Ohio Chapter Archives / Past Events

Archives / Past Events

Past Events

Chapter Webinar

Wednesday, October 30, 2019
10:00 am EST
Webinar link: Will be sent day prior

1.0 LU/HSW (AIA CEUs credits pending approval), Certification of Participation, or Local Professional Development Credit.

How Building Design Can Enhance Safety and Security

The evolution of learning and learning systems is inevitable and is influenced by numerous factors. Creating learning environments that students and staff feel safe and secure is fundamental and takes more than cameras and a double entry vestibule. The most physically secure buildings can conjure up a sense of fear and a more vulnerable atmosphere than a building that has open, bright, and flexible spaces. With advancements in modern technology and new understandings of the learning process, the educational environments of today must not only be designed to support new ways of teaching and learning but also address safety and security issues. Delivering these spaces requires educators, planners and architects to work collaboratively, addressing safety and security concerns while creating spaces that bring joy and are welcoming to students, staff, and community.

This webinar will explore design concepts that promote safe and secure environments as well as the importance of a community-driven design process. Presenters will provide practical solutions around these concepts for both new and renovated building projects and will encourage participants to engage by asking questions and sharing ideas throughout.

Learning Objectives

Examine educational spaces and how safety and security measures can impact the environment where students learn.
Describe how concern for student safety and security is driving the need to redefine and reconfigure educational facilities.
Apply practical solutions, techniques, and strategies to plan and design safe and secure learning environments.
Define and explain what is required to make new and renovated educational facilities safe and secure while also embracing changes to educational delivery models and taking into consideration quality of spaces for occupants.

Panelists
	Shamus P. O’Meara, Managing Shareholder, O’Meara Leer Wagner & Kohl in Minneapolis, where he has represented school districts, higher education institutions and public entities for over 25 years. He has been through many crises with public officials, including representing two school districts involved with school shooting incidents. He works with state and national departments of education, mental health and law enforcement agencies to promote safety and violence prevention in schools and on campuses. Shamus also assisted the National School Boards Association and Connecticut school communities following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
	Matt Helgerson is the Superintendent of Jordan Public Schools in Jordan, Minnesota. Following six years as a classroom teacher in Jordan, Matt cultivated his leadership abilities in a variety of leadership roles throughout the state of Minnesota including principal and eventually superintendent. Matt’s passion for the scope and sequence of a 21st Century educational landscape was realized with the infusion of multi-dimensional instructional and collaborative spaces that were developed in the renovation of the Jordan Middle School under his leadership. This philosophy continues as his current focus is to extend this level of inquiry, project-based learning to all levels of education within the district. Matt believes that service and partnerships build a strong community and works diligently to nurture and grow those relationships.
	Chris Gibbs, Principal at DLR Group, is a natural problem-solver who has focused his career on education design. He believes in creating design solutions that holistically transform the outcomes of education for all learners. He uses his leadership ability and creative planning skills to mentor young professionals in a variety of DLR Group’s K-12 studios. His designs elevate the learning experience for students and staff in communities throughout the US.