The school district renovated labs built in the 1960s to better align with Next Generation Science Standards. The renovation included expanding the building footprint and completely renovating the interior layout. Multiple outdoor learning labs were added to allow hands-on exploration of science concepts. The renovated labs feature flexible and collaborative learning spaces with interactive features aligned to the seven cross-cutting concepts of NGSS, transforming the environment into a tool for inquiry-based learning.

1. Next Generation Science Standards
How one school district
renovated labs built in the
early 1960’s to meet the
needs of Next Generation
Science Standards.
www.fhai.com

2. SITE PLAN A small expansion of the existing footprint accommodated the constricted site and
provided the necessary space for the dramatic interior renovations. Multiple outdoor labs
allow students to explore and learn from Nature.
STUDENT CAN MODIFY THE SOLAR PANELS TO CREATE THE OPTIMUM ANGLE
OUTDOOR
LEARNING LABS

3. FLOOR PLAN (BEFORE)
The school’s previous labs were arrange as four traditional spaces. There was no ability to do lab work and
teachers were restricted to books and lecture. The environments lacked the resources, flexibility and
collaborative spaces needed to successfully implement Next Generation Science Standards.
FIXED LAB STATIONS
NO LIFE SAFETY FEATURES, SUCH AS
SHOWERS, GAS SHUT OFF OR
MULTIPLE MEANS OF EGRESS
CORRIDOR WALLS
LACKED PROPER
FIRE SEPARATION
LOCKERS IN THE
CORRIDOR
NO INTERCONNECTION
BETWEEN CLASSROOMS

4. FLOOR PLAN (AFTER)
A slight expansion of the building envelop allowed for a comprehensive interior renovation that
quadrupled the number of learning spaces. L-shaped classrooms define learning zones while
maintaining adjacencies of space and teacher control.
expansion
expansion
OPERABLE PARTITIONS
SUPPORT TEAM
TEACHING
THREE POINTS OF
PROJECTION ALLOW
STUDENTS TO ENGAGE
WITH EACH OTHER AND
THE MATERIAL
ADDED SECOND
MEANS OF
EGRESS

5. ENLARGED PLAN – ANYTIME, ANYWHERE LEARNING
The integration of operable walls allows teachers and students to seamlessly flow between
spaces for lecture, inquiry-based learning, collaboration and outdoor learning.
RECONFIGURABLE
FURNITURE - CHAIRS
ON CASTERS AND
TABLES ON WHEELS
DOUBLE-
SIDED FUME
HOOD FOR
SHARED
EXPERIMENTS
EXTERIOR
ACCESS TO
RAIN
BARRELS,
BIRD NESTS
AND SOLAR
PANELS

6. ENLARGED PLAN – EASTER EGGS
Each space has a set of unique Easter Eggs to help students explore and discover NGSS cross cutting
concepts. Each Easter Egg directly aligns with one of the seven cross cutting concepts of NGSS.
CAUSE & EFFECT
Light Refraction Through
Glass Block
ENERGY AND MATTER
Periodic Elements Floor Pattern PATTERNS
Fibonacci Spiral
SCALE, PROPORTION
AND QUANTITY
Solar System Floor Pattern
STABILITY & CHANGE
Meridian Line to Track
Analemma of the Sun
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
Saturn V Rocket Wall Graphic
SYSTEM AND
SYSTEM MODELS
Electron Shell
One-meter graph paper flooring
for motion experiments

7. EXTERIOR (BEFORE)

8. EXTERIOR (AFTER)
The exterior is designed as a seamless extension of the learning environment, with
multiple opportunities for students to learn about NGSS concepts through Nature.
A new exterior door provides easy access to outdoor learning opportunities.
NEW
SECONDARY
MEANS OF
EGRESS
OUTDOOR
PLANTING
AREA
WEATHER
STATION
ADJUSTABLE
PHOTOVOLTAIC
PANELS
WIND TURBINES

9. EXTERIOR – MAIN ELEVATION
Transformation of the site and the building interior supports exploration of the
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas in the physical sciences; life sciences; earth and
space sciences; and engineering, technology and science applications.
OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA
BEFORE
LAB EXPANSION LAB EXPANSION
OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA
CONNECTION TO
COLLABORATION
CORRIDOR

10. EXTERIOR – INDOOR/OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS
The built environment and site are scientific instruments, allowing students to
collect data and test hypotheses through experimentation.
BIRD NEST & CAMERAS
WIND TURBINE &
ENERGY DASHBOARD
RAIN
BARREL
FIBONACCI SPIRAL
WINDOW PATTERN
OCULUS & INTERIOR
MERIDIAN LINE

11. INTERIOR – INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING (BEFORE)

12. INTERIOR – INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING (AFTER)
The transformed labs are equal to those found in the professional Science industry.
In addition to NGSS considerations, improvements address Health/Life Safety issues.
DEMONSTRATION CAMERA
NEW FUME HOOD
WITH VISUAL
ACCESS ON
BOTH SIDES OF
THE TWO LABS
ELECTRON SHELL PATTERN
VOICE ENHANCEMENT
STUDENTS ABLE
TO PROJECT
THEIR WORK

13. INTERIOR – INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING (AFTER)
Overhead service delivery and mobile furniture allow teachers and students to manipulate
the environment to fit any experiment. New operable walls connect pairs of lab areas and
each lab with an adjacent lecture space.
OVERHEAD SERVICE LINES
FOR GAS, COMPRESSED
AIR, WATER AND ELECTRIC
OPERABLE WALLS
MOBILE FURNITURE

14. INTERIOR – INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING (AFTER)
Labs areas are able to be quickly emptied to serve as space for experiments. A meridian
line allows students to track the analemma of the sun, while a one-meter graph paper
floor pattern supports investigation into momentum, acceleration and energy.
MERIDIAN LINE
ONE-METER
GRAPH PAPER
FLOORING
PATTERN
SHOWER
LAB HAS LOW-
TECH AND HIGH-
TECH TOOLS

15. INTERIOR – LECTURE (BEFORE)

16. INTERIOR – LECTURE (AFTER)
The flexible nature of the LearnLabs allows students to participate in lecture-style learning
before engaging in scientific inquiry.
PYTHAGOREAN
THEORUM PATTERN
MOBILE
FURNITURE
THREE-WAY PROJECTION
GLASS BLOCK
SHOWING COLOR
SPECTRUM
THREE-WAY PROJECTION
THREE-WAY PROJECTION
LED LIGHT
FIXTURES AND
DIMMABLE
CONTROLS

17. INTERIOR – COLLABORATION CORRIDOR (BEFORE)

18. INTERIOR – COLLABORATION CORRIDOR (AFTER)
A former circulation corridor is now the center of collaboration and investigation.
Four collaboration stations include interactive dashboards and Hokki stools to allow
students to investigate theories and collect information in groups.
MOVABLE HOKKI STOOLS
SHARED WEBSITE WITH
OTHER DISTRICT MIDDLE
SCHOOL
MULTIPLE
COLLABORATION
STATIONS
GLASS BLOCK
SHOWING COLOR
SPECTRUM

19. INTERIOR – COLLABORATION CORRIDOR (AFTER)
Strategic adjacencies allow classroom activities to flow seamlessly into the
Collaboration Corridor. Students have choice over their learning activities on a minute-
to-minute basis.
GLASS BLOCK
SHOWING COLOR
SPECTRUM
SATURN V
WALL GRAPHIC
INTERACTIVE
ENERGY
DASHBOARD

20. Light Refraction Through Glass Block
Periodic Elements Floor Pattern
Fibonacci Spiral
Solar System
Floor Pattern
Meridian Line to Track
Analemma of the Sun
Saturn V Rocket Wall Graphic
Electron Shell
One-meter graph paper
flooring for motion
experiments
DESCRIPTIVE DIAGRAMS – EASTER EGGS
Video to exterior bird nests
Rain barrel
and nest box
Solar panels
Fibonacci Spiral
window frames
Energy dashboard

21. Next Generation Science Standards
How one school district
renovated labs built in the
early 1960’s to meet the
needs of Next Generation
Science Standards.
www.fhai.com