Elise Robinson, AIA and Richard Salopek, AIA from Bowie Gridley Architects presented at the 2017 Annual Conference of the Virginia Chapter of the Association for Learning Environments held May 1-2 in Williamsburg, VA. On May 2, Elise and Josh Cobb, Associate Head of Graland Country Day School, presented “Maker Spaces: A Cross Curricular Learning Environment.” They explored how the design of the new Innovation Center at Graland embeds Maker Spaces within the curriculum of a K-8 education.  Richard presented, “Strategies for Creating STEAM-Focused Learning Environments.” He discussed the design of the new King Abdullah Academy, a true 21st Century School, which incorporated student-centered learning, collaborative teaching practices, and project-based interdisciplinary learning with a unique “e-STEM-a” (entrepreneurship, STEM, and the arts) curriculum.

The Virginia Chapter of the Association for Learning Environments is a professional association whose sole mission is improving the places where children learn. The theme of the 2017 conference, Designing Schools for Future Makers, was intended to provide a resource with thought-provoking ideas that help deliver value to all attendees.