HMC Architects – Facility Design for the Evolving Education Market
HMC Architects, a DIA Schools Collaborative strategic partner, was founded more than 80 years ago and is one of the largest planning and design firms in California. The firm specializes in healthcare, education, and civic clients.
HMC aims to create spaces that positively impact communities, now and well into the future. We remain focused on work that directly contributes to the communities where we live, work, and play.
Master Planning Process
HMC Architects has recent relevant experience creating master plans for:
- JSerra Catholic High School – San Juan Capistrano, Ca
- Chaminade College Preparatory – West Hills and Los Angeles, Ca
- St. John Bosco High School – Bellflower, Ca
- Don Bosco Technical Institute – Rosemead, Ca
- St. Bernard’s High School – Los Angeles, Ca
- St. Francis High School – Mountain View, Ca
- St. Ignatius College Preparatory – San Francisco, Ca
HMC maintains our excellent reputation by consistently delivering successful projects. We understand every project is unique and that education is constantly evolving and improving; in fact, we welcome these changes. HMC is a learning organization and we pride ourselves on our understanding of and willingness to adapt to changing educational models. While designing quality buildings on time and within budget is what we do, our greatest satisfaction comes from building lasting relationships with our clients.
The Master Planning Process is a significant tool contributing to our success.
Facilities Master Plan
Before engaging in any significant improvements on your campus, HMC recommends developing a Facilities Master Plan which identifies long-term capital improvements to your school’s facilities that align with your school’s mission and values.
Purpose of a Master Plan:
HMC Architects firmly believes in the importance and value of master planning. The main purpose of a facilities master plan is to provide a road map for holistic planning for the best use and continued alignment of facilities and school resources with your mission, educational programs, and goals.
- Plans for thoughtful and proactive care of all assets
- Aligns facilities and expenditures with school and community vision and values
- Helps to eliminate reactive decisions and personal agendas on facility development
- Assists in anticipating future maintenance and facility needs
- Considers flexibility for future trends and demographic changes
- Creates strategic alignment of academic, athletic, and administrative adjacencies
- Recognizes that the physical and cultural environment are an integral part of the educational and developmental journey for a child
The master planning process pulls together data, facilities conditions, and diverse considerations into a long-term vision for school facilities that can support students, staff, and community. The most viable facilities master plans reflect engagement and the perspective of multiple stakeholders from both the school and its community. A successful project delivery process:
- involves the input and engagement of all stakeholders
- requires strong leaders to guide the team, offer solutions, facilitate communication, and listen
- creates an environment that allows all members and stakeholders to participate in the creative process.
Existing Facilities Assessment:
One of the first tasks when beginning an Educational Master Plan is to perform an existing facilities assessment to accurately assess the physical condition of your existing site and buildings. As part of this assessment, we recommend to:
- review all observable spaces, including interior and exterior spaces, basements & crawl spaces, roofs, etc.
- review and assess existing structures and foundations, HVAC systems, and electrical equipment to determine condition, capacities, and anticipated useful life.
Understanding the condition of your existing facilities will assist in the preparation of a comprehensive document that will clearly identify physical condition and any observed deficiencies. We will then utilize this assessment data to develop preliminary cost estimates which will be incorporated in the scenario planning and recommended scope, priorities, and phasing of future projects.
Design Process:
The HMC team will synthesize the existing facilities assessments, user group and other stakeholder input, and begin to assemble design options for the school’s leadership team to review and consider. HMC prides itself on designing custom design solutions that respond to a particular client’s unique needs.
One of the more successful approaches for our team has been to use an intensive, multi-day design workshop process. This unique process centers on HMC coming to your school for several (3 or more) days in a row and engaging in a series of meetings with your leadership team several times over the course of each day. We take your input, and rather than going back to our office and meeting with you 2 weeks later, we implement your comments right then and there, and show you the results that same day.
During the course of this workshop, the school leadership team sees the project develop in real-time, right before their eyes, creating a sense of authorship for the leadership team and user groups and allowing them to be an active participant in the design of the master plan.
Facilities Master Plan Deliverable
HMC will then develop a booklet that captures both the process and outcomes of the Facilities Master Planning process and documents important facilities improvements and design solutions. The booklet will be used for both internal and external purposes and represents your leadership and stakeholder’s vision for your school facilities for the next 10 years or more.
Capital Campaign Collateral
One of the most important outcomes of the Facilities Master Planning process is the development of collateral that will assist your school in its Capital Campaign efforts to fund the planned improvements. HMC has developed many different media that can support your Capital Campaign, including:
- Plan diagrams
- Photorealistic 3D Renderings
- Physical Models
- Animations/Walkthroughs
- “Ken Burns” effect videos using still imagery
- Print Booklets
- Websites
For additional information on how HMC Architects can help your school develop a Facilities Master Plan, or any other Facilities Improvements, please do not hesitate to reach out to either Kyle Peterson (kyle.peterson@hmcarchitects.com) or Brandon Gullotti (brandon.gullotti@hmcarchitects.com).
Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative is grateful to partner with HMC Architects this year!
Collateral is available here.