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Planning of New Schools
Planning for a new school includes gathering information from many sources, analyzing research, and hearing from multiple stakeholders. The planning guidelines included here provide basic information and site consideration criteria useful for specific levels of schools as noted, or pertinent to all schools across the State.
Links are provided to relevant Hawai‘i State Board of Education policies such as BOE policy_106-02.pdf on “Class Size” which provides optimum class sizes (for K-3 shall be 20:1; and for 4-12 shall be 26:1), and policy 301-2.pdf on “Creating Communities of Learners” which sets the following design enrollment guidelines for new schools:
Type of School Enrollment Range **Usable Acreage
Elementary (*Pre K-5) 400 to 750 students 8 to 15 usable acres
Middle (6-8) 500 to 1,000 students 15 to 20 usable acres
High (9-12) 800 to 1,600 students 45 to 55 usable acres
*For enrollment determinations, "Pre K” covers Special Education students aged 3 and 4 years old.
**Usable acreage is generally defined as land free of encumbrances determined to be unnecessary by HIDOE, slope of five percent or less, and with no ravines or streambeds.
Policy 301-2 also sets reduced useable acreage guidelines for sites in existing urban areas where the availability of land is limited to infill sites. These sites will require special planning in order to create efficiencies within the vertical school facilities and to maximize the potential of outdoor play spaces available to students.
Additional Site Selection Criteria for new school sites includes, but is not limited to the following:
Shape; The length to width ratio of the site should not exceed 2.5 to 1.
Slope: Ideally the campus site should have a maximum slope of 5 percent
Hazard Areas: The site should not be in a tsunami inundation zone; a major flood plan; or a potential landslide area.
Traffic: The site should not be in an area hazardous to pedestrian or vehicular traffic safety. The site should have a minimum of two vehicular access points each on a different side of the property. Location of access points subject to HIDOE approval.
Timing: The school site should be conveyed to HIDOE as a fee-simple title with no restrictions and no reversions prior to the start of construction on the school site.
Exclusivity: The use of the school site shall be limited to public school and ancillary school recreational uses.
Availability of Utilities: Appropriate off-site utility infrastructure needs to be in place prior to the start of school construction.
Scope, Timing, Notification: Plans for a new school will show the geographical area to be served, the proposed grade structure, the projected opening date, and the design enrollment.
The Charette Process Guide
This Section provides a general overview of the entire charette process, participants, and goals.
Introduction
The HIDOE’s Charette Process is a series of focused planning and intensive on-site decision-making sessions to design new schools or to design major renovations to existing schools. A team of interested “stakeholders” concentrates their efforts and energies on specific design problems and arrives at solutions during these sessions. The charette process accomplishes four main goals: (1) It provides an opportunity for all those influential to the project to develop a common vested interest in the design and support its vision; (2) The input of all the players is gathered during these sessions so that prudent decisions can be made. This minimizes future redesign which is costly and can delay the process of conventional planning and design projects; (3) The team members work in a complementary fashion to produce a set of documents that address all aspects of design; and (4) A better product is produced more efficiently and more cost effectively because of this collaborative process.
Background
The term “charette” originated in France and comes from the French word for a small-wheeled cart, a “charette”. This particular usage of the term is from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, a famous Parisian architectural school. When an architectural student’s work was due, a cart (or “charette”) came through the student communities to collect project drawings and take them back to be judged. Students were often unfinished with their drawings, so they got on the cart to finish their designs in a very concentrated effort. They were “on charette.” To this day, designers working intensely on a project often say they are “on charette.” Thus, HIDOE has adopted this term for the process of producing quality conceptual designs in a timely manner.
Purpose
The following description of the charette process is to provide designers with a guide to follow and to provide detail and specific procedures and processes to be followed, without being too prescriptive. The good points are highlighted to avoid missteps. Participants should be able to use this information to determine their roles and responsibilities.
Benefits
There are many benefits to this process which are:
· Customer satisfaction
· Validation of scope
· Consensus of design decisions
· Functional design product outcome is formulated
Participants and Responsibilities
The Project Delivery Team
The project delivery team shall consist of the architect and their consultants. Consultants shall include the mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineers, and landscape architect. Specialty consultants could include the food service consultant, traffic engineer, soils engineer, cost estimator, sustainable schools design consultant, and others. The decisions on what consul-tants to invite shall be the responsibility of the project delivery team in order to formulate a complete project.
The Facilitator
The Facilitator is the impartial third party charged to assist the project delivery team in the charette process. The Facilitator conducts the actual event and monitors the completion of the final documentation after the charette. It is critical that the facilitator understands the design process, the educational process, as well as having group dynamics and leadership skills. Keys to a successful charette depend on the facilitator’s ability to remain neutral on issues, ability to solicit input from all parties, and management of the time and resources of the event. Due to the strenuous process that the charette entails, it is important the facilitator has the ability to maintain the stakeholders’ interest over extended periods of time.
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee consists of a small group of people who will represent the various stakeholders of the project. The Steering Committee is made up of representatives of the school such as administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members and/or business people and others responsible for representing the community's ideas for the school. The size of the project may determine the size of the Sterring Committee, as it requires a commitment to participate, along with the Facilities Development Branch, throughout the charette process. This body is responsible for making all the design decisions throughout the charette sessions and will report back to the school and the community at large.
Ad Hoc Educational or Curriculum Committee
The Ad Hoc Educational or Curriculum Committee is comprised of teachers, educational officers, and other HIDOE specialists with content knowledge, commitment to excellence in the classroom, knowledge of innovation and new concepts for learning, and competence in various other areas that effect/benefit the educational environment. They serve in an advisory capacity, providing input and recommendations to the Steering Committee on curriculum issues and spatial functionality during the design charette.
Student Representatives
The ultimate users of any school are the students and student input on desired learning environments is important. Student representatives shall participate in the charette process on a part time basis to provide input and critique the progress of the plans. The extent and form of their participation will depend on the level of the school and the size of the project.
Government Agencies
Representatives from other government agencies may be invited to participate in the charette process. Selected agencies concerned with the approval process should also be included in the process. These would include but not be limited to both State and City agencies.
Empowerment and Commitment of Time
The quality of the final charette product depends on having full participation and commitment of dedicated members. Selected participants need to keep in mind a vision for the whole educational environment and be empowered to make clear decisions for their portion of this process. Likewise, all should understand and agree that the success of the charette depends in a large part on committed participation and a willingness to seek what is best for the total school. It is critical that all be available throughout the entire charette to ensure their involvement in the development of the history of the project and for productive and timely decision making
Preparation for the Charette
Prior to the charette the deisgn team shall hire a qualified educational facilitator. A critical element to the success of the charette will be the pre-planning and gathering of background information in order to focus on key decisions that will need to be made early in the design timeline. In addition, identifying the participants, setting a timeline, and securing commitmentsis important.
All charette participants need to be empowered to make decisions for their portion of the process. The Steering Committee will be representing their stakeholders and the charette product should be considered a quasi-contract for the decisions made. Changes made after the charette would need to be brought back to the committee for approval.
Prior to the start of a charette for a new school, the Facilities Development Branch shall facilitate the development of an educational plan with complex area leadership and community stakeholders. The plan sets out the vision and mission for the school, and describes agreed upon curriculum focus areas, optimum instructional strategies and delivery methods, guidance for instructional settings, administrative areas, and support functions, and the desired overall general characteristics of the school.
Outline of an Educational Plan
Vision
(Example)
__________________ Middle School where learners are inspired to explore
Mission
(Example)
Together we will:
1. Cultivate a safe, nurturing and rich environment through interactive partnerships and symbiotic relationships
2. Engage in a dynamic, responsive curriculum to produce life-long learners
3. Unify a sense of community pride by fostering partnerships throughout the community
4. Be receptive to technological advancements while encouraging the growth of positive, productive citizens.
General Instructional Needs
Specialty Curriculum Focus Areas
Special Education Needs
Student Support / Wellness
Student Activities
School / Community Connections
Administration
Library Multipurpose Learning Center
Dining / Cafeteria
Outdoor Areas
Safety and Security
Other Considerations
Goals and Milestones During the Charette
Although the organization and length of the charette is usually set up by the facilitator, it is important that the following milestones are reached and discussed:
Exploration of the learning context, learning signature, learning expectations, learning process, learning organization and learning environment for the school.
Thorough understanding and development of the site concept.
Thorough understanding and development of the building concepts.
Development of the conceptual design and master plan.
The length of time necessary to accomplish the above tasks is determined by the complexity of each project and the experience of the facilitator.
Charette Products
The ultimate product coming from a HIDOE design charette is a conceptual or pre-schematic plan for the school. In effect, this plan becomes the basis for the master plan of the school. The project delivery team shall produce a Final Charette Report to include the following:
An executive summary
A description of the entire community design process for the particular project, including a list of participants
Program planning requirements which would consist of the following:
Background of the project
Proposed budget and square footage parameters
Project site and location maps
Access (vehicular and pedestrian) and parking/loading
Noise control
Sustainability goals
Conceptual plans for the following areas:
Architectural site and floor plans
Simple furniture layouts to depict scale and interior concepts where needed.
Civil plans to address grading and drainage, water and wastewater, roadways and site access.
Landscape plan – description of proposed planting and hardscape areas
Structural assessment for foundation, floors, wall and column systems
Mechanical plan – description of fire sprinkler and air conditioning systems, and plumbing system
Electrical plan – description of electrical, fire alarm, and technology systems, and exterior and interior lighting systems
Appendices to include the following:
Cost estimates.
Exterior elevations and sections to show architectural character.
Space Program
Comparison of the Space Program and any revised proposed space allocations (record of trade-off SF)
Traffic studies (if any)
Basis of design for architectural, civil, landscape, structural, mechanical and electrical consultants and any other specialty consultants
Charette session notes
Project news articles (if any)
In addition to the Final Charette Report, the project delivery team shall produce presentation sized colored drawings which illustrate the site plan and capture the vision and character of the school.
At the conclusion of the charette, the whole team should prepare a presentation to the community. This is intended to show "universal" commitment to the project and to solicit community comments. Each person on the Steering Committee as well as the Project Delivery Team may be tasked to present a specific topic.
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