Educational Facility Solutions is a division of Cox Group Architects LLC, providing professional educational facility planning and consulting services. We advance forward thinking ideas and best practices for 21st Century K-12 learning environments. We have planned and designed hundreds of spaces for learning throughout the country, and offer a unique balance between your creative, business, and educational priorities; ensuring the successful integration of educational goals with facility solutions tailored to your district.
A distinct advantage of Educational Facility Solutions is our unique ability to lead, prioritize, and facilitate the complex building processes, project teams, and political environments often involved with the creation of educational facilities. We integrate the combined talents of your District with our particular strengths early in the process. This early collaboration allows us to create together, a set of shared goals, outcomes and expectations…meaning we are working toward the same successful result from the very beginning.
The methods required to best serve each project varies widely and is personalized for each school district. By facilitating an integrated process that links educational goals with facility solutions, EFS crafts a clear path forward for the project team, and a Master Plan direction for the school and community.
Board, Administration, Staff, and Community Consensus is achieved through a combination of interactive work sessions, Focus Groups, World Café Events, tours, research, surveys, interviews, individual and group conferences, and community engagement discussions. National planning standards are referenced and incorporated with local guidelines.
K – 12 SPECIALIZED SERVICES
Educational Planning and Master Planning Services
We have a broad understanding of the issues and concerns facing educators. Our long-range planning process provides a road map for integrating facility improvements with available funds and builds a broad sense of ownership that result in increased community support during referendum. Our planning principles include: project based collaborative learning models, technology integration and accessibility, respect for education as a profession, respect for the environment and natural resources, compatibility with existing architecture and place, and the flexibility and adaptability necessary for 21st Century learning.
Multi-Building Campus and Facility Evaluation
We assist our clients in evaluating the useful life of their existing facilities to house effective education programs. These assessments determine whether a facility should be renovated, repurposed, or whether new construction is the best solution. This includes Capacity and Utilization analysis, demographic research, educational equity evaluations, and educational program assessment.
Facility Assessment
A facility assessment can help a district evaluate whether the building is worth renovating. Existing facilities are evaluated to pinpoint areas needing attention for safety, health and code compliance. Facility evaluation also includes building review for conformity with regulations, analysis of maintenance and operations, and evaluation of parking, vehicular access and safety.
Facility Use and Design Concepts
We have designed hundreds of K-12 education facilities including both public and private/parochial schools. Solutions are crafted through an integrated, collaborative process that encourages the free flow of ideas between all stakeholders and team members. Good Design is: innovative, useful, aesthetic, understandable, unobtrusive, honest, long lasting, thorough, sustainable, and - as little design as possible.
Referendum Leadership and Facilitation
In today's competitive economy, it takes innovative planning to convey to voters the need for capital improvements. We have developed many resources and services that districts can utilize to prepare a successful bond referendum campaign. The vast majority of our referendums have passed on the first ballot, utilizing our process.
CONSULTING SERVICES
Pre-Design & Educational Facility Planning Services
Visioning & Board Facilitation of Project Need
Educational Specifications & Research
Site Selection
Community Engagement
Space Programming & Organizational Strategy Diagrams
Master Planning
Conceptual Facility Design Solutions
Sustainable Design Performance Criteria – LEED Performance Criteria
Use options & planning strategies for existing facilities
Assisting with Team selection and other consultants
Developing web-based project communication
Existing Facility Assessments
Educational Adequacy
Capacity & Utilization Assessments
Enrollment Projections and Community Demographics
Equity among/between Facilities
Compliance with local, state, or national School Planning Guidelines
Compliance with Educational Specifications
Design and Construction Phase Services
Owner’s Representative
Peer review of facility design and document review
Sustainable Design review
FF&E and Systems Integration
Post Construction Services
Educational Adequacy of Design
Post-Occupancy Evaluations of Facility Design and Sustainable Strategies
Photo image: Genoa Kingston New High School
CGA employees design while employed at Hoffman LLC Firm of Record