Arlington School & Family Magazine April/May 2015 | Page 17

FOR COMMUNITY
BY COMMUNITY

T

oday, our focus is on establishing an innovative
design solution for the new Career and
Technology Center. We utilized our proprietary
design strategy builder, the VLK Gaming Charrette
Process, which accelerates the design dialogue by
creating a participatory event for all stakeholders.
The process allows participants to exchange views,
information and understanding and become investors in
the design concept.
“As the AISD committee, composed of AISD
Administration, Staff, and students, participated in
the process,” said Sloan Harris, VLK Principal, “they
discussed the placement of various program elements,
voted on image boards that represent their favorite
ideas, and ultimately established the foundation for the
design solution we developed for the project.”

Sloan Harris, AIA, LEED® AP

The design concept for AISD’s Career and
Technology Center is based on the vision of “Exhibiting
Opportunity”; exposing students, educators and visitors
to every career program the center has to offer. The
academies are organized in a manner that creates
synergy between the programs. Students are both
visually and physically exposed to all programs through
open collaboration spaces and shared resources. The
design of the building facilitates the District in optimizing
the student’s path for self-discovery.
“It is our hope at AISD to provide students with a
connection to real world career options by putting the
career tech education on display,” said Bowie Hogg,
AISD Board President, “Students of Arlington ISD will
have ample opportunity and exposure to any type of
career tech education they might desire.”

VLK Architects is a full-service architectural firm with expertise that revolves around decades of technical practice and standards
that make us a leading innovator in design and architectural service. We have numerous design awards, have multiple CHPS
and LEED certified projects, many of which derive from schools that were designed with our partner, Arlington ISD.