an existing learning environment through adaptive re-use and thoughtful expansion. Building on the momentum [...]
On May 1, 2014, Fast Company Magazine highlighted 4 buildings that "nudge people to live healthier lives" and Buckingham County Primary & Elementary Schools made the list! A recipient of the Center for Active Design's inaugural excellence award, the project is in part premised on the idea that design plays a large role in public health [...]
The Buckingham County Primary and Elementary Schools K-5 Project has officially received LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council’s LEED for Schools rating system! The school campus prompts healthy decisions and is made with healthy materials. Materials and furnishings were chosen for their health-promoting qualities – in terms of specific sustainable features [...]
Buckingham County Primary & Elementary Schools has received an inaugural Excellence Award from the Center for Active Design! Buckingham was the only school commended for its active, health-promoting design. Juror Comments: “The Buckingham County Elementary School is inspiring - their incorporation of active design guidelines and healthy food access has made this school a beautiful, [...]
