Congratulations are in order for FNI founding Principal Randall Fielding, who on October 9 was named 2007 International Planner of the Year by the Council of Educational Facility Planners, the peak international organization for school planning.

After receiving his award, Randy was also given great feedback on his acceptance speech, which is copied here:

“Thank you all for serving as my mentors. I love CEFPI, because you have shared hundreds of great ideas with me and allowed me to share them with others in 23 countries around the world.

I’m going to continue to need your group genius with the projects ahead.

Ten days ago I spent the week in Saskatchewan, in a school district that has been described by the Canadian press as the worst neighborhood in Canada. In a primarily First Nations community, the graduation rate is under 5%. The neighborhood is characterized by boarded up houses, empty needles, and child prostitutes.

We began a community engagement process with student workshops, sharing different kinds of music, and learning about students’ hopes and fears. After three days of workshops with kids, health care providers, the school board, police department, community elders, and social services, a student named Jesse said to me, “Will you come back to us?”

It was a poignant moment. We realized that Jesse was speaking for a whole community of children that had been abandoned.

The next day, I received an urgent communication from one of the school leaders: “We have to bring you back! We’ve built up their hopes, and it’s time to deliver.”

I promise you that I will be back, and that I will continue to leverage all of your great ideas at CEFPI to transform Jesse’s neighborhood into a center for life long learning, where each student can realize their own dreams.”

On October 11, 2007, Jeff Lackney presented his findings regarding the “Role of School Design in Obesity Prevention” at an invited conference entitled Beyond Individual Behavior: Multidimensional Research in Obesity Linking Biology to Society organized by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Washington, D.C. His findings will appear in the journal Obesity this Fall.

Abstract: Spatial features of obesogenic environments studied on a broad, community level have been associated with childhood overweight and obesity, but little research has focused on the effects of the design of micro spaces such as schools on individual health behaviors. This presentation aimed to generate thinking and research on the link between school space and architecture and obesity prevention by reviewing and synthesizing available literature in architecture, environmental psychology, and obesity research, in an effort to propose promising ideas for school space design and redesign. Design strategies aimed to promote physical activity and healthy eating are proposed, with particular emphasis on the design of cafeterias, activity spaces, connectivity with the larger community, and student health centers. Concluding remarks include intervention logistics, the merits of and barriers to school redesign, the important role of students in design efforts, and future research directions.

See our Resumes page for information about Prof. Stephen Heppell, Dr. Jon Wiles, Dr. Arthur Shapiro, Bruce Dixon, Michelle Swanson, Theron Cosgrave, Eeva Reeder, John Sole, and Michele Tillier Wiles all of whom have come on board recently.

Click link below to see video clips of an interview with Prakash Nair by the Department of Education & Training, Victoria, Australia. A full transcript of the interview is also available at the website.

The American Institute of Architects had a symposium in late September 2006 to improve the quality of schools in Charlotte. Randy is interviewed along with Harvey Gantt, former Charlotte Mayor. Click here for streaming audio or download MP3 files to your desktop.

Click here for streaming audio or download MP3 files to your desktop.

Randall Fielding continued his ground breaking work in February 2006 in Sri Lanka. Fielding is helping with the development of innovative new vocational community learning centers to replace traditional schools damaged by the Tsunami.

Fielding is now preparing for a new adventure in Azerbaijan in May 2006 where he will be working at the national level to develop world class facilities standards for that country. Following the visit to Azerbaijan, Fielding will also visit Victoria and Tasmania to work alongside his partner Nair on several projects in these two states.

Dr. Jeff Lackney has been leading the design effort for a project that could set a new standard for “world class”. The Duke School has set itself the goal of being the first 10-10 in the world (“10” for education supported by a “10”-level educational campus). Lackney is FNI’s managing principal for the Greater Good Academy project in Indianapolis and also working as a key design principal on several other FNI projects including Horizons Learning Center in Phuket, Scotch Oakburn College and Wesley College in Australia and the Broward County Career and Adult Education project.