The Power of Creativity

Our Unlimited Capacity for Creativity

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, creativity is having the ability to create instead of imitate. Creativity is the lifeblood of any architecture firm; it is not an optional add on. Creativity is as vital to an architect as the air we breathe. Unfortunately, a good portion of architects tend to fall back on their old patterns, constantly rehashing past designs instead of working on improving design through innovation. Because creativity is indispensable, the question for any architect is: How is creativity best promoted?

One of the biggest keys to unlocking creativity is recognizing that as human beings we all have an unlimited capacity for creativity. Our minds are hardwired to solve problems. Failing to recognize our inherent creativity keeps us from allowing our minds to innovate.

None of the great advancements of mankind were achieved through following the old way of thinking. How would our lives be different if Thomas Edison never set out to create the first light bulb? What would the world be like if Alexander Graham Bell had never invented the telephone? Our lives are infinitely better than those of our ancestors because of the utilization of the power of creativity. Improvement only comes from creative thinking, and creative thinking is only possible if we first recognize our universally unlimited capacity for creativity.

It's in the the Money! Tips for Passing School Bonds

Tips for Passing a School Bond Issue

Passage of school bond issues is often vital to the growth and sustainability of school districts. Though specific battle plans for informing a community about the importance of passing your bond issue vary greatly, there are several points to keep in mind while working on your bond issue.

1.      The passage of a bond issue often hinges on the public’s perception of your school district. It is important for schools to keep the citizens informed and to maintain an outstanding reputation within the community.

2.      When you are deciding what to include in the bond issue, it is important to keep in mind those projects which the electorate is willing to pay for as well as the district’s most pressing needs. The best way to get a gauge of the public’s support for specific items in the bond issue is to conduct polls of the electorate. Sometimes it is best to drop a couple of items from the bond issue if those items will cause the bond issue to fail to pass.

3.      A school district’s financial responsibility should be a major point in your marketing. The electorate is much more likely to vote yes on a bond issue if your school district has a history of sound financial practices.

4.      Avoid in-fighting among schools at all costs. The best way to do this is to make sure each school knows exactly how much money they will get before the bond issue is being considered

5.      Focus on those who support the bond issue rather than those who oppose it. Studies have shown that it is very difficult to change someone’s mind about the benefits of more money for schools. One of the keys to passing a school bond issue is to make sure your supporters turn out on election day. Conventional wisdom say to try to connect with your supports three to four times before election day to insure they will show up at the polls.

Can you Hear Me? Classroom Acoustics Improve Learning

School Acoustics

The acoustics of a school are an often overlooked, but vitally important aspect of school design. A large portion of communication between teacher and student is done verbally. Recent studies have shown that inappropriate levels of reverberation and/or background noise negatively affect a student's ability to learn and can cause lifelong auditory perception problems for the student. Because of this, a proper understanding of how to minimize reverberation and background noise is crucial to the maximizing a classroom's efficiency.

A simple way for architects to minimize reverberation is to use more sound-absorbing materials. This entails using less of the hard, smooth surfaces that dominate current classrooms and replacing them with new materials that are specifically designed to minimize reverberation. Something as small as designing a classroom with sound-absorbing materials can make a huge difference in the learning of the students.

Another way to decrease unwanted noise in a classroom is by separating sound-sensitive areas such as classrooms and offices from areas that are generally noisy such as gymnasiums and playgrounds. This can be simple as designing the school to have a hallway in between the two areas to act as a noise buffer.

Acoustics play a massive role in the practical functionality of a school. At McAllister and Associates strive to design school buildings that best help students learn and minimizing reverberations and background noise is one of the ways we address this issue.