Pankalo Education Center

Pankalo Education Center

Side of Design Podcast: Redefining the Special Education Environment

Creative, calming, and compassionate. Pankalo Education Center serves K-8 students with special needs through artistic empowerment and a supportive, safe learning environment. As the second BWBR-designed facility for Northeast Metro Intermediate School District 916, Pankalo builds upon the success of Karner Blue Education Center by using lessons learned to enhance the new school’s design and operation, specifically programmed to students with severe autism and emotional-behavioral disorders.

This 20-classroom school emphasizes controlled views, natural light, integrated Human-Centered Safety™ features, and state-of-the-art mechanicals to minimize environmental effects on students sensitive to sensory disruptions. The key to the success of this educational/behavioral combination design was to provide layers of interventional spaces for students learning coping skills for self-regulation. Classrooms, community rooms, and hallways with controlled sightlines all integrate soundproofing, daylight, and seating options where students can calm themselves without interrupting surrounding classrooms and students.

Additionally, BWBR created a branded logo for Pankalo, a name derived from two Greek words to mean “complete beauty.” BWBR’s graphics department met with the client to hear their direction, then developed logo concepts that incorporated the four neighborhood themes within Pankalo: Symphony, Harmony, Kaleidoscope, and Mosaic. The resulting Pankalo icon is an arrangement of four individual tiles that coincide with the neighborhood themes and colors of the school.