Behind the Design: Mike Vermeeren, Architect and Education Planner
Pull back the curtain and get to know the people behind the design. The solutions we develop for clients and communities are brought to you by passionate individuals devoted to delivering better built environments — places that support healthy, productive, sustainable ways of living.
Our next #PeoplePassions blog post features Mike Vermeeren, an architect and education planner based in Austin, Texas, who might just be an expert in mini-golf-course design and who is inspired by the broad range of possibilities when it comes to designing for students of today and tomorrow.
What is your personal design philosophy?
I’ve grown to really appreciate the collaborative design process — working not only with design team members but also bringing clients and partners to the table for every step of the process, listening to all those crucial voices for input. One of my favorite things about design is working with client groups and learning what they want and need their building to do for them. Understanding the vision from different people and perspectives and then determining how to bring it all together into a holistic design — that’s what I really enjoy. In the end, it’s something everyone involved can look back on and say: “This is ours — we did this together.”
Tell us a bit about your background.
I’ve been in education design for about 17 years and specialize as an education planner. The planning process is where you sit down and talk with principals, teachers, librarians, and maintenance staff and figure out what it is they need out of their building. It also helps when they can hear from each other as those conversations tend to build off themselves and create beneficial dialogue.
I treat those planning meetings like game days: You prep for them. You figure out the right questions to ask and the right exercises to do with the client/stakeholder group.
Making these sessions inclusive, interactive, and fun goes a long way as participants remember the experience and what it took to get there once the school is built — even though it’s been two, maybe three years since we had those conversations. The planning sessions are what help determine a building’s identity and how that building should feel and function for the users. Most often, those people you engaged with initially are the ones moving in; they’re the ones who pass on the identity, culture, and ethos you talked about and who keep it thriving within the building.
Architecture and design are personal. And I’ve been fortunate to spend the last 10-plus years specializing in education design — it’s an area of work that means a lot to me. It’s all wrapped up in my identity: father, husband, and architect.
What are the biggest influences behind your design philosophy?
I have two kiddos and can’t help but think about them when I’m designing a school building. I also think about my own experiences growing up — about the schools I went to, what worked and what didn’t — and I apply this experience and intuition combined with my professional education to the projects I design. I always want to give something more to the next generation.
A big focus of mine is designing spaces that bring community and kids together — spaces that are full of natural light and are comfortable and welcoming, spaces that feel like home. I grew up in California and our schools didn’t have enclosed hallways and we had nice, long window banks in the classrooms. I always remember that wall of windows and how it seemed to inspire creative thought. I feel that environment helped me be a better learner.
You have a background in urban studies, and you mentioned you want to give kids an opportunity to experience community. How do you bring that urban planning element into school design?
When I say community, it’s not just about what takes place in a classroom, art room, gym, or library. It’s important for kids to understand they’re at a full campus, so I want to create opportunities where all classes can get together. Those campus-wide, or even grade-level-wide, events — especially at the elementary level — are eye opening. A young person can discover the feeling of, “Hey, it’s not just these 25 other kids that are around me. I’m a part of something bigger.”
I think it’s important to see through a kid’s lens and then help give them a broader perspective. Schools are microcosms of the larger community. You’re teaching kids how to graduate into the world out there, so you need a little bit of the world in a school.
Gallatin High School in Bozeman, Montana, was designed around the concept of a town center — a place where people come together for a variety of purposes aligned with creating a unified, supportive, interactive community. Central to the design is the “commons” where students and staff gather for assemblies, speakers, small group meetings, and individual study time.
When designing for community, I think about a space everyone can identify with. In traditional school design, you hear the term “double-loaded corridors” a lot. This refers to a hallway with classrooms on either side. This style of design makes hallways just about circulation. You really haven’t reached any kind of destination until you get to your classroom, and then you’re somewhat closed off until lunch or one of your special classes. I like to think more about common areas such as libraries or cafeterias. They’re more than just something at the end of a corridor. Those spaces can help set the identity of the whole campus. They’re spaces open to everyone and serve as hubs. To go back to the idea of community planning, these spaces can create a town center type of feeling and be the background for a variety of groups to come together for different activities that involve the wider community, in addition to the internal school community.
I also think connection to the outdoors is very important. It’s about broadening the student’s lens of what their community or world might include.
Can you describe a volunteer project you’ve enjoyed?
Our team has connections with the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, part of the Austin Independent School District. A few years ago, the seventh grade CTE (Career and Technical Education) teacher there was looking to start a miniature golf project, and a couple Cushing Terrell team members and I signed up to coach students in the work to design and build a mini golf course. The students learn the basic philosophy and concepts of design, experiment with different designs and materials, and even create obstacles utilizing a 3D printer. It’s been a lot of fun, so much so that we’re going on our third year of mini golf course building.
We do a project kickoff before we dive into the design ideation to teach the students more about women in architecture and the process of architecture and design. The kids get really excited about it, and the magical thing is, they could end up working in a design profession one day because of this opportunity!
Mike and Cushing Terrell colleague Sarah Shearer volunteer with the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, part of the Austin Independent School District. In addition to sharing about women in architecture, they participate in a program where students learn the basic concepts of architecture by designing and building mini golf course holes.
Can you talk about other work you’ve done for Austin ISD?
I have a certification in education planning, so when Austin ISD issued a request for an independent review compliance architect, I thought it was a perfect fit. We applied and were awarded the work with one other design firm. The work involves reviewing drawings from the Austin ISD 2022 Bond Program — we’ve probably gone through eight or nine campuses at this time.
It’s an interesting process reviewing drawings from other architecture firms and seeing how each has a particular lens and a different approach. And rather than being competitive, it’s been a way to break down those barriers, share ideas and opportunities, and build rapport with others who want to create a solid foundation for the next generation. We’re all doing the same thing, working to imagine, design, and deliver a better learning environment.
Recently, we were awarded the design contract to support the modernization of Hill Elementary School in northwest Austin, and we’ll be kicking off master planning and predesign in the fall of 2025. This is one of many modernization projects the district is conducting as a result of a 2022 bond aimed at providing students and educators with learning environments that meet today’s educational standards. As we’ve served the district in the role of design reviewer for the past two years, we’re excited to serve the district in this new capacity.
What are some of your biggest takeaways after almost two decades in education design?
Schools and everything within them go beyond serving as places to learn. Everything is multipurpose. Libraries are not just for reading, for example, they can also serve as community gathering spaces. Administration offices don’t have to be isolated spaces, they can offer networking areas to commune with staff and teachers. Even classrooms have transformed — instead of those double-loaded corridors I mentioned before, we have collaboration spaces that offer hands-on learning.
One of the things I love about Cushing Terrell is the team’s experience designing so many different building types. This range of experience makes it possible to incorporate learnings from other areas of design into how we think about educational buildings and spaces. Infusing all that knowledge into school design is really important when it comes to helping kids be successful in the world.
A little more about Mike…
Mike is an architecture and urban studies expert with nearly two decades of experience in the world of education. With a background in school planning, design, project management, and construction administration, he serves as the Education Studio Director for Cushing Terrell’s Austin office.
Mike has a passion for envisioning a better future for our next generation, using research and knowledge-sharing as tools to promote the continuous evolution of learning environments. He believes the path to successful design is infused with studious observation, introspective thought, group collaboration, and a genuine appreciation for the team dynamic.
Mike is a licensed architect, LEED Accredited Professional, and A4LE Accredited Learning Environment Planner.
An Austin resident for 18 years, Mike and his family spend ample time outdoors. Mike ran the Austin marathon this year as well as the Cap10K. He and his wife enjoy going to Austin City Limits and have a goal of visiting all the national parks with their two children.
