The Ohio School Design Manual (OSDM) is an extensive document that sets construction standards for all Commission-funded projects. Its goal is to ensure statewide equity and quality for school facilities as required by Section 3318.091 of the Ohio Revised Code.

The design manual sets necessary minimum standards of quality for the state's educational facilities and provides a flexible set of guidelines to serve the diverse needs of local school communities and the children they serve.

The OSDM is updated annually to accommodate current needs, new products, changes in the construction industry and changes in teaching methods. In preparation for these changes, input from designers, construction managers and nationally recognized educational planners was collected, discussed and considered.   

Changes to the OSDM were approved at the April 25 Commission meeting and the updated version is now available on the Ohio School Facilities Commission website (click on OSDM). Please note: These files are large and may take some time to load. Because of the file size, some chapters are divided into multiple parts in the online version. The OSDM also is available on CD at no charge by contacting OSFC at 614.466.6290 or by sending in the order form provided on the website above.

The Ohio School Facilities Commission / Ohio Facilities Construction Commission is pleased to announce that the 2013 Ohio School Design Manual (OSDM) update was approved by the Commission in April 2013. Changes this year have focused on the Student Centered Learning Environments section that has been renamed High Performance Learning Environments. This section was updated to include an emerging trend in educational delivery known as Blended Learning. The Teacher Prep Area was updated to include a flexible Teacher Collaboration Space.

In addition, the 2013 OSDM replaces the wired data network with a wireless data network capable of incorporating ubiquitous wireless access for 1:1 or BYOD computing devices. Additional changes have been made to include planning, materials and systems, HVAC, technology, career tech and costs.

Click here to join this webinar to learn more about these and other updates to the 2013 Ohio School Design Manual.

In addition to parents, district administrators, state and local dignitaries, staff and other community members, the students at each school were invited to attend and participate in the groundbreaking ceremonies.

OFCC Chief of Planning Steve Lutz (left) has decided to retire from state service effective at the end of June. Steve has played a long and important role in state construction, first at the former State Architect's Office where he served for a period of time as acting State Architect and subsequently at the School Facilities Commission where he has led our planning group since its early formation.

OFCC thanks Steve for his leadership and in the development of master plans and budgets for the building programs for schools.

In conjunction with Steve's announcement of his retirement, OFCC is happy to announce that Bill Ramsey has joined the Commission as Chief of Planning. Bill has worked in both the state and private sector, including the former State Architect's Office where he began efforts to introduce the concept of master planning to state agencies and institutions of higher education. Bill returns to state government from Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia where he served as Director of Facilities Planning and Development. Please join OFCC in welcoming Bill to the Commission.

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Diane Hoenig (right) to Support Analyst for the OAKS Capital Improvements (OAKS CI) team. Previously a project coordinator for the Energy Services team, Diane is now assisting the OAKS CI team with the implementation and facilitation of the OAKS CI process for K12 public construction projects. OAKS CI is a web-based construction management system which makes data on construction projects readily available to the entire project team, including the Owner, Architect/Engineer and Contractor(s).

In addition, OFCC welcomes college intern Kyle Schaeffer to the human resources and finance division. Kyle is currently attending Capital University and has a desire to work in the human resources field upon graduation.