History and Location
Design Plus Education is a division of Design Plus LLC, a professional architecture, planning, and design firm located in Albuquerque, NM. We work with School Zone Institute, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, devoted to promoting design education programs and to the study and improvement of learning environments.

We are located at 2415 Princeton Dr NE, near the intersection of Menaul and University.


Why is Design Education important?
Design Education promotes an innovative method of thinking that is valuable at all levels of society, not just within the profession of Architecture and Design. Our goal is to promote the benefits of project based learning and creative problem solving, inherently important to emerging regional, national and global economic sys­tems and already attributable to the success of societies around the world. The underly­ing focus of design education is to promote a holistic view to a problem, with a multi-faceted solution derived from rigorous trial and error, making the process of finding the answer as critical as the answer itself.

Design programs can do more than give students the ability to propose creative solu­tions to a given problem. It can provide a foundation for a needed class of thinkers who can analyze and solve any problem or address any situation. Societies are now turning to their creative populations to pave the way to growth and innovation. A student trained with a design foundation is no longer limited to a career in archi­tecture or industrial design. Rather, the ability to be creative is now a necessity to flourish in any industry or profession, at all levels of society, and at a global level.


Who is Design Plus Education? What have we done?
Design Plus Education, with School Zone Institute, works to promote and teach design education to students at levels K - 12, train teachers and administrators, and teach design to students at both the undergraduate and graduate college program level. We have worked with public and private institutions to develop academic and enrichment curricula and programs for various age groups in many cities and countries:

• Within the group are three founding members of the international group PLAYCE, which promotes Design Education programs and research around the world.
• With School Zone Institute, participated in workshops and programs in Finland, Japan, and throughout the United States over the past 10 years.
• Facilitated the Design Studio program for the Albuquerque Academy Summer Session,
  a nationally recognized private school summer program. We are going on our 6th successful year.
• Providing the City of Albuquerque with instructor training in Design Education and planning and implementing Pre-Kindergarten and after school programs starting Fall 2009 in their community centers.
• Helped initiate and fund the University of New Mexico (UNM) Career Discovery Sum­mer Program to introduce high school students to the UNM Architecture Program.
• Developing and implementing programs for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten student enrichment at UNM Children’s Campus, a 5 star premier child development and early childhood education facility for children ages infant through 5th grade.
• Modified a vocational drafting program into a technology based design studio for Rio Rancho High School, New Mexico, currently in its 10th year.

What do we do?
Design Plus Education and School Zone Institute develop programs, create curriculum, and assist schools and communities in the many facets of educating children. We utilize our training as architects and designers and our background as a professional design firm to infuse real world experiences into our lessons. Our love of architecture is clearly evident in the fun we have educating children about design.