Looking Back to Design Forward Past Trends Inform Future Inspiration Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster saw schools as a way to provide basic education to all citizens. Realized in the 1830s, this concept became prevalent across the United States as the one-room schoolhouse. As education advanced, schools increased; and since that time designers have responded to how education can be supported by the built environment. Around the time Dewberry opened its doors for business, the scale of the educational facility increased. Courtyards were introduced; building plans became asymmetric and reflected suburban growth. Twenty-five years later, the ‘Middle School Concept’ became the latest trend in school design, offering a group of classrooms placed around a center area that could be used for breakout space, and ultimately extensions of the classroom. 15 | www.dewberry.comhttp://www.dewberry.com