Call to Action: 

1. Understand the relevance and importance of post-occupancy research and how it impacts future projects.
2. The power of saying yes to new ideas and keeping an open mind from the pre-design to post-design process: no preconceived notions.
3. Create a scalable action plan for pre- and post- research of existing and new facilities to guide future impact.

Abstract: Community Unit School District #200 teamed with Legat Architects and Educational Environments to reinterpret their school libraries as a center for activated learning in two of their elementary schools. The data-driven process resulted in the development of library playbooks, a standardized kit-of-parts, and community engagement standards. The process of the libraries included research tied to curriculum and pedagogy by maximizing flexibility, transparency, wayfinding, and natural light integration. Students, teachers, administrators, and the community were engaged throughout the process for both quantitative and qualitative results. The library research expands to include pre- and post- occupancy surveys, use surveys, and furniture testing. The research led the design to integrate spaces for the nine types of intelligence, tactile learners, and introverted space so that all types of learners could feel safe and comfortable, therefore being placed in a mindset ready to learn. Even the furniture selected would specifically engage in student advancement and research. With all this research and standardization in the development of two libraries in the same district, post-occupancy studies were conducted to best understand the advancements' ROI. Having two schools being used as test fits led post-occupancy outcomes to question; How can environments best be standardized for environmental equity in a district, but also allow for situational latitude? How can development standards give a district-wide feel, but also be highly adaptable depending on the environment selected to be renovated? The results found make the research and approaches scalable and obtainable for a variety of district administrators, educators, researchers, and designers. A digital playbook, which will be provided to attendees, was developed to denote research methodologies from these projects.

Learning Objectives:

1. Provide audience members with scalable project tools via a digital handout. The tools include the playbook, research findings, the developed kit-of-parts, and community engagement surveys.
2. Learn how to engage students, teachers, administrators, and community members in a way that encourages ownership and pride in a space. This includes how to modify the engagement to a level that is easily understandable and accessible for young students.
3. Disseminate information from the view of an educational planner, architect, furniture expert, and superintendent on how to engage stakeholders and research from the lens of diverse project leadership.
4. Lay out the pipeline for research development for evidence-based design practices unique and scalable to diverse districts.