Build Successful Projects - HMC...
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Inside:
4 | Build Understanding, Build Successful Projects
8 | Listening: Market Trends Summary
What makes a building project successful? How can you provide the best learning environments for your students and community in an efficient and well-coordinated manner?
BuildSuccessful Projects
2013 Edition Two
Roger S. Oraze Elementary School // Fresno, CA
Clovis Unified School District
2012 Award of Merit, AIA San Joaquin
School News | 2013 Edition Two
Reno50 W. Liberty Street, Studio 630Reno, NV 89501775 322 9475
Sacramento2495 Natomas Park DriveStudio 665Sacramento, CA 95833916 325 1100
San Diego5935 Cornerstone CourtStudio 300San Diego, CA 92121619 744 4077
Central Valley1827 E. Fir Avenue, Studio 103Fresno, CA 93720559 322 2444
Los Angeles633 W. 5th Street, Third FloorLos Angeles, CA 90071213 542 8300
Ontario3546 Concours StreetOntario, CA 91764909 989 9979
Phoenix1001 N. 3rd Avenue, Studio 2Phoenix, AZ 85003602 575 2055
San Francisco417 Montgomery Street, Eighth FloorSan Francisco, CA 94104415 777 9422
San Jose1570 The Alameda, Studio 330San Jose, CA 95126408 977 9160
School Advisors3546 Concours StreetOntario, CA 91764909 945 6890
What makes a building project
successful? How can you provide the
best learning environments for your
students and community in an efficient
and well-coordinated manner? These
are the questions continually going
through the minds of school district
and county officials—many of whom
have risen through the educational
ranks and are now tasked with
managing a portfolio of properties and
building projects. Seeing the need for
schools and building team members
to better understand each other’s
roles and responsibilities, the Central
Valley Successful Projects Workshops
were developed.
The workshops are an evolution of
facility planner’s meetings, which were
led by the Fresno County Office of
Education. While the facility planner’s
meetings tended to attract smaller
districts, the Central Valley Successful
Projects Workshops are aimed at
greater collaboration with school
districts of all sizes and they include
project team members. The four-
part workshop series brought school
districts, architects and contractors
to the same table to openly discuss
strategies to a successful project.
The goal was to learn how to move
forward with building sustainable
relationships over the long-term,
foresee and overcome roadblocks early
in the process and understand how
getting along advantages everyone for
cost savings and better coordination.
Defining each party’s perspective and
having empathy for their roles and
specific challenges allows the entire
project team to work toward win-win
solutions, rather than disputing decisions
throughout the course of a project.
The workshops were structured in order
of the design and construction process,
focusing specifically on:
Workshop 1: Roadblocks. What
are the things that get in our way?
There is a need to understand how
the roadblocks vary between team
members and how they impact each
other as a collective whole.
Workshop 2: Selecting the team
and negotiating contracts.
Contracts need to be balanced
and there needs to be shared risk
so that all parities can share in the
success of a project. If contracts are
unbalanced, there is an adversarial
relationship from the beginning that
isn’t healthy for a project.
BuildUnder-standing
BuildSuccessfulProjects
Walt ByrdPresidentWH Byrd, Inc.
BY //Jeff BeckerDirector of Facilities and Operations Fresno County Office of Education
Scott Griffith, AIAPrincipal HMC Architects
Build Understanding, Build Successful Projects P//03
Build Understanding,Build Successful ProjectsPage 3
Listening/Market Trends SummaryPage 8
WITHIN EVERY PROJECT, ISSUES WILL ARISE.
IT IS HOW YOU OVERCOME THOSE ISSUES WITH COMMON SENSE ANDCOST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS.
Building long-term relationships was
perhaps the most valuable takeaway
from these workshops. When thinking
about the construction process, one
thing to remember is that every district
is different and there are certainly
lessons that can be learned from
each other—regardless of the size
of the district. By sharing insight and
resources in an open forum, all districts
and counties are empowered with the
tools to get their project done at the
same quality and standards, resulting
in the best possible facilities for their
communities. Those who attended the
workshops expanded their professional
networks and now have a long list
of contacts they can reach out to for
expertise when faced with a project
question or issue.
The Central Valley Successful Projects
Workshops are a unique and evolving
endeavor. The collective group is
providing input into what is most
important to them, what topics do
they want to go deeper into—this is
their meeting! Future session may dive
into specific topics that schools are
facing, like maintenance best practices,
lease-lease-back and preferred
project delivery methods, or building
commissioning. As organizers, we
are bringing the attendees together
and will take the workshops in a
direction that is of value. While
session focuses will change, the
end goal will always remain to
continue open discussions about
how to collectively make the building
process more efficient and effective.
Workshop 3: Using contracts
to resolve issues. The contract
should be a tool when you face
those issues. Think about how
do you resolve them fairly and
equitably to everyone’s satisfaction.
Workshop 4: The construction
process. There are many steps
including putting the project out
to bid, getting it started, building
it and finally close out. Attendees
discussed the value of pre-
construction services and the
implications of contingencies.
P//05School News | 2013 Edition Two P//04
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Walt Byrd
Scott Griffith
[email protected] Becker
ERIC CEDERQUIST, SUPERINTENDENT,
FOWLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Build Understanding, Build Successful Projects
P//07School News | 2013 Edition Two P//06
An Inside Look atLessons Learned
core values that facilities have a direct
correlation to test scores. Imparting
this philosophy to other districts has
allowed them to also realize that
if they make that commitment to
their facilities, they could also see a
difference too. From my perspective,
I want all districts to succeed. We
hear all the time that it is all about our
kids, but in reality it’s not just about
Clovis Unified students, it is about all
students!
I have also found the workshops
valuable for building a network.
I don’t want to pretend that I
know everything, because I don’t
and sometimes I need a different
perspective. There were a few in the
room that I have known for a while
and some that I just met, but now that
we have been through the workshops
together, I feel comfortable to call and
ask them a question.”
RICK LAWSONDIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING, CLOVIS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
A fundamental takeaway from
the workshops is to start earlier.
Assemble your team early, define
your project early, and get everyone
on the same page with the same
understanding as soon as possible.
For us as a County, it starts with the
moment there is a seed of an idea
in someone’s mind that looks like it
has legs and will become a project.
You start thinking about what you
need to do to get a team assembled
and who will be the right players for
that team.
It has been refreshing to experience
all parties’ willingness to be
collaborative and hear that we are
moving in a direction of a common
upfront understanding—one where
we trust each party to do their job
and have the best interest of the
project at heart. School districts
now have a better understanding
of the implications of their project
requests, while architects and
contractors recognize the pressures
The workshops are a meaningful
opportunity for districts and project
team members to network and
expand their knowledge in school
facilities. The discussions are open
and flowing and the venue provides
an opportunity to share, learn and
validate a variety of experiences and
practices. The mix of small and large
districts, as well as architects and
contractors, provides an opportunity
for discussion from very different
perspectives.
Several of my District team members
are also attending the workshops and
appreciate the learning experiences
and interaction with others. Districts,
other agencies, architects, and
contractors of all sizes in this industry
can benefit from becoming more
involved in these workshops to
diversify their knowledge and share
their own experiences.
LISA LEBLANCEXECUTIVE OFFICER, FRESNO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Attending all four sessions
personally has been invaluable.
Over and over again one of the
main messages that kept coming
out of the workshops was the
importance of pre-planning and
getting everyone at the table.
I’m fairly new. Coming from
a role as Principal, I had not
experienced the construction
process. I’m now in my third year
as Superintendent and after my
first year, modernization money
came through. While we are very
happy with how the project turned
out, it was a learn-as-you-go
process for me. Looking back after
these workshops, I realized that
the project could have benefited
from getting more input from the
principal, maintenance staff and
other individuals at the school
site from the start. I know a lot
more now about the design and
construction process and going
forward, I would begin pre-planning
early and engage more of our staff in
the process.
RUSSELL FREITASSUPERINTENDENT, FIREBAUGH-LAS DELTAS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
A common theme during
the workshops was how critical
communication, common sense
and understanding everyone’s role
is to the success of a project. Within
every project, issues will arise. It is
how you overcome those issues with
common sense and cost-effective
solutions. These lessons learned will
become building blocks for future
success of projects. An open line of
communication is also important,
especially within our own staff.
Principal and on-site staff can be better
integrated into the planning—in the
end, they are typically the ones who get
calls from the community or parents.
In the past, smaller districts didn’t
always understand that you need a
full project team or recognize the need
to assemble your project team early.
These workshops have changed the
level of expectations for construction
projects as people’s understanding
has matured. There is tremendous
value in pre-construction services and
assembling the team early will result
in fewer contingencies later on in the
project. To truly be successful, you
need someone on the site everyday to
be the eyes and ears of a project.”
ERIC CEDERQUISTSUPERINTENDENT, FOWLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
It is so important that schools,
architects and contractors to come
together to better understand each
other and deliver better projects. If
a State bond passes in 2014 and
districts expect to receive any of
that funding, then planning for future
modernizations or new facilities should
be underway. School districts might
need to take a bit of a gamble and
spend some reserve money to hire
an architect, get plans drawn up and
through DSA approval. Districts that
hold-off on planning until a state
bond is passed could miss out on
the opportunity to receive funds—
the State will be flooded with a
back-log of projects that are already
DSA approved and seeking money.
If districts plan early, the kids are
the ones who will benefit most.
They will be provided with quality,
environmentally friendly and safe
places to learn.”
DR. TERRY BRADLEYPRESIDENT, SCHOOL BUSINESS CONSULTING OF FRESNO
IF DISTRICTS PLAN EARLY, THE KIDS ARE THE ONES WHO WILL BENEFIT MOST. THEY WILL BE PROVIDED WITH QUALITY, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND SAFEPLACES TO LEARN. DR. TERRY BRADLEY, PRESIDENT
SCHOOL BUSINESS CONSULTING OF FRESNO
Build Understanding, Build Successful Projects
that school districts goes through on
a day-to-day basis and how school
facilities impact other areas of a
school’s program. Gaining that bigger
understanding of all the parties is a
critical component and uplifting to see.
Together we are all better.”
JEFF BECKER DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS, FRESNO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
One of the biggest lessons
learned is that Clovis USD isn’t the end
all be all and there are always ways to
improve upon current processes. I’ve
learned new perspectives from districts
that have different philosophies than
we do. For example, we can learn from
some of the smaller districts on how
they communicate more effectively
with their school site staff. It has been
refreshing to hear different points of
view and their unique challenges—and
the reverse is true too, I’ve been able
to share what has been successful
at Clovis. We are known for our
facilities and strongly believe in our
P//09School News | 2013 Edition TwoP//08 Listening: Market Trends Summary
Reduced funding
California State public schools and
counties are facing some significant
challenges for the foreseeable future.
The State’s economic conditions
have resulted in drastic reductions
in funding affecting operations,
infrastructure, and lower levels of
teaching staff resources and time to
deliver instruction. Consistent with
other State-funded organizations,
California schools have begun the
retooling process to structure their
operations to accommodate less
State funding in their annual budgets
for the foreseeable future.
Overall sentiment among school
administrators is that regardless of
recently passed State tax initiatives
and the future State General
Obligation bond anticipated in 2014,
they must prepare their organizations
for continued erosion of traditional
funding sources. This has resulted
in many school districts initiating/
contemplating local bonds to fund
buildings, maintenance, technology,
and other infrastructure related costs to
offset the reduced funding levels from
the State.
Adapting to new ways of learning
In addition to the operational changes
needed to adjust to the “new norm”
for funding, schools are continuing to
adapt their curriculum to the federally
mandated “common core” requirements
and are challenged to find effective ways
to incorporate technology into their
learning environments while keeping
pace with the way students are learning
outside of the classroom.
The subject of technology in the learning
environment was consistently mentioned
as both a challenge and the solution
to “how to do more with less.” The
challenges were not only associated
with the cost to acquire and implement,
but also around how to select from so
many options; and with new technology
comes the need to train staff, develop an
infrastructure to support new software
programs and hardware, and implement
across large districts with consistency
and equity.
CurrentSituation
01LI
STE
NIN
G During the third quarter of 2012, HMC Architects began a client outreach “Market Survey” to better understand what critical drivers are influencing how our clients deliver on their core mission, and to discern how that translates into how we design the spaces where they conduct business. We asked our survey participants to think about the future and respond with some of the more challenging issues that are keeping them awake at night. The following trends analysis demonstrates we are “Listening” and breaks down the K-12 market into four areas of focus:
01 Current Situation / 02 What Change Is Needed /03 Getting There / 04 Making The Project Work /
South Region Elementary School #9 // Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Unified School District
2013 Award of Merit, C.A.S.H. // 2012 Award of Excellence, AIA Inland California John S. Nichols AIA REFP, LEED AP BD+C
Principal and PreK-12 Practice Leader, HMC Architects [email protected]
BY //
School News | 2013 Edition Two P//10 P//011
School districts have recognized the
new reality from a funding perspective.
Now, how do they adapt to the new
reality? Although school administrators
acknowledge they have downsized
and changed their operations, most
recognize that the change process
has just begun.
Class sizes / flexibility
Reduced funding is currently resulting
in larger class sizes throughout
California; however, districts recognize
that this solution is short term and
that increasing class size using the
current teaching paradigm is already
having negative outcomes. As a result,
districts are planning for adaptability
in their classrooms. Ultimately they
need more flexibility in modulating
classroom environments for the future.
Class sizes will eventually shrink again.
Rely more on local communities
The new paradigm in public schools
is hitting districts on several fronts.
Reduced funding from the State is
requiring districts to rely more on
their local communities for funding,
as well as for other synergistic
opportunities to join with existing
resources (human or capital) to
accomplish mutual benefits with
limited resources. This was noted
through the use of shared facilities
and staff operations support among
districts and local municipalities.
Furthermore, this message is
being clearly communicated by the
California Department of Education
in its recent report on California’s
K–12 Educational Infrastructure
Investments.
Focus on student outcomes
Secondly, the growing acceptance
of technology-assisted learning
Modulated learning
With the proliferation of learning
applications intended to be delivered in
a variety of approaches, forward-thinking
districts are planning for curriculums and
environments that accommodate the
diverse array of options available. Most
of our survey participants acknowledged
that they are planning for students to
incorporate their own computing devices
(tablets, cell phones, or laptops) into the
daily learning platform and many are
already doing this at some level. Bring
Your Own Device (BYOD) is a near-term
reality, so classroom planning must
accommodate how to power these
devices and transmit data within the
classroom and campus environment.
Basic learning of the traditional material
can be delivered via online devices
thereby freeing up the teaching staff to
focus on individual instruction/coaching
and project-based learning activities.
tools, coupled with the shrinking
funds to maintain teacher salaries and
accompanying benefits structure, has
district staff asking difficult questions
about how to leverage technology to
improve outcomes while utilizing new
methods of teaching. However, teachers
unions and collective bargaining
organizations continue to resist changes
that threaten to erode their positions and
benefits within the system. The current
structure is perceived to be designed
around the staff and there needs to be
more emphasis on student outcomes.
Tie funds to improved outcomes
The third element of the new paradigm
in California public schools is the
anticipated change in how funding
will ultimately be administered by the
State. With the State actively lobbying
for more taxpayer dollars to be
committed to public schools, there is
renewed commitment to having those
This hybrid learning environment is
anticipated to enable teachers to better
address larger class sizes by allowing
a portion of the class to receive online
learning while the balance will get more
focused attention by the teacher. At
the same time, the anticipated result is
improved learning results.
Maintenance of schools
For years the State’s system for
applying funds to districts for on-
going maintenance activities has been
woefully underfunded. This was a
consistent theme throughout all interview
participants with no simple resolutions or
ideas coming to the forefront. However,
the discussions did center on a few
basic concepts:
funds tied to improved outcomes for
students. District officials are closely
monitoring this dialogue in Sacramento
and anticipating how they might adapt
their organizations to align with the
new paradigm in funding. Key issues
include “closing the achievement
gap” for underperforming sub-groups,
more rigorous methods of student
engagement, and the use of modulated
instruction to increase student
outcomes.
/ Consolidate and decommission/
dispose of underutilized assets or
lease out marketable facilities to
supplement other capital needs
and/or the general fund
/ Build/remodel to maximize
efficiency and minimize operational
and maintenance costs
/ Better documentation of current
infrastructure and the need
to increase awareness in the
communities that will be called
upon to supplement state funding
deficiencies
GettingThere
What Changeis Needed?
0302
BreakingwithTradition
Listening: Market Trends Summary
School News | 2013 Edition Two P//12
Project delivery methods
The survey participants expressed
limited emphasis on utilizing non-
traditional delivery methods in
constructing and renovating their
facilities. The frequent response
included the reference to the
perception of transparency in the
contracting environment. For most
participants, design-bid-build is the
anticipated model for the foreseeable
future, with some discussing the
use of lease-leaseback as a fallback
method to avoid unscrupulous
contractors.
Sustainable objectives
Within the districts we surveyed, we
received a consistent message that
sustainability was not about LEED,
but more about how to minimize
costs for both the short- and long-
term life cycle of a building. Energy
efficiency was critical given reduced
operating budgets. We also heard that
accomplishing LEED and sustainable
building design is just part of good
architecture and therefore should not be
charged as a premium to the architects’
basic services.
Improving satisfaction
with the A/E/C industry
As an architecture firm with very deep
roots in the K–12 school market,
HMC was particularly intrigued by the
responses we received from our school
clients. After assessing the comments,
we share some of the same concerns. In
general, we heard that the architectural
community is focused on the clients,
but perhaps not focusing on all the
pieces of the problems facing school
administrators today. We were told
that strategies to reduce operational
costs are a top priority and that the
A/E/C industry is having some success
there. However, the industry could be
doing a better job understanding the
linkages between facilities design and
student outcomes. Sometimes there
is a tendency to focus solely on the
traditionally published school building
criteria without attempting to describe
how the design enhances student
outcomes. We are in agreement with
our survey participants that there has
been some erosion in the process
whereby students’ evolving needs have
not remained the highest priority with
the design processes that are currently
utilized. We acknowledge that we can
do a better job on our part to study
student outcomes and to provide more
creative solutions and innovative thinking
that supports the overriding needs of
individual schools in delivering on their
mission to best educate California’s
youth. We also heard our clients
asking for help in better understanding
technology trends in teaching
environments. This was referenced
as an important element for the
future of the school system to aid in
overcoming the significant financial
and performance issues facing our
schools.
Measure of good design
Many of the responses we received
about the value of good design are
closely aligned with the specific
challenges the school districts are
facing today. In our survey we heard
that good design “builds support for
local bond measures;” essentially
demonstrating that local dollars are
being well spent. More specifically
we heard that good design should
be contextual, functional, and easy
to maintain with an emphasis on the
maintenance element. Our clients
know they will continuously be
challenged to upkeep their facilities.
Making theProjectWork.
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