By Lindsey Coulter

The 91ԭƬ Design + Construction Symposium brought education leaders, architects, designers, contractors, developers and facilities professionals together Aug. 5 at Denver’s historic Tivoli Turnhalle to examine how evolving needs are reshaping the design and delivery of K-12 and higher education environments.��

Held on the Auraria Campus, the event focused on project-driven discussions around student belonging, school safety, community engagement, mass timber, urban��development��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.��

Designing for Belonging��

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��experience��and educational outcomes.��

Coleman’s presentation, “Building Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,” examined how the physical environment can either support or hinder student success. His perspective connected education leadership, school��culture��and the built environment, reinforcing the symposium’s emphasis on designing schools around the needs of the people who use them.��

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,��continuity��and community partnerships in delivering major educational facilities projects.��

Born and raised in Compton, Ali played a foundational role in the development of��the high��school and has extensive experience in land use, development and partnerships aimed at expanding opportunities for students.��He also is helping guide the district’s upcoming Centennial and Dominguez Hills High School projects.����

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.��

Beyond Safety and Security��

The morning continued with a design panel examining how safety, security,��belonging��and well-being can coexist in school environments.��

Panelists��Erika Ashauer, Human Experience Research Lead for HCM’s 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,��expanded the traditional definition of school safety beyond access control and security hardware. Panelists considered how visibility, privacy, supervision,��comfort��and a sense of belonging can influence the experience of students and staff.��

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.��

Summit House Provides a Case Study in Innovation��

After a networking break, the symposium shifted from K-12 schools to higher education and student��housing��with a case study��on��Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Summit House.��

Presented by��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 – Superintendent at PCL Construction,��the��session, moderated by Leone Dick, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Administration at MSU Denver,��explored the planning,��design��and delivery of MSU Denver’s first residence hall.��

Summit House��represents��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. (91ԭƬ)��

Rather than focusing on mass timber as a standalone innovation, the presentation examined the combination of decisions and partnerships��required��to make the project possible. Those included material��selection, planning,��logistics,��development��and construction delivery.��

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.��

Racing the Summer Construction Clock��

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.��

Moderated by Chuck Amos, CEO of��SchoolBondFinder, the panel featured David J. Henderson,��Deputy��Chief of��Operations for Cherry Creek School District, and Justin Sinnott,��Vice��President of��Corporate��Operations at Erickson-Hall.��

Dubbed “The Summer Sprint,” the discussion��addressed��planning, coordination, risk��management��and project delivery during the period when schools are vacant but must be ready for students when the new academic year begins.��

Henderson brought more than 25 years of K-12 construction and��facilities��leadership to the discussion, including oversight of approximately��2 million square feet��of capital improvement,��construction��and renovation projects across Colorado school districts.��Sinnott contributed experience in project planning, execution, risk management and operational efficiency.��

The panel underscored how compressed schedules are placing greater emphasis on early planning,��coordination��and delivery strategies that can reduce risk while��maintaining��quality.��

The topic also reflected broader pressures facing districts nationwide. 91ԭƬ recently examined the “Summer Sprint” as an increasingly demanding period in which districts must complete everything from HVAC replacements and classroom renovations to larger capital projects before students return.��

From Conversation to Job Site��

Attendees also��had the opportunity to take the��morning’s��discussion into the field with an exclusive tour of MSU Denver’s Summit House.��

The tour provided a firsthand look at the mass-timber residence hall and connected the project’s planning and delivery discussion with its physical construction. According to 91ԭƬ, the project��represents��the intersection of student housing demand, urban development, innovative��materials��and alternative approaches to project delivery.��

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.��

From Coleman’s examination of belonging to Ali’s discussion of community trust, the design panel’s exploration of safety and well-being, Summit House’s innovative delivery and the final panel’s focus on compressed construction schedules, the event demonstrated that the future of educational construction will require collaboration across disciplines.��

Rather than treating design, construction, operations and educational outcomes as separate considerations, the symposium brought those perspectives together around a shared question:��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?��

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By Lindsey Coulter��

A school building is more than the backdrop for education. It is where students develop relationships, teachers build community and young people begin to understand their place in the world. For Dr. Drew Coleman, Chief of Schools at Jeffco Public Schools, the physical environment is an important — and sometimes overlooked — part of that experience.��

At the recent 2026 91ԭƬ Design + Construction Symposium, Coleman served as the keynote speaker. In his presentation, “Building Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,” Coleman examined how school environments can support belonging,��safety��and student success.��The symposium brought together education leaders and the A/E/C community to explore the trends, challenges and projects shaping K-12 and higher education facilities.��

In advance of the event, 91ԭƬ��(SCN)��spoke with Coleman about his path from classroom teacher to district leader, what he has learned about the relationship between physical spaces and student outcomes, and why designing��—��or redesigning��—��a school should begin with how the people inside it experience that space.��

SCN: What initially drew you to education?��

Coleman:��I believe education��is a great equalizer. I had an awesome educational experience, with parents who viewed public education as��very important��and educators who invested in me. They pushed me academically, challenged me through��activities��and helped me build character.��

I went into public education wanting to ensure that other people had��that��same experience.��I realized my experience wasn’t the experience of all of my friends and counterparts, so I wanted everyone else to have that same opportunity.��

SCN: How did your classroom experience shape the way you think about learning environments?��

Coleman:��Once I became a teacher, I realized education was more than putting standards and information in front of students.��Students have to understand that we care about them.��

I taught in Title I schools and some of our most impoverished schools, where buildings were often��old��and classrooms��hadn’t��received much investment. I wanted my students to have the kind of experience I had, so I invested in my own classroom.��

A college professor once told me, “Your classroom should make your students feel like home.” I created little nooks and��reading��corners with a couch and bookshelf. I would put a lamp there. It was about reminding students what reading could be like and creating a space where they felt comfortable.��

SCN: What have you learned about the relationship between belonging, the physical��environment��and student success?��

Coleman:��When a leader creates a sense of belonging, educators take pride in their space.��I’ve��worked in old buildings where educators were given the ability to make modifications and updates to their classrooms. They made their classrooms their own.��

That��translated��to the students. They took ownership and pride in their classrooms, too.��When students feel safe, feel like they belong and feel like they matter, it makes a difference.��I’ve��seen that��reflected in��academic outcomes.��

The��flip side��is also true. If students walk into an old building where paint is chipping off the walls and they��don’t��have spaces that feel uniquely theirs, that has an emotional and mental impact on how they view education and learning. It also affects how they perceive how adults feel about them.��

SCN: Does creating that environment always require a new building or major capital investment?��

Coleman:��No. I know money and finances are difficult for most schools and districts. New, innovative buildings are great, but��it’s��also about how we reimagine our current��spaces��so they align with 21st-century learning and what students need.��

You can take an old home and fix it up on the inside. The same thing applies to schools. It��isn’t��necessarily about the neighborhood or location of the building.��It’s��about how we make the building and how we make students feel.��

If students don’t feel they matter or don’t have a sense of belonging, it shows up in their academic outcomes and their behavior data.��

SCN: How has your expanded role in safety and security changed how you think about the built environment?��

Coleman:��Safety and security��is��a unique space. There is the physical safety of the building—making sure we have the technical things in��place��so buildings are physically secure and feel safe. In Jeffco,��we’ve��done an extremely��good job��ensuring that our buildings have that sense of physical safety.��

But��there’s��also a sense of safety and belonging. A building can be physically safe, but there can still be people in our communities who��don’t��feel safe.��

That’s��why listening is so important. We��have to��ask, “If you don’t feel safe, what would make you feel safe?”��Then we have to determine what we can actually do.��

SCN: What do you hope attendees��took��away from your symposium keynote?��

Coleman:��What we do in K-12 education is going to be so important, especially as we think about the next generation and what happens after high school. What we do in our schools makes a difference.��

When��we’re��able to create an environment where students really feel that they belong,��we’re��able to decrease the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate.��

The space��matters. It matters more than people sometimes realize.��

That’s��why conversations between educators and the design and construction community are so important. Educators understand what students and teachers experience every day. Architects,��engineers��and contractors bring��expertise��about what is possible within the built environment. When those perspectives come together early and thoughtfully, we have an opportunity to create spaces that don’t just look��good, but��actually support the people who use them.��

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By Petra Sucher��

For school districts across the country, summer signals the beginning of the busiest season for capital planning and construction. As students leave campus, crews mobilize to complete renovations, infrastructure improvements and new construction projects, many of which are made possible through voter-approved bond referendums. Understanding where districts are in the funding pipeline — and where the next opportunities are emerging — has become increasingly important for architects, engineers, contractors, manufacturers and service providers looking to support K-12 capital programs. By tracking bond activity from the earliest planning stages through election outcomes, SchoolBondFinder provides a real-time view of how districts are prioritizing facility investments and where the market is headed.����

SchoolBondFinder��specializes in tracking K-12 capital project bonds across the nation.��The��platform monitors school district bond initiatives across key stages, providing stakeholders with crucial data on project scope, financing, and voter outcomes.��

• Watch List:��Districts may be added to this list following initial activities such as a facilities study, demographic study, capital improvement plans review or a feasibility survey.��
• Proposed List: A bond is moved to this list once a school board officially approves a referendum for a vote. At this point, the vote date, official ballot language, use and amount are finalized.��
• Passed/Failed List:��Updates on school bond referendum votes — both passed��and��failed — are typically available on the platform within 24 to 72 hours of the official results being released.��

Quarter 2 (April 1-June 30):��

For the second quarter,��$22.6 billion in referendums have been approved as of��June 15. There are currently��10��voting opportunities��remaining��through the end of June, with an estimated value of��$632 Million. To date, June elections have passed��25��bonds and��13��have��failed, resulting in a��52%��pass rate. Currently there is��a strong��support and focus on bonds that address physical facility needs and safety upgrades.

One pattern emerging is that school districts are combining physical infrastructure and safety upgrades into single, comprehensive bond packages rather than funding them separately. Approximately 47%��of passed bonds for Q2 focused on��allocated funds for safety and security upgrades. Examples of safety and security enhancements��are��installing secure entrances, security cameras and alarm systems.����

��Top 3 States for Q2 Bond Measures:��

1. Texas: $11 billion across 92 measures��
2. Georgia: $1 billion across 13 measures��
3. Michigan: $1 billion across 33 measures��

The Start of the Fiscal Year

The K-12 education funding cycle begins on July 1 and concludes on June 30 for 46 states. This period serves as “go time” for school districts, as they activate new funding streams, issue bonds and authorize summer capital construction projects. The end of the school year provides an ideal window for infrastructure work, such as roof replacements and HVAC upgrades, to begin.��

The timing is critical because many local school boards submit architectural plans to state education agencies before the July 1 deadline to secure early approval for both plans and funding. To effectively capture capital projects and bond opportunities, education companies must prioritize early engagement with school boards and districts before the new fiscal year begins. It is critical for firms to establish themselves as a trusted, value-add partner and to ensure their offerings align with specific district needs.��

Upcoming Elections and Events

Currently SchoolBondFinder is tracking $50 billion in opportunities for 2026, with many watchlist items with no funds attached yet. August elections are around the corner with 28��bonds on the proposed list. These elections will primarily take place in Oklahoma and Michigan. ��

On Aug. 5, SchoolBondFinder will be in Denver presenting at the 91ԭƬ Design & Construction Symposium. Experts will be talking about 2026 State of School Tax Elections: Outcomes & Outlooks. This informative session will review the current K-12 school referendum landscape in the U.S., including total funding and approved opportunities, trends in capital projects and spending, and forecasts for the rest of 2026 into 2027. Register today.

With nearly $50 billion in tracked opportunities already on the horizon for 2026—and many additional projects still in the planning stages before funding amounts are determined — the K-12 capital market continues to present significant opportunities for industry partners. For firms serving the education sector, success depends not only on monitoring election results but on understanding where districts are in the planning process and engaging well before projects reach the construction phase. As the new fiscal year begins and districts move from planning to procurement, those that establish themselves as trusted resources early will be best positioned to support the next generation of school facilities. SchoolBondFinder will continue to monitor these trends throughout the year, providing timely data and insights into the evolving landscape of school funding, capital investment and construction nationwide.��

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The architecture firm ��—��with��offices��in Santa Rosa, Calif.,��and Oakland,��Calif. —��recently advanced��it’s��2030 vision by��establishing��an office in Castle Rock, Colo.��The��nearly 80-person��firm now has three employees in Colorado��supporting��projects across the company and��as they��look to build a strategic pipeline of opportunities in��the region.��Led by Studio Director Joel��Williams,��AIA,��LEED AP, ALEP,��the team also includes��Project��Designers Joseph Puyot and Spencer Robinson.��

Williams joined��QKA in 2020��and��has more than 18 years of experience in education design, from��small classroom renovations to large-scale campus master planning projects. With a leadership��style rooted in collaboration and��communication,��he will build on his established client and��partner relationships to grow QKA’s presence in the Rocky Mountains.����

“This��expansion is a natural extension of our community-minded work in��California and��offers great��opportunities to build our talent pipeline in a��highly desirable��region to live and work,” Williams said.��

Williams, who will also share his insights at the 91ԭƬ (SCN)��Design & Construction Symposium��in August, spoke recently with SCN to explain why Colorado is a compelling market for K-12 design, and how architecture can help schools do more with limited resources.��

SCN:��Colorado has seen significant growth and voter support for school bonds. How do you see those market conditions shaping the next generation of school design in the state?��

Williams:��Colorado voters approved��nearly��$6 billion��in new school bond funding in the 2024 election cycle, with��additional��measures��anticipated��on the 2026 ballot. That sustained community investment reflects the same conviction��we’ve��seen across the Bay Area: that well-designed schools are worth funding, and that communities will��back��that commitment at the ballot box.��

The policy landscape is similarly aligned. Evolving energy codes in both states are driving demand for schools that prioritize efficiency, renewable generation, and reduced fossil fuel reliance. Sustainability strategies that were once aspirational—daylighting, natural ventilation, solar generation, stormwater management—are now baseline expectations in both markets. The frontier of the conversation has moved upstream, from operational energy use to the embodied carbon inherent in the materials and processes��required��to build and renovate in the first place.����

The key distinction between the two markets is demographic. California enrollment is��largely stable��or slightly declining, while Colorado’s population growth is driving enrollment increases and expanding housing development across the region. That translates into demand for both new campuses and significant modernization of existing ones.��

SCN:��Many districts are balancing enrollment growth, aging infrastructure, and budget pressure. How can architecture help schools do more with limited resources?��

Williams:��There is no universal answer to the gap between funding and��need��that every public school district faces. Sometimes a creative renovation is the right investment; sometimes demolition and replacement of an aging facility is the better long-term decision. What matters is that the solution fits the place.��

In every case, the goal is the same: buildings that meet today’s needs while��remaining��adaptable, and that incorporate systems district facilities staff can��actually operate��and maintain effectively. Architecture helps schools do more with limited resources when��it’s��rigorous about long-term cost of ownership, not just first cost—and when��it’s��honest about which investments will still be paying dividends in 20 or 30 years.��

SCN:��Colorado districts vary widely—from fast-growing suburban systems to rural communities. How should education design adapt to��very different��local needs rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions?��

Williams:��Every project starts with active listening. Before we reach for a solution, we work to understand what a particular district, campus, and community actually��need. We have decades of experience in school design, but we focus more on bringing that��expertise��to creatively respond to a client’s goals than on telling them what they should think. The best designs respond to the constraints that make a school community and site unique—not necessarily those with the largest footprint or the biggest budgets. Across a state as varied as Colorado, that posture��isn’t��optional;��it’s��the only approach that works.��

SCN:��You bring��nearly��20��years of education design experience. What are the biggest shifts��you’ve��seen in learning environments over that time, and how will those lessons influence your Colorado work?��

Williams:��The biggest shifts��haven’t��been in classroom layout or building configuration;��they’ve��come from the systems, technology, and construction methods that make schools work��over time. As I mentioned previously, this is��apparent��in the shift in priorities��regarding��sustainability strategies. As certain strategies become the baseline, we can move to��focusing��more on concerns like embodied carbon.����

That whole-lifecycle thinking, developed through years of California work, is a direct asset as Colorado districts make long-term infrastructure decisions. Our Colorado presence��isn’t��designed to function as a stand-alone regional office; the vision is a distributed studio model—one firm,��operating��across multiple geographies, carrying the same design standards, technical rigor, and culture that have defined QKA for four decades. For Colorado districts, that means access not just to a local team, but to the full depth of QKA’s institutional knowledge, built project by project, district by district, over 40 years.��

The post Joel Williams on Leading QKA’s New Colorado Office and Taking on a New K-12 Market appeared first on 91ԭƬ.

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