The CAE conference in Detroit was a joy to attend. From the very first evening as I stepped into the lobby of the Guardian Building with its bright Pewabic tile I could tell we were in for a treat. Detroit’s rich history and current reinvention provided a dynamic context to experience and discuss the possibilities and realities of architecture for education.
Over the four days we toured historical buildings and campuses such as Yamasaki Buildings at Wayne State University and the Cranbrook Educational Community, new buildings such as the Detroit School of Arts and Earhart Elementary-Middle School as well as renovated and repurposed buildings such as the Integrative Biosciences Center and the Argonaut Building. This architectural mix highlighted the wealth and prosperity of historical Detroit and the current resurgence that is alive and reverberating throughout the city.
Being with an incredible number of accomplished architects and scholars during these four days was definitely the highlight of my experience. Inevitably a conversation during a tour or before a lecture would add a new perspective or reveal current projects that attendees were working on in their communities. One conversation in particular highlighted how touring innovative schools at CAE conferences affects change across North America.
During breakfast at the Argonaut Building I had the pleasure of speaking with Jeff Parker at SHP Leading Design. He told me about how he attended the 2013 AIA-CAE Fall Conference in San Francisco that showcased Design Thinking and Creativity. He was impressed with the educational strategies and the innovative and non-traditional approach to learning environments at the d.School at Stanford. After returning home to Ohio when a client asked him, “What have you seen that is new and interesting with regards to education?”, Jeff was able to talk about his experience at the d.School and how students used design thinking to solve real world problems. Subsequently Jeff’s client was able to apply for and receive a grant from the Ohio’s Straight A Fund whose mission is to help Ohio schools launch creative new ideas for improving education. The result will be four classrooms transformed into four D-School Learning Labs at Beavercreek High School, Ferguson Hall, and Coy and Ankeney Middle Schools. Though these labs are not quite finished the district has already introduced Design Thinking to the students and started to create the new design thinking curriculum. The labs will reach thousands of students.
I love that a single client asking a single question to an architect who has attended CAE conferences touring schools that are advanced both in their structural and programmatic design can lead to a new way of teaching and development of new curriculum in multiple schools.
In the coming years I am excited to see what new projects arise from the inspiration the Detroit conference provided us.
Thank you to the Spring Conference Committee, to Tonya Horsley and Kathleen Simpson for organizing such a vibrant and successful conference, to the CAE Advisory Group for all their work and everyone who made it possible for me to attend this conference. This experience enables me to continue to share my passion for educational architecture and advocate for innovative and thoughtfully designed learning spaces in my communities in Canada.