School athletics are at the core of building and fostering a community. But despite the enthusiasm for high-school and collegiate athletics, many schools face similar challenges with outdated athletic facilities. Having access to modern, flexible athletic spaces for students and community members has become a priority for many schools.

To celebrate Read Across America day, we wanted to highlight the current innovative trends that are bringing school libraries and media centers to LIFE. Once a quiet museum for books, school libraries are transforming to support the whole student.

Several of Richland Community College’s high-performing programs were in need of renovated spaces to refocus learning to a student-centered model. As part of a multi-phase long-range facilities plan, the $11.6 million first phase updated two exterior spaces and 45,000 s.f. of interior renovations were made to facilitate critical thinking and allow experiential learning through real-world problem solving in flexible spaces.

Big congrats to architectural intern Mansi Sanghvi, who was recently awarded first prize in the urban/large scale category for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's School of Architecture Earl Prize Design Excellence Awards! Her award-winning project project focused on reviving the lost identities of two cities that shares common municipality.