Mark Barga talks with Larry Levato, veteran educational architect at Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, about what it really takes to design schools that serve students, teachers, and communities alike — and why the process matters as much as the product.

Takeaways:

  1. Design for teachers too. Educators spend more time in school buildings than students. Great design treats teaching as a craft that deserves a professional environment.

  2. Listen before you design. Client relationships and deep listening are the foundation of every successful project — not design vision alone.

  3. Slow down to get it right. Larry's biggest "risk" was pushing back a project timeline. When COVID hit mid-construction, that decision saved the project.

  4. Schools can lead change, not just reflect it. Even traditional communities can be guided toward more innovative learning environments when trust is built over time.

  5. Legacy is about people, not buildings. Larry measures success by how much he's elevated the architects, clients, and educators around him — not by square footage or awards.

About Larry Levato:

Earning a Bachelor of Architecture and Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design in 1988, Larry has worked with K-12 educational clients over the course of his 34 year career. He joined Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates in 2010 and continues to work with our K-12 educational clients throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania. Larry is the current A4LE President-elect, appointing committee positions and focusing on the creation of a stellar conference which include host city selection, school building tours and keynote speakers as well as conference theme. As Principal, he focuses on overall firm management as well as collaboration with project managers in establishing project standards and Best Practices as well as advising on educational programming and planning which are implemented throughout the architectural studio.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencelevato09191992/

 

Episode 336 of the Better Learning Podcast

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/


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