Designing School Outdoor Spaces: Creating Natural Landscapes that are Engaging

In this concrete-jungle world, we’ve become an increasingly indoor society and it can be easy to forget the importance of immersing ourselves in nature, especially in school settings. The outdoor landscapes can be designed for natural engagement of play or hanging out or being active. Many different ways to think about a landscape to be more nature driven and inviting are available, i.e., use of large granite stones, berms (large mounds of dirt) functioning as paths or conversation areas, trees, and other nature materials. These settings can improve mood and stress levels by creating a sense of calm for everyone. In this episode, Dr. Rhea brings in Dr. Jim Chadwell, former superintendent of EMS ISD and current Senior Associate for VLK Edge architecture team, to share his experience with bringing naturalistic designs to outdoor school spaces. During his 14 years as superintendent, Dr. Chadwell knew the importance of the outdoors and unstructured play, especially as the LiiNK Project was implemented in every elementary school, and pushed hard to bring naturalistic design elements to each new school and district building built during his tenure. Listen as he recounts these builds and the positive impact these designs brought to EMS-ISD.Dr. Jim Chadwell was born in Fort Worth, Texas and earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees all from Texas Christian University. During his 31-year career in public education, he served in various teaching and administrative roles including teacher, coach, high school principal, executive director for elementary and secondary instruction, and superintendent. He served the last 14 years as superintendent of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, where he had several accomplishments, including overseeing two bond programs bringing in new schools, a career and technology center, a new district administration building with a Discovery Lab Learning Center and renovations to every facility in the district. He also led the implementation of the EMS ISD Police Department district-wide, and the LiiNK Project in all EMS ISD elementary schools. Retiring from the district in January of 2025, Dr. Chadwell began his next chapter as an Educational Planner and Senior Associate for VLK Edge architecture team, bringing to the firm substantial experience as a leader in Texas public school districts.