Building on their leadership and experience, FGM Architects is pleased to announce that Ron Richardson and Steve Raskin have assumed leadership of FGM’s PK-12 education practice. Ron will support clients within proximity of FGM’s Oak Brook, Milwaukee and Chicago while Steve will support clients for our O’Fallon and St. Louis offices.
Educators today face one of the most considerable challenges seen in many years. Technology, curriculum delivery, education methods, the need for safety and security, and student learning styles are evolving rapidly. To support these changes, schools need to be agile, flexible, and future ready, which often requires major adaptations to traditional school buildings or design of new school buildings.
At the intersection of education and facility needs is ever-decreasing funding. School maintenance always comes first – schools must be well-maintained and provide safe and clean environments appropriate for teaching and learning.
Navigating the need for school districts to stretch every penny while supporting the need for buildings to become more flexible, agile and future ready has been the cornerstone of Ron Richardson and Steve Raskin’s careers. Both Ron and Steve have dedicated most of their careers as architects solving issues for clients: providing facilities that are safe, well maintained AND flexible, agile and future ready within the parameters of shrinking budgets. School districts operate as stewards of taxpayer funding. Ron and Steve’s tenacity, creativity, leadership and a deep understanding of education and school design support the goals of each district and ultimately provide environments in which children thrive.
“I enjoy working out solutions to problems—the more challenging, the better,” says Ron. By listening closely to his clients and determining exactly what they need, Ron adeptly guides projects through all phases of development. It helps that he has an affinity for the nuts and bolts of a project and loves to go deep into a challenge to find creative solutions. He encourages school districts to develop a master facilities plan which provides a roadmap for improvements and makes the most efficient use of funding available. This approach has led to success with clients – building on standard maintenance upgrades, Ron is able to develop solutions that help improve building function and aesthetics which improve teaching and learning.
Steve’s passion is designing safe and secure schools. His architectural approach is continuously enhanced by collaboration with school, community, public safety and industry leaders to advance the knowledge, tools and design solutions that promote safety. From incorporating Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED principles into school design, assessing the security of existing facilities, or leveraging FEMA grant sources to build safe rooms, Steve brings a broad expertise to the communities he serves and a deep commitment to his life’s work: designing schools where children are safe and secure.