journal

Home / People / Steven B. Bingler, AIA, REFP, NCARB, Founder

Contact:

sbingler@concordia.com

Steven Bingler is the founder and President of Concordia. Under his leadership, Concordia’s projects span a wide range of building types including the Jackson Brewery Festival Marketplace, the New Orleans Aquarium of the Americas and the Henry Ford Academy. Current educational and planning projects are underway in California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Missouri, West Virginia, and Washington Concordia’s award winning work has appeared in a wide range of national publications, including Progressive Architecture, Architecture, Interiors, Architectural Digest, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

In recent years, Steven has undertaken projects focused principally on the planning and design of environments for living and learning. He served as a special consultant to the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education for policy related to the design of schools as centers of the community. His educational papers have been published in a wide range of books and journals in the fields of urban planning, architectural design, education, public health and smart growth. A new book "2076: A Democratic Revolution in Progress" - is currently in progress. Additionally, Steven frequently speaks at national symposia and conferences related to innovations in community-based and small school planning and design.

Steven has been involved in many notable research and development projects concerning educational issues around small schools. Most recently, Concordia was a partner in the research and publication of Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools, a collaboration with the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, Rural Schools and Community Trust, and Dr. Craig Howley of Ohio University. At the behest of the KnowledgeWorks Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Steven co-authored the second release, Dollars & Sense II: Lessons from Good, Cost-Effective Small Schools.

Concordia’s focus is on the planning and design of a wide range of community-based environments for living and learning. Research alliances include the MIT Media Lab, Harvard University ’s Project Zero, the University of New Mexico , the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Thornburg Institute, the Appalachian Education Lab and the West Ed Lab.

Currently Steven is leading projects in Camden, New Jersey; Philadelphia, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Santa Monica/Malibu.



Resume of Steven B. Bingler, AIA, REFP, NCARB

EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Virginia, 1972
Consanti Foundation, Study with Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti, Cordes Junction, Arizona, June‑August, 1975
Kairos Foundation, Study with Keith Critchlow, Sacred Geometry, Crestone, Colorado, August, 1986

EXPERIENCE:
1983 to Present:
Concordia LLC (formerly Concordia Architects, APC), Planning, Architecture & Interiors, New Orleans, Louisiana
Position: Founder, President
1991 to 2002:
Concordia Incorporated, Planning firm merged with Concordia LLC, 2002. New Orleans, Louisiana
Position: Founder, President
1991 to Present:
The Alpha Group, a Master Planning and Environmental Research Group, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi
Position: Partner
1973 to 1983:
Perez Associates Architects, (formerly August Perez and Associates, Inc.) New Orleans, Louisiana
Position: President, Studio Four; Architectural Advocate; and Project Architect
Responsibility: programming, design and supervision of large scale projects
Fall, 1979: Visiting Professor of Architecture, Tulane University (Part Time)

ORGANIZATIONS:
Member: Council of Educational Facility Planners, International
Member: Urban Land Institute
Member: American Planning Association
Director: Concordia Community Alliance
Corporate Member: American Institute of Architecture
Member: National Council of Architecture Registration Boards
Member: AIA Architects in Education Committee
Advisory Board Member: Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Member: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
Member: National Society for Experiential Education
Member: Bureau of Governmental Research
Member: Association for Community Design

AWARDS:
• 2003 Merit Award for Innovative School Design: School Construction News and DesignShare for the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technology Center, Providence, Rhode Island, 2003
• 2001 James D. MacConnell Award: Council of Educational Facility Planners, International (CEFPI), national recognition for community involvement & innovative planning for the Henry Ford Academy, Dearborn, MI, 2001
• President’s Award: Council of Educational Facility Planners, International (CEFPI), national recognition for significant contributions to the environments where children learn, 2000.
• Distinguished Service Award, CEFPI Southern Region for service as a contributing author of publication: Designing Places for Learning, 1996.
• Service Citation Award, CEFPI, 1995.
• Citation, CEFPI Exhibition of School Architecture, Tishomingo County Educational Complex, Associated Architects with Johnson Bailey Architects, 1991.
• Honor Award: American Institute of Architects New Orleans Chapter, Contemporary Arts Center/900 Camp Street, 1991.
• Honor Award of Excellence: Louisiana Architects Association, Aquarium of the Americas, Bienville Group joint venture Z project, 1991.
• Honor Award: American Institute of Architects Gulf States Regional Council, Contemporary Arts Center/900 Camp, 1991.
• Best in Adaptive Re‑Use Design: Twelfth Annual Interiors Magazine Awards, Contemporary Arts Center/900 Camp, 1991.
• Award for Design Excellence: Southern Accents Magazine for the Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Bienville Group joint venture project, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• New Orleans Arts Award: Arts Council of New Orleans, 1990.
• Fellowship Grant: Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism, 1988.
• Role Model: Young Leadership Council, Architecture, 1988.
• Honor Award: American Institute of Architects Gulf States Regional Council, Le Restaurant de la Tour Eiffel, 1988.
• Excellence on the Waterfront: Annual Waterfront Center Award, Washington, D.C., The Jackson Brewery, 1987.
• Honor Award: Louisiana Architects Association, Le Restaurant de la Tour Eiffel, 1987.
• Honor Award: Louisiana Architects Association, Goldring/Woldenberg Hall, Tulane University School of Business, 1987.
• Honor Award of Excellence in Architectural Design: Gulf States Region American Institute of Architects, Jackson Brewery Development, Brewhouse, 1986.
• National Mall Monitor’s Fifth Annual Centers of Excellence: Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Brewhouse, 1985.
• Honor Award: Louisiana Architects Association, Jackson Brewery Development ‑Brewhouse, 1985.
• Honor Award: New Orleans Chapter American Institute of Architects, Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Brew House, 1985.
• Gambit Honor Award: Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Sugar Sheds, 1985.
• Certificate of Honor: Vieux Carre’ Commission, Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Sugar Sheds, 1985.
• Builder’s Choice Awards: “Builder Magazine”, Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Brew House, 1985.
• Award for Excellence in Architectural Design: Gulf States Region American Institute of Architects, Grand Ecaille
Restaurant, Bar & Store, 1978.
• Award of Merit: Louisiana Architects Association, Grand Ecaille Restaurant, Bar & Store, 1977.
• Annual Design Award: Vieux Carre’ Courier, Grand Ecaille, 1977.
• Honor Award: New Orleans Chapter, American Institute of Architects, Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Brew House,
1985.
• Gambit Honor Award: Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Sugar Sheds, 1985.
• Certificate of Honor: Vieux Carre’ Commission, Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Sugar Sheds, 1985.
• Builder’s Choice Awards: Builder Magazine, Jackson Brewery Development ‑ Brew House, 1985.
• Award for Excellence in Architectural Design: Gulf States Region American Institute of Architects, Grand Ecaille
Restaurant, Bar & Store, 1978.
• Award of Merit: Louisiana Architects Association, Grand Ecaille Restaurant, Bar & Store, 1977.
• Annual Design Award: Vieux Carre’ Courier, Grand Ecaille Restaurant, Bar & Store, 1977.


PUBLISHED WORKS:
Report: Dollars & Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools , sponsored by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation; The Rural School and Community Trust; & Concordia LLC, co-author, 2002
Article: “Community-Based Planning: If Not Now, When?” George Lucas Education Foundation newsletter: Edutopia, Fall 2002
U.S. Department of Education Publication: “Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide for Planning and Design, co-authored with Linda Quinn, April, 2000
Article: "The School as the Center of a Healthy Community", Public Health, March/April/May/June, 2000
Article: “Open-Door Policies”, Architectural Record, November 11, 1999
Report: “What If”, New Schools, Better Neighborhoods & The James Irvine Foundation, September,1999
Article: “Lessons from the Getty Conference: Putting the Public Back Into Public Education”, New Schools Better Neighborhoods Update, August, 1999
Article: “Building a Community Based School: One Way to Do It – And One Way Not To”, The Planning Report, Volume XII, No. 10, June 1999
Article: “E Pluribus Unum”, Mass, Journal of the School of Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico, New Mexico, Volume XI, Fall 1998
Article: “E Pluribus Unum”, The Educational Facility Planner, A Professional Journal of the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International, Volume 34, Number 3, 1998
Article: “Designing Schools for the Real World”, Designer/builder Magazine, Vol. IV, No. 12, April, 1998
Article: “Building A Learning Community”, Techniques, Making Education and Career Connections, Volume 73, Number 2, February, 1998
Article: “Less is More”, Learning by Design, Published by The American School Board Journal, Sally Banks Zakariya, Editor, 1998
Chapter: “Access for All: Including the School Community in the Design of School Facilities”, Schools for Everyone, Published by New Directions for School Leadership, Number 3, Spring, 1997, Elizabeth A. Hebert, Editor
Article: “Common Ground”, NSEE Quarterly, Published by National Society for Experiential Education, Volume 22, Number 3, Spring, 1997
Chapter: “Place as a Form of Knowledge”, Designing Places for Learning, Published by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Anne Meek Editor, 1995
Chapter: “One Plus One Makes Three”, Shared Spaces: Collaboration in Public Art and Public Space Design in the United States, 1975-1990, Editor Donna Graves, 1993
Article: “Restructuring the Architecture of the Learning Environment”, The Journal of Texas Public Education, Texas Association of School Boards, 1993
Article: “Bringing Forth Greatness”, The Educational Facility Planner, Professional Journal of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International, Volume 31, Number 1, 1993
Chapter: “Working Together”, Children, Learning & School Design, Elizabeth Hebert & Anne Meek,
Article: “The Lincoln Plan”, New Horizons for Learning, Quarterly, Volume XIII, #2, Winter, 1992
Chapter: “The MacArthur Park Experiment, 1984‑1987”, Critical Issues in Public Art, Harriet F. Senie & Sally Webster, Editors, 1992
Article: “Synopsis of the Concordia/MIT Symposium”, Council of Educational Facility Planners, International; School Planning and Design Workshop Synopsis, 1990
Article: “Concordia/MIT Symposium on Education”, The Educational Facility Planner, A Professional Journal of the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International, Volume 28, Number 1, 1990
Article: “The MacArthur Park Experiment 1984 ‑ 1987”, On View Magazine, Spring/Summer 1990.
Article: “Planning and the River”, Urban Design & Preservation, 1991


PRESS LIST:

The Washington Post “Cookie-Cutter Schools Give Students Déjà Vu” By Rasalind S. Helderman – August 25, 2002
The Washington Post “Creating a Vital Learning Space Why Mason Can't Read: Bad Design” by Evelyn Porreca Vuko - Tuesday, May 21, 2002.
Connections, “ Designing Public Schools: A Blueprint for Success” interview of Steven Bingler - Spring 2002
Illinois Issues, "Schools Aren’t Just for Kids", by Ken O’Brien, Monday, September 2001
Post-Gazette News, "City school-size debate resurrected", by Carmen J. Lee, Monday, July 30, 2001
The Systems Thinker, "Building Community Through “Healthy Chaos”: An Interview with Steven Bingler, by Kali Saposnick, Pegasus Communications, Volume 12, No. 4, May , 2001
• Facilities Design & Management, "The Minds Behind the Schools", by Beth Leibson Hawkins, May, 2001
• Facilities Design & Management, "Head of the Class", by Beth Leibson Hawkins, May, 2001
• Pasadena News, "PUSD committee recommends site for new elementary school", by Andy Samuelson, May 23, , 2001
• New Orleans City Business, "Commercial architects: Make it last, make it efficient, make it versatile", by Kiaja Wilkinson, April 16, 2001
• Architectural Record, "K-12 Schools - Costly Lessons", by Clifford A. Pearson, February, 2001
• The MetroWest Daily News, Framingham. MA, "The Cost of Class" by Heather Anderson, January 14, 2001
• Newsweek, "Designing Smarter Schools, by Cathleen McGuigan, November 27, 2000
• USA Today, "Old N.H. Town Catches 'Smart Growth' Fever", by Haya El Nasser, November 15, 2000
• American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) ICON, "Live and Learn", by Martin Keller, September 2000
• National Neighborhood Coalition, "Community Engagement Demonstration Project, 2000 Edition
• USA TODAY, "Schools forced to search for more room", by Haya Nasser, August 24, 2000
• The Times-Picayune, "Architect has novel plans for schools", by Martha Pitts, June 17, 2000
• AIA Architect, "New Century/New Vision", excerpts from speech given by U.S. Dept. of Education Secretary Richard Riley at AIA 2000 Convention, June 2000, Volume 7
• NEA Today, National Education Association, “Beyond the Traditional Brick Box”, by Mary Hess, January, 2000
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Put sprawl at feet of high school football”, by Jim Galloway, December 30, 1999
• DAILY NEWS-Los Angeles, “District planning smaller, less traditional campuses”, by Sherry Crosby, November 22, 1999
• Washington Post Writers Group, “New Schools: Dinosaurs on Opening Day?”, by Neal Peirce, November 7, 1999
• The Sacramento Bee Voices, “A radical new idea— neighborhood schools”, by Peter Schrag, October 27, 1999
• School Construction News, “Collaborating for Community-Based Planning”, Excerpt from article in Design Share by Randy Fielding, September/October ’99, Volume 2, Number 6
• DESIGNER/builder, “Design for Learning”, by David Hill, Volume VI, Number 5, September, 1999
• DesignShare Website, “Planning the Learning Community”, Interview by Randall Fielding, August, 1999
• The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS, “Business, arts winning team”, by Robert Schoenberger, June 17, 1999
• USA TODAY, “Learning built into future schools - High tech classrooms combine past, present”, by Tamara Henry, June 2, 1999
• DAILY NEWS- Los Angeles, “Group plots strategy for building new school campuses across L.A.”, by Tom Mendoza, May 27, 1999
• The Planning Report, “We Must Stop Recreating Century-Old Stand-Alone Schools Divorced from Our Communities” by TPR, April, 1999
• New Orleans City Business, “Designs for the Future”, by Christine Ciarmello, April 5, 1999
• Sun-Sentinel-Fort Lauderdale, FL “Malls Stripped for Learning”, by Lona O’Connor, January 17, 1999
• Newsweek, “Classrooms with Class - And Possibly Expresso Machines”, by Steve Rhodes, December, 1998
• The Wall Street Journal, “Schools Aren’t Brick Boxes Anymore” and “Architects’ Aim: Building Synapses In Active Learners” by Ann Carrns, Wednesday, November 12, 1997
• METROPOLIS,” Community as Classroom”, Metropolis, October, 1997, by Jim Zook
• Probe, Developing Education Policy Issues, “Design and Consensus”, by Julie Miller, Spring, 1997
• ASCD Education Update, “Innovative Visions”, Volume 39, Number 6, September 1997
Project: Henry Ford Academy of Manufacturing Arts and Sciences, Dearborn, Michigan
• Museum News, The Charter School Movement and Museums, “The Most Public of Public Schools”, September/October 1998, by Wendy Pittman and William S. Pretzer
Project: KnowledgeWorks/OHIO
CATALYST: For Cleveland Schools, “Cincinnati organizes and trains residents to help plan school rehab project”, By Piet van Lier Spring 2002
Project: HANO – Florida Development
Times-Picayune, “Complex Gets Face Lift” by Lynne Jensen, June 26, 2002
Project: The Metropolitan Regional Career & Technical Center, Providence Rhode Island
• The Providence Journal, “New Providence buildings are future home of educational village,” by Daren A. Davis 8/8/2002
Project: Museum in the Community, Putnam County, West Virginia
• Charleston Daily Mail, Monday, March 14
Project: Tishomingo County Educational Complex, Iuka, Mississippi
• The Educational Facility Planner, Volume 31, Number 1, 1993
• School Board News, March 1992
Project: Lincoln Unified School District, Stockton, California
• School Board News, March 1992
• New Horizons for Learning Quarterly Publication, Winter 1992
Project: Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Architectural Record, March 1991
• Progressive Architecture, January 1991
• Interiors Magazine, January 1991
• Los Angeles Times, November 1990
• The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, October, 1990
• Louisiana Life, September/October, 1990
• The Times-Picayune, April 7, 1989
Project: Aquarium Of The Americas & Woldenberg Riverfront Park
• Southern Accents, May 1991
• Civil Engineering, January 1991
• Architecture Magazine, February 1991
• Progressive Architecture, November 1990
• Louisiana Life, July/August 1990
Project: Jackson Brewery - Brewhouse, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Architecture Magazine, July 1986
• New Uses, Old Places, Remaking America, book by Barbaralee Diamonstein, October, 1986,
• Shopping Centers & Malls, book by Robert Davis Rathbun, 1986
Project: Restaurant de la Tour Eiffel, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Associated Press International, 1985
• New Orleans Magazine, July 1987
• People Magazine, October 1987
• New York Times, December 1986 Associated Press International, Sept 1986
Project: Barnett Residence, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Home Magazine, October 1988
• Architectural Digest, August 1986
Project: Lynn Meadows Discovery Center
• Times-Picayune, “Toast of the Coast” article by Barry Bronston, April 15, 2002