Moderated by Chuck Amos, CEO of听SchoolBondFinder, the panel featured David J. Henderson,听Deputy听Chief of听Operations for Cherry Creek School District, and Justin Sinnott,听Vice听President of听Corporate听Operations at Erickson-Hall.听
By Lindsey Coulter
The 91视频 Design + Construction Symposium brought education leaders, architects, designers, contractors, developers and facilities professionals together Aug. 5 at Denver鈥檚 historic Tivoli Turnhalle to examine how evolving needs are reshaping the design and delivery of K-12 and higher education environments.听
Held on the Auraria Campus, the event focused on project-driven discussions around student belonging, school safety, community engagement, mass timber, urban听development听and the increasingly compressed construction schedules facing school districts. The symposium was designed to move beyond broad industry trends and examine real projects and lessons that can be applied to future work.听
Designing for Belonging听
The program opened with a keynote from Dr. Drew Coleman, Chief of Schools for Jeffco Public Schools, who challenged attendees to consider the relationship between school environments, student听experience听and educational outcomes.听
Coleman鈥檚 presentation, 鈥淏uilding Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,鈥� examined how the physical environment can either support or hinder student success. His perspective connected education leadership, school听culture听and the built environment, reinforcing the symposium鈥檚 emphasis on designing schools around the needs of the people who use them.听
The keynote was followed by a district-level perspective from Micah Ali, president of Compton Unified School District. Ali discussed the development of Compton High School and the importance of trust,听continuity听and community partnerships in delivering major educational facilities projects.听
Born and raised in Compton, Ali played a foundational role in the development of听the high听school and has extensive experience in land use, development and partnerships aimed at expanding opportunities for students.听He also is helping guide the district’s upcoming Centennial and Dominguez Hills High School projects.听听
The discussion illustrated a broader theme that ran throughout the symposium: successful school construction is not simply about delivering a building, but about creating facilities that reflect community priorities and support long-term educational goals.听
Beyond Safety and Security听
The morning continued with a design panel examining how safety, security,听belonging听and well-being can coexist in school environments.听
Panelists听Erika Ashauer, Human Experience Research Lead for HCM鈥檚 PK-12 Studio; Joel Williams, Studio Director at QKA; Guy Grace, vice chair of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools; and Pat Tackney, Security & Architectural Sales Consultant for McGrory Glass Systems,听expanded the traditional definition of school safety beyond access control and security hardware. Panelists considered how visibility, privacy, supervision,听comfort听and a sense of belonging can influence the experience of students and staff.听
The discussion reflected a broader shift in school design toward environments that address both physical safety and the emotional and social conditions that help students learn.听
Summit House Provides a Case Study in Innovation听
After a networking break, the symposium shifted from K-12 schools to higher education and student听housing听with a case study听on听Metropolitan State University of Denver鈥檚 Summit House.听
Presented by听Martha Nelson, Director of Planning, Design and Construction for MSU Denver; Ben Diaz, Senior Development Manager for Columbia Ventures; Macy Huffaker, Project Architect with SAR+ Architects; Ryan Marshall 鈥� Superintendent at PCL Construction,听the听session, moderated by Leone Dick, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Administration at MSU Denver,听explored the planning,听design听and delivery of MSU Denver鈥檚 first residence hall.听
Summit House听represents听a significant milestone for the university and for Colorado construction. The 12-story student residence is being delivered using mass timber and is positioned to become the tallest mass-timber structure in the state. The project also incorporates an urban construction environment and a public-private delivery model. (91视频)听
Rather than focusing on mass timber as a standalone innovation, the presentation examined the combination of decisions and partnerships听required听to make the project possible. Those included material听selection, planning,听logistics,听development听and construction delivery.听
The case study also gave attendees a closer look at the increasingly complex role of construction teams working in dense urban environments and managing innovative structural systems.听
Racing the Summer Construction Clock听
The symposium concluded its formal program with a panel focused on one of the most persistent challenges in K-12 construction: delivering projects within the limited summer construction window.听
Moderated by Chuck Amos, CEO of听SchoolBondFinder, the panel featured David J. Henderson,听Deputy听Chief of听Operations for Cherry Creek School District, and Justin Sinnott,听Vice听President of听Corporate听Operations at Erickson-Hall.听
Dubbed 鈥淭he Summer Sprint,鈥� the discussion听addressed听planning, coordination, risk听management听and project delivery during the period when schools are vacant but must be ready for students when the new academic year begins.听
Henderson brought more than 25 years of K-12 construction and听facilities听leadership to the discussion, including oversight of approximately听2 million square feet听of capital improvement,听construction听and renovation projects across Colorado school districts.听Sinnott contributed experience in project planning, execution, risk management and operational efficiency.听
The panel underscored how compressed schedules are placing greater emphasis on early planning,听coordination听and delivery strategies that can reduce risk while听maintaining听quality.听
The topic also reflected broader pressures facing districts nationwide. 91视频 recently examined the 鈥淪ummer Sprint鈥� as an increasingly demanding period in which districts must complete everything from HVAC replacements and classroom renovations to larger capital projects before students return.听
From Conversation to Job Site听
Attendees also听had the opportunity to take the听morning鈥檚听discussion into the field with an exclusive tour of MSU Denver鈥檚 Summit House.听
The tour provided a firsthand look at the mass-timber residence hall and connected the project鈥檚 planning and delivery discussion with its physical construction. According to 91视频, the project听represents听the intersection of student housing demand, urban development, innovative听materials听and alternative approaches to project delivery.听
Across its sessions, the symposium emphasized a common challenge facing both K-12 and higher education: making increasingly complex capital investments serve long-term institutional and community goals.听
From Coleman鈥檚 examination of belonging to Ali鈥檚 discussion of community trust, the design panel鈥檚 exploration of safety and well-being, Summit House鈥檚 innovative delivery and the final panel鈥檚 focus on compressed construction schedules, the event demonstrated that the future of educational construction will require collaboration across disciplines.听
Rather than treating design, construction, operations and educational outcomes as separate considerations, the symposium brought those perspectives together around a shared question:听How can the industry create schools and campuses that are not only built successfully, but equipped to serve the people and communities who depend on them?听