Thursday / January 28, 2021 / 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
How Trauma-Informed Design Can Help Heal and Empower Our Communities and Schools
Online
Educational challenges and the amplified exposure to systemic inequities wrought by the pandemic are having wide-ranging effects on students and educators everywhere—particularly those who have, or are, experiencing trauma. (Even before COVID-19 struck, the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence found that over 60% of children under the age of 18 had experienced some form of trauma, crime, or abuse in the prior year, with some experiencing multiple traumas.) This interdisciplinary and interactive presentation will offer several design patterns and processes with the hope of helping school and community architects address two of the most critical issues of our time—social-emotional learning and trauma-informed design.
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Speakers:
Victoria Bergsagel is an educator passionate about designing schools where all students achieve. She founded and directs Architects of Achievement (Mercer Island, WA) and has a gift for nurturing people’s talents and insights to arrive at inspired solutions. She has been a teacher, counselor, principal, adjunct professor, community relations director, and school district administrator. As director of educational design in a large school district, she led the educational program planning upon which the construction of new schools was based. As the director of educational partnerships at a brain research institute, she worked with an interdisciplinary team to conduct, integrate, and interpret the world’s leading brain research. Now working as an educational design strategist throughout the US and abroad, Victoria has served on numerous award-winning design teams, advised the White House on STEM education, published several articles, co-authored Architecture for Achievement, served on the AIA jury to select the nation’s best K-12 and higher education designs in 2015, and has served as a lecturer at Harvard, Berkeley, USC, Lewis and Clark College and Seattle Pacific University.
Lorne McConachie, FAIA, is a Principal at Bassetti Architects (Seattle, WA). Lorne has over 40 years of experience planning schools that focus on personalized, collaborative spaces that support differentiated learning, engaged communities, and sustainable connections to place. He is especially adept at trauma informed design where safe, welcoming, and flexible spaces are vital. Lorne's architecture, writing, speaking, and consulting have contributed to enhancing learning environments, inspiring students, and enriching communities. Lorne co-authored Architecture for Achievement and several published articles. His work has been recognized with A4LE's MacConnell Award for Raisbeck Aviation High School (2014 finalist), Lynnwood High School (2010 winner), Todd Beamer High School (2004 finalist), and Edmonds-Woodway High School (1999 winner). Under his leadership, Bassetti has been recognized locally, regionally, and nationally with numerous awards for transformational educational designs that embrace strategies for changing curricula, enhancing communities, environmental stewardship, and technology integration.
Amy Yurko, AIA, is the founder of Chicago-based BrainSpaces, Inc. As both a licensed architect and educator, she applies brain-focused strategies to the planning and design of learning environments. Incorporating a growing body of brain-focused research, her firm’s unique approach blends education and architecture, promoting the allocation of physical resources where they will yield the maximum educational value. Through an extensive body of work, Amy had earned the international distinction of “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Association for Learning Environments for her excellence in engaging communities to plan and design powerful environments for learning throughout the world, including several award-winning projects with co-presenters Victoria and Lorne. Amy has held faculty positions at Harvard University, the University of Southern California, Illinois Institute of Technology, and within Chicago Public Schools. She currently serves on the national AIA Board Knowledge Committee, as immediate past chair of the national AIA Continuing Education Committee and has served on the AIA Chicago Board of Directors.
