nology Systems
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Appendices
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Title to Open that Section Trade and Industrial Education
Facilities Guidelines
Introduction
The Trade and Industrial Education Facility Guidelines provides information regarding the
physical requirements for some of the most popular T&I instructional programs. The
purpose of this publication is to guide teachers, administrators, architects, and other
professionals in building or converting Trade and Industrial Education instructional
laboratories to train students in the knowledge, skills, and processes commonly found in
todays industry. However, these guidelines do not purport to be all-inclusive. These
guidelines are designed to begin answering the questions that normally arise during the
construction or remodeling of Trade and Industrial facilities. Teaching styles, the desired
facilities, and the nature of the programs will dictate adjustments and additions to any
program recommendations.
To the extent possible, the recommendations in this publication came from national
program standards, such as those from National Automotive Technician Education
Foundation (NATEF) or the American Welding Society (AWS) and the Associated General
Contractors (AGS) for the facility, equipment, and tool recommendations. However,
national program and facility standards were not available in all Trade and Industrial clusters
or program areas, so recommendations from community colleges, other states, and/or
teachers were used in the development of these guidelines.
Some aspects of all Trade and Industrial education programs and facilities are similar in
nature; a brief discussion of each of these similarities follows. Subsequent sections focus on
the unique requirements of individual courses within each of the seven Trade and Industrial
Clusters.
Facility Design for Flexibility and Expandability
Designing school facilities is a challenge; providing desirable learning environments for the
myriad of trade and industrial education programs includes particularly complex issues, as
industry is constantly changing. Trade and Industrial Education facilities have at least two
important characteristics.
The first characteristic is the high cost of space and equipment, relative to most other
teaching spaces in a school. Most laboratories may require up to six times more space than
required for academic teaching space. Equipment costs for some programs may be a hundred
times greater.
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Top of Section Second is the inflexibility of some laboratory designs. Facilities for some Trade and Industrial
Education programs require a large floor space with a high ceiling and special wiring,
plumbing, air handling, and acoustical treatment. These facilities may be expensive to
renovate and poorly located for other uses. It is, in general, easier to convert outdated
laboratories into other laboratories than into spaces for academic use.
Flexibility is an important concept in planning laboratory facilities. A modular system of
layout permits the greatest possible exchange of workstations and other laboratory work
areas. Modular lighting, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation will allow reduction or
expansion of spaces without affecting the environment. The use of non-load-bearing
partitions between adjoining areas increases the flexibility of laboratory areas. Position
utilities on permanent walls and structural components.
Future expansion using multiples of needed workstations rather than general additional
square footage extend the useable life of a facility and more simply accommodates changes in
programs and curricula. The site configuration is an important consideration in minimizing
restrictions to additions and renovation to the existing building.
Flexibility encourages space sharing that increases utilization of existing facilities and reduces
costs. Dressing rooms, showers and clothing locker areas, where required can be shared
effectively. Multiple laboratories sharing a common work or fabrication areas is an additional
approach to space sharing.
Trade and Industrial Education Training Spaces
The following identifies design considerations that are common to most Trade and
Industrial Education program facilities.
Classrooms
Each Trade and Industrial program requires access to classroom space sufficient for
anticipated student enrollments. Safety glass windows provide a clear view of the laboratory
area while providing acoustical insulation of the classroom from the laboratory noise.
Control of natural light is necessary to permit the use of television and other audiovisual
media. Classroom lighting needs to consider the needs of students with visual disabilities, as
well as the use of media.
The typical classroom space has a dry marker and tack boards, adequate seating equipment,
teacher desk with chair, and a demonstration/planning table. Ample built-in storage for
audiovisual equipment and materials, printed instructional resources, and teacher-
maintained student files are important to providing classroom instruction.
Tables and chairs are preferable to traditional student desks because of their flexibility in
meeting a variety of instructional needs and strategies. Computer workstations with Internet
access are an integral part of classroom instruction.
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Top of Section Laboratories
Trade and Industrial laboratories are custom designed for specific classes or programs and
provide a simulated-work environment for the practical applications of instruction and skills
practice, effectively and safely. The unique purposes and nature of instruction in the specific
program determine the floor area; however, a minimum of 100 square feet per student,
exclusive of storage and other support areas, is a good planning figure. Ceiling heights will
range from 120 to 140 depending on the square footage of the laboratory. Each
laboratory should have a communications system, including a telephone, for informational
and emergency use.
Carpeting is an appropriate floor treatment for light-duty laboratories and in areas where
noise control is desirable, such as drafting. Vinyl tile is effective for light-duty areas such as
electronics and cosmetology, where maintenance is likely to be an issue. Medium to heavy-
duty laboratories generally have hardened, sealed concrete floors, as they are often subject to
abuse from heavy equipment and oils and acid. Floor drains are necessary in areas subject to
spilled liquids or where floors are scrubbed or hosed down. Where spillage of volatile liquids
is likely, drains should have suitable interceptors.
Tool and supply storage should be convenient to work areas to minimize travel and
congestion. There should be wide aisles between workstations, in front of storage cabinets,
and around equipment. Equipment such as lathes, planers, or presses have a tendency to
vibrate and will need to be bolted to the floor. Mounting pads placed under the machine feet
also reduce vibration.
Machines and equipment should be located to allow for ease of cleaning around the base,
and cabinets should fit flush to walls for the same purpose. Walls should be smooth with no
ledges to collect dust in those areas that generate dust. Laboratories that generate excessive
dust or other airborne pollution must have an exhaust system.
Windows can provide natural lighting which, at times, may be sufficient for student activities
and thereby reduce energy cost. Natural lighting is also advantageous in circumstances where
color distortion from artificial lighting is an issue and for a way out of the building during
power failures or other emergencies. Windows are necessary in laboratories or rooms housing
hazardous equipment. Natural ventilation may be sufficient during much of the school year,
can reduce energy costs, and is useful when mechanical systems fail.
Windows may not be practical in medium and heavy-duty laboratories with expensive
equipment or tools, due to the security issues they generate. If regular windows are
impractical, small, inoperable windows high above the floor and glazed with wire glass or
covered with grilles are an option. Windows should be a minimum of 48 inches above the
floor and 72 inches where wall space is valued. If windows are used, orientation of the
building on the site should reduce glare.
Teacher Office/Conference
Teachers should have an office/conference room that has a desk or lighted desk-height work
surface with a computer terminal and telephone, chairs, file cabinet, and storage for teaching
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Top of Section materials and personal items. The teachers office/conference area should be adjacent to the
classroom and laboratory and the adjoining wall made of glass so that the teacher can observe
activities within the classroom and laboratory while in the office.
Storage Areas
Storage is required for tools, materials, student work, and teacher materials and supplies.
Storage rooms can isolate noisy laboratories from adjacent quiet areas. Inexpensive tools,
equipment, or utensils frequently used can be stored on wall panels or cabinets for easy
accessibility and inventory. The more expensive items, especially those used occasionally,
require a lockable room or cabinet.
Materials storage requirements vary with the types of activities, but should be located
convenient to the materials receiving door and should provide an orderly flow of materials
into the laboratory work areas. Storage should accommodate materials necessa