CEFPI Wraps Up 2013 Conference
INDIANAPOLIS — The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) held its annual conference and exposition this year in Indianapolis. The theme of the event, which took place Sept. 20-23, was “Raising the Game — A call for Leadership, Creativity and Passion.”
Irene Nigaglioni, AIA, CEFP, chairman of CEFPI and architect with PBK Architects Inc., helped to kick off the event by explaining the theme and asking attendees to “raise their game” by thinking of creative solutions for educational spaces.
“I do hope that at the end of the conference you have been motivated to ‘level up’ and take on an active leadership role to ensure that new educational spaces are not a clone of the past,” Nigaglioni said in a statement. “As leaders, we must bring our creative spirit and our passion to providing spaces that are exciting, inviting and agile. Our new school facilities must foster collaboration and innovation, providing the setting for students globally to succeed at their own ‘game.’”
The event featured noteworthy speakers including, John Nash, associate professor of educational leadership studies at the University of Kentucky and founding director of the Laboratory on Design Thinking in Education, or dLab; Dionne Custer Edwards, writer and educator serving K-12 students and teachers at The Wexner Center for the Arts; and Andrew Zolli, co-author of the book Resilience: The Science of Why Things Bounce Back. Each speaker activated the audience in coming up with new solutions for the challenges of education and school design. The audience communicated with each other about new trends for 21st century learning and how technology was becoming an increasingly important factor in school design and student learning.
Along with a great list of speakers, the event also featured breakout sessions and the much-anticipated classrooms of the future, which were on display for exhibitors and attendees. The innovative classrooms of the future included ENGAGE, by Extron, ATS&R Architecture, Spectrum Industries Inc. and Free AXEZ. The classroom is geared towards collaborative learning in a budget-conscious environment. CulturalShift, by David A. Stubbs II, TSAV, VS America and Tandus Flooring, which was a design that focused on technology and utilizing all space and furniture in the room for educational purposes and enhanced learning.
Other features at the event included the wall of 2013 James D. MacConnell Award Winners, which highlighted exceptional designs throughout the country.
The exhibit hall also offered the attendees a look into the latest and greatest products being utilized in the school design and construction industry.
The wrap up in Indy included an invitation to the 2014 CEFPI conference in Portland, Ore. For more information about CEFPI please visit, www.cefpi.org.