D E A N E E V A N S T H I N K S A L O T A B O U T L E A R N I N G T H E S E D A Y S . A C T U A L LY, H E ’ Sthinking about the “built environment” in which learning takes place. Evans is research professor andexecutive director of the Center for Architecture and Building Science Research (CABSR) at NJIT’s NewJersey School of Architecture (NJSOA). Under a recent agreement with the New Jersey SchoolsConstruction Corporation (SCC), Evans’ center will help the state design high-performance elementaryand secondary schools that provide environments physically conducive to educational excellence.

12

NJI

T M

AG

AZI

NE

INTERVIEWER:SHERYL WEINSTEINis public relationsdirector for NJIT.

BUILDING BETTER SPACES

FOR LEARNINGAN INTERVIEW WITHDEANE EVANS

PHOTO: BILL WITTKOP

13

NJIT M

AG

AZIN

E

Building better spaces in which to learn is partof the overall mission of Evans and his colleagues.Their goal is to create new knowledge that will helpindividuals and communities make better-informeddecisions concerning the built environment, espe-cially housing and schools. To this mission, Evansbrings a wealth of experience from private practiceand work with government.

Before coming to NJIT, Evans directed an innova-tive R&D program focused on housing technologyat the U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment. Previously, he was vice president for research at the American Institute of Architects(AIA), where he collaborated on projects with,among others, the U.S. Department of Energy, theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the FederalEmergency Management Agency, the Federal TransitAdministration, the National Institute of BuildingSciences and the National Science Foundation. Priorto his work for the AIA, he was a principal withSteven Winter Associates, a well-known housing andsustainable design architecture/engineering firm inNew York City.

INTERVIEWWeinstein: Why is the state of New Jersey so con-cerned with new elementary and secondary schoolsat this time?Evans: This is a very special time in New Jersey for school construction. The SCC, under theEducational Facilities and Construction FinancingAct, is responsible for financing, designing andconstructing all school facilities in the state’s 30special-needs districts, which receive all of theirfunding for education from the state. The SCC hasthe same responsibility in districts where the stateprovides 55 percent or more of the educationalbudget. The state is responsible for ensuring thateducation takes place in safe, functional buildings.Consequently, New Jersey will be spending a lotof money over the next decade to construct newschools.Weinstein: How, exactly, will NJIT be involved inthis effort?Evans: We’ve established a center at New JerseySchool of Architecture that we’ve named the NewJersey High Performance Schools InformationCenter. Under our agreement with the SCC, we seeit providing unbiased, research-based technicalinformation that can be utilized in the design andconstruction of schools.

We will be responsible for documenting bestpractices, both nationally and within the state,pertinent to the planning, design, construction,financing and operation of schools for studentspre-K through the twelfth grade. We will also assistthe SCC in developing guidelines that can beapplied to school construction. By the way, moredetails about the SCC are available at their Website,www.njscc.com.Weinstein: That sounds like a tall order. Does yourcenter really have a shot at being a national model?Evans: Absolutely. There’s nothing like the NewJersey High Performance Schools InformationCenter in the U.S. California has a collaborativeeffort – primarily driven by utility companies –dedicated to high-performance schools. But theirmandate isn’t as broad as ours, and it’s not univer-sity-based. We’ve also got a unique opportunitybecause of the more centralized way that theSchools Construction Corporation is structuredand does business. Once we figure out the rightway to do something, we can implement it quicklyand effectively. It’s a huge opportunity to influenceschool design and construction for the better.I think that’s what the SCC is looking for and whatthey expect our center to help them with.

Weinstein: What funding will the state provide for this effort?Evans: While we’ve heard different numbers, Ibelieve that the proposed budget for the schoolconstruction project is something on the order of$7 billion. This includes building that will take placein the special-needs districts as well as in other dis-tricts eligible to receive state money to remodel orbuild schools. The funding formula for districts thatare not in the special-needs category makes thestate contribution more of a matching grant. Thosedistricts will have to match more than 45 percentof their funding to get the complementary statemonies. Keeping this in mind, the estimated budget

Their goal is to create new knowledge thatwill help individuals and communities makebetter-informed decisions concerning the builtenvironment, especially housing and schools.

to be spent in New Jersey to build new schools willbe upwards of $l0 billion to $12 billion.Weinstein: Tell us more about how you envisionNJIT’s role in this program.Evans: We’ve been referring to the center as anintelligence-gathering arm in the sense that we’lllook at best-practice information from whereverwe can get it, rather than trying to reinvent thewheel. Instead of pie-in-the-sky visions of whatought to be, we’ll concentrate on finding the bestmodels out there. They could be located inPennsylvania or Oregon, or in the next town. Itwon’t matter as long as they embody excellenceand can be replicated here in New Jersey.

Keep in mind that as our work progresses wewill also scour the state to document success storiesabout new school buildings. That way people cantravel inexpensively to a nearby town to see goodbuilding practices. We’ll know more about what theSCC expects of the center after an advisory boardis appointed to work directly with us.Weinstein: Will the advisory board ask you toresearch or investigate particular projects?Evans: Actually, I see our relationship with theboard as being collaborative. In essence they willoversee our agenda. But working together to lookinto what we think will be productive is important.Weinstein: Now, tell me why you’re a cool personto be in charge of this project, and something aboutyour background.Evans: I’m a registered architect and Fellow of theAmerican Institute of Architects. My current focusis on high-performance, sustainable buildings,particularly housing and schools. I’ve written twowidely used educational guides for architects andtheir clients, The Affordable Housing Design Advisorand The High Performance School Buildings Resourceand Strategy Guide. The Sustainable BuildingsIndustry Council published the school guide.The U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment sponsored and published the designadvisor.Weinstein: How will the work of the new schoolsinformation center dovetail with the overall pro-gram of the Center for Architecture and BuildingScience Research?Evans: Our center has an established track recordin research, and the university has superb technicalresources. That combination makes NJIT an ideal

place to generate new knowledge and innovationin building performance. We all live and work andgo to school in buildings. Unfortunately, most ofthem fail to achieve the performance levels they’recapable of in terms of comfort, efficiency, sustain-ability and productivity. We’re trying to change thatthrough a program of practical, applied researchand development. Our goal is to provide real, tan-gible benefits to building designers, developers and,ultimately, to building occupants throughout NewJersey and across the U.S.Weinstein: Can you offer some tips about the lat-est and greatest innovations in school facilities andwhere we can expect information to come from, atleast initially?Evans: California has developed a great deal of infor-mation for architects and engineers about designand construction. We’re going to offer similarinformation, but tailored to the particular needs of stakeholders in New Jersey, including parents,teachers and students – people who may not knowthe jargon of the trade but still want the best schoolsthey can get.Weinstein: Including school board members?Evans: Of course, board members too. The key willbe to create information resources that can help allthose who have a stake in New Jersey’s future to worktogether to create high-performance schools. Andif we do it right, the new knowledge that we createhere will be able to help schools in every state.Weinstein: How do you intend to disseminate theinformation you gather?Evans: To start with, we’ll have a Website. I’vealready secured the domain name www.highper-formanceschools.org. We’ll use it to exchangeinformation with the SCC and with stakeholdersacross the state. The ultimate goal is to become thefirst go to resource for information on the best waysto plan, design, finance, construct and operate K-12schools – within the state and across the country.

This may mean taking on issues that lie beyondwhat the SCC is willing or able to fund. For instance,suppose a nonprofit foundation is interested inexploring the impact of room color on studentperformance in elementary schools. We would beable to undertake this research with the under-standing that, even though the SCC didn’t fund it,

14

NJI

T M

AG

AZI

NE

they will be willing to take a serious look at theresults. In the end, they may not implement theresults but, then again, they might. The importantthing is that they’ll pay attention to what we findout. This will allow us to expand our researchactivities into new areas and to substantially lever-age the SCC’s investment in us. As architects andresearchers these kinds of synergies – and whatthey may mean for improving schools – are bothexciting and rewarding. �

15

NJIT M

AG

AZIN

E

NJSOA FACTSNew Jersey School of Architecture is one of the largest

degree-accredited architecture schools in the United

States, granting both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in

architecture. NJSOA is the only architecture school in New

Jersey offering the bachelor’s degree in architecture. It’s

also a national leader in the integration of computer-aided

design with the studio curriculum. Visit NJSOA on the Web

at http://architecture.njit.edu.