BLDD Architects
  • INNOVATE
  • WORK
    • PreK-12
    • Higher Education
    • Senior Living
    • Religious
    • Branded Environments
    • Healthcare
    • Fitness & Recreation
    • Commercial
    • Community
    • What's Brewing
  • CONNECT
  • Learn
  • PROJECT BID DOCUMENTS

District-Wide Facilities Master Plan

Iowa City Community School District, Iowa City, Iowa

BACK TO QLEO
District Challenges
  • 27 Facilities
  • 5 Competitive Communities
  • Aging Infrastructures
  • Mistrust from past planning
  • High Expectations
  • Rapid Enrollment Growth
  • Inequitable Facilities
  • Safety concerns
Facing the challenges of rapid enrollment growth, aging facilities, concerns about equity and a desire to develop future-focused educational environments, the Iowa City Community School District commissioned the BLDD/Unicom•ARC team to conduct a community engagement planning process to develop a long-term facilities master plan. The “ONE VISION” facilities master planning process created a 10 year master plan that serves as the District’s roadmap for future facilities decision making. 
The community was given the responsibility to investigate the issues facing the school district, recommend solutions for a long range plan, and select the strongest plan for implementation.

Finding the best plan.

A citizens’ led community engagement planning process was undertaken. Citizens brainstormed three different “big picture” approaches: consider expanding existing facilities; consider reconfiguring existing grade level configurations, and consider changing the existing mix of elementary, junior high, and high school facilities.

Examples of proposed solutions:
  • Future-focused upgrades and security upgrades to all facilities 
  • Various combinations of new elementary and junior high facilities and retired elementary facilities
  • Historic renovations of elementary facilities
  • Change high school configurations
  • Build third high school
  • Build additions to existing high schools 
  • Build additions and move 9th grade to middle schools, make high schools 10-12

All ​approaches were modeled using our cost-benefit analysis software (QLEO) to determine the best plan for moving forward. 
Scenarios evolved from the numerous original concepts brainstormed by the Facilitation Committee to the final scenarios that yielded the strongest cost benefit value.
Work activities asked participants to rate each scenario for how well they addressed 5 planning principles….equitable, right-sized, neighborhood schools, financial efficiency, and 21st century.
Charts show the results of scenario ranking, by planning principle.
When combining the points for all of the principles together, scenario 1 was the highest ranked.
The QLEO Analysis ranked scenarios by life cycle costs, educational adequacy, and cost/benefit ratio. QLEO ranked scenario 4C as the best for cost/benefit ratio.
Process Result: Passage of $200 Million Bond Referendum 

District Master Plan Implementation

City High School
BACK TO INNOVATE
          See other designs
Senior Living
Religious
PreK-12 Education
Higher Education
Healthcare
Fitness & Recreation
Community
Commercial
Branded Environments

BECAUSE LIFE DESERVES DESIGN

CENTRAL ILLINOIS​
CHICAGO
BLOOMINGTON, IL @ Co:Create
CHAMPAIGN, IL @ Sharespace
DUBUQUE, IA @ Idea Campus
FT. WORTH, TX @ Common Desk
PEORIA, IL @ The Nest
SPRINGFIELD, IL @ Innovate Springfield
ST. LOUIS, MO @ Cortex Innovation Community


© 2022 BLDD Architects Inc. 
​e:  hello@bldd.com
t:  844-784-4440
  • INNOVATE
  • WORK
    • PreK-12
    • Higher Education
    • Senior Living
    • Religious
    • Branded Environments
    • Healthcare
    • Fitness & Recreation
    • Commercial
    • Community
    • What's Brewing
  • CONNECT
  • Learn
  • PROJECT BID DOCUMENTS