7
2. Establish legislative funding for the clearinghouse so it would be maintained and sustainable. 3. Expand the allowable usage of funds
on the street” principle. Instead of having solid walls everywhere, you use glass. You open things up. Transparency, high visibility, good lighting, daylight – all these elements increase a sense of well-being and community. When you see others, you feel a part of a whole. Creating schools that inspire connection, that are more community-based, and support the prevention of mistreatment and bullying are the focus of soft programs working toward those goals. “We don’t have to ‘try’ to earn clients’ trust; they give it to us and we give it to them, because we are all on the same side of the table.” TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? JB: Collaboration. We believe everyone can be creative, including our clients. We bring them into the conversation from the beginning, and once we are all together, everything is in the open. From the beginning, the client understands what you are talking about, creating solutions they are a part of. We hear it all the time: “I could see our input in the completed space.” In our industry, that’s not as common as you might think, so it’s a real complement. So, honestly, we don’t have to “try” to earn clients’ trust; they give it to us and we give it to them, because we are all on the same side of the table. TZL: Diversity and inclusion are lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue? JB: When I started out 30 years ago, the only woman in this firm was the receptionist. Throughout my career, I’ve pressed to increase diversity. Now, half of our licensed architects are women, and we’ve had many architects from diverse backgrounds over the years. We still need to do more to diversify our staff at all levels if we’re to bring true creativity and innovation to our clients. To meet this end, firms must look internally at office policies and hiring practices, as well as ways to support equity in the career pipeline. In the last year, we’ve initiated the development of an internal DEI committee that’s helping us identify ways to foster an environment of inclusion, increase intercultural competence, and ensure equitable access to benefits and career
HEADQUARTERS: New
for the STOP School Violence Grant Program to include overall security master plans.
Haven, CT
As a result of the first goal, the national clearinghouse/database was established. Now anyone can visit schoolsafety.gov and find information on bullying, threat assessment, training and drills, mental health, and more. The effort had bipartisan backing and required support from the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Education, and Homeland Security – so getting it up and running was a huge accomplishment. On goal number two, the website has not been fully codified or funded by Congress, leaving further development and its maintenance and sustainability in question. It has been written into a bill, but like many Congressional efforts, bipartisan and otherwise, it has stalled. Goal number three is still in progress. AIA has been pushing for $100 billion to fund school retrofits including security, deferred maintenance, and energy improvements. Only energy improvements have been included in the current proposed legislation, but even that is still considered at-risk. As far as security goes, there is no “one-size- fits-all” solution. The legislations still do not include funding for appropriate planning and this is an issue in our minds. We know that school districts don’t have adequate funding to implement the improvements we feel are needed in year one, so appropriate planning must be instituted, so projects are ready to go when the funds do arrive. “We believe everyone can be creative, including our clients. We bring them into the conversation from the beginning, and once we are all together, everything is in the open.” To answer your second question, yes, we’ve worked on schools since 2018 and Sandy Hook. We look at all our projects through a filter of security, including higher education, residential, and workplace. It’s about applying appropriate CPTED principles like the “eyes
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 30
YEAR FOUNDED: 1983
OFFICE LOCATIONS:
■ ■ New Haven, CT
■ ■ Fort Lauderdale, FL
■ ■ Arlington, VA
MARKETS:
■ ■ Master planning
■ ■ Education
■ ■ Healthcare
■ ■ Mixed-use/residential
■ ■ Science and technology
■ ■ Workplace
■ ■ Civic-cultural
MISSION: To inspire our
clients to join us in creating
See STAND FOR SOMETHING, page 8
productive playgrounds.
© Copyright 2021. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
EMBER 27, 2021, ISSUE 1421
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