Eudora Elementary School
Eudora, KS
This 1,000-student elementary school is designed around a small learning community (SLC) concept to reduce the scale for K-5 students. The design inspiration is Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go. The aim is to incorporate the world into the building design while introducing students to worldly environments. Ecosystems are the overarching theme of the school. A unique biome gives identity to each of the five SLCs, including Arctic, Aquatic, Desert, Rain Forest and Savanna, and incorporates learning within students’ daily environment.
Benches at each SLC entrance allow places for students to interact. Large, open discovery areas in each SLC are surrounded by classrooms. The discovery areas have a raised platform in the center to encourage interactive and playful learning. A wet zone with sinks and hard surfaces in the discovery area encourages students from multiple classrooms to work on shared projects.
Awards: 2010 Gold Award, Education/Research Project from the Mid-America Design Award, 2011 John Shaw Award from the CEFPI Midwest/Great Lakes Region.
DLR Group Designs Near Net-Zero School for Paradise Valley Unified School District
Construction of Fireside Elementary, the Paradise Valley (Ariz.) Unified School District’s newest school, is almost complete. The school incorporates energy saving and environmentally sensitive design elements to make it the most efficient facility in the District to date.
This two-story, 88,660 SF new elementary school campus is designed to be a near net-zero energy building. DLR Group’s approach to high performance design includes both energy reduction and energy production strategies.
At Fireside, energy reduction includes a high performance envelope, efficient interior and exterior lighting design, highly efficient chillers, and extensive control systems.
Production strategies include solar collection panels to produce power, daylighting and solatubes in educational spaces, and a solar hot water system.
The $13.5 million Paradise Valley School will be presented to the district at the end of July.
Panther Lake Elementary School
Panther Lake Elementary School opens young minds to learning by immersing them in an environment that celebrates the dualities of daily educational experience: work/play, focus/exploration, school/neighborhood.
DLR Group’s design for this first of four new schools strengthens the suburban community by creating a connection with surrounding schools and parks; by providing healthy, sustainable learning spaces that can adapt to meet changing needs over time; and by expressing a bold new vision of the district as a community hub.
Panther Lake is school as connector between district and community, adult and child, people and nature, present and future, reality and aspiration. This project encompasses the design of a 45,000 SF replacement elementary school on a 10.2 acre site serving 450 students in grades K-5. The unique scope of work included the development of a unique, flexible program and adaptable plan; sustainable design meeting WSSP requirements; and archetypal design strategies for this and three subsequent schools.
DLR Group provided architecture, interiors, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering services, and structural engineering during early concept development.
The school’s design has recieved much recognition and won many awards, including: 2009 AIA Seattle “What Makes it Green” Recognition (Honorable Mention), Silver Award-Collaboration by Schooldesigner.com, 2010 IIDA Northern Pacific Design IN Public Award, 2011 Merit Award by the AIA Washington Council, 2011 Schooldesigner.com Best Design Overall Silver Award.
Western Maricopa Education Center
In 2010, an aviation and related specialty training center for high school and adult students was added to the Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC).
The creative use of material and systems coupled with the economies of a pre-engineered metal building provide West-MEC the most most value for its building investment. The 47,000 SF building includes seven classrooms, training labs, meeting spaces, a library, computer labs and offices surrounding a 20,000 SF aircraft hangar which is home to four small planes with ancillary engines and parts for hands-on training.
Expressions from a plane fuselage are found throughout the building, from the exterior shell to the interior lobby lighting details inspired by overhead light consoles in an aircraft. Bright colored banding on the walls emulates the aircraft fetailing on a small plane. These visual cues help students and visitors immediately understand they have entered a place of aviation study.
The main conference room is inspired by the interior of a private jet. Walls angle and merge into the ceiling plane to create the unique impression of being in a fuselage. Similar to the communication tools used to navigate on the tarmac, striping and super-graphics guide users into and throughout the building.
The building won the WESTMARC Best of the West Architectural Innovation Award for its design.
Marysville Getchell High School Campus
Set among second-growth trees, forest wetlands, and with sweeping territorial views, the Marysville Getchell campus is a school that excites a student’s senses with an innovative learning environment.
DLR Group’s design of the new high school enables great flexibility in the administration of student-focused learning. Responding to the District’s adoption of a new, small learning community (SLC) model, the design arranges four, independent SLC buildings around a central Campus Commons. Within each SLC building, a series of interconnected learning spaces support the educational approach described by the District’s Five Guiding Principles: Relationships at the Center, Focused Learning, Identity and Purpose, Community, and Accountability.
Generous glazing and intriguing outdoor learning spaces create sense of connection to nature and community. It’s this openness and connectivity that make every space a learning space at Marysville Getchell, and which encourages student growth as global citizens.
DLR Group was the recipient of the 2011 AIA/CAE McConnell Award for the Marysville Getchell High School Campus design.
DLR Group Receives AIA CAE Award for Joplin Interim High School
DLR Group’s design for the Joplin (Mo.) Interim High School has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects, Committee on Architecture for Education (AIA CAE). The design team will accept the award at this year’s AIA Convention, Friday, May 18 in Washington, D.C.
AIA CAE Design Awards honor projects and ideas that exhibit innovation and excellence. Judges review the planning and design process; the integration of function and aesthetics; and the unique learning environment.
Jury members noted, “This is a successful adaptive reuse projected designed and implemented within unusual constraints and severe challenges. Despite the fact that the project schedule was extremely short, designers managed to create inspiring learning spaces within an abandoned big box retail store.”
JOPLIN INTERIM HIGH SCHOOL DESIGN
May 22, 2011, a tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri. On the ground for 13 miles, in 20 minutes it claimed 160 lives and caused $151 million in damage. Ten schools were damaged or destroyed and Joplin High School was a total loss.
Two days after the storm Joplin Schools Superintendent Dr. CJ Huff promised the school year would start as scheduled on August 17. To complete this feat, the district relied on DLR Group’s K-12 expertise, and local partner CGA Architects to design an interim high school for 1,200 students.
Within 24 hours of project kick-off, designers had created a 96,000 SF model of the existing building showing basic walls and doors for new construction. This model allowed the design team to study the 3D qualities of the space and provide the construction team the ability to understand the magnitude of materials required to complete the work. The 3D model was updated continuously to meet the 55 day design and construction team schedule.
Knowing that 1,200 students should need more than 200,000 SF, DLR Group’s design integrates every square inch of existing space and features 21st Century learning environments utilizing flexibility and interconnectivity.
Six small learning communities divide the larger student population into 200-student learning communities and offer a more intimate learning environment for students and staff. Small and large group collaboration areas with a variety of seating accommodate individual or group learning.
Large openings, over-sized pivot doors, and a diverse array of soft and structured furniture allow students to customize spaces to fit their personal preferences. An information technology support hub with a “genius bar” offers student a place to get tech support for their laptops.
Vibrant “Eagle” logos and graphics help give students a sense of pride and ownership in their high school. The space inspires students to move beyond the tragic events of the past and move forward with their fellow students in a space that is truly a healing and learning environment for students, faculty, and the community.
Joplin Interim High School has transformed the educational model for Joplin Schools. It also has drawn national attention. During a recent tour, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan commented the school is a model for the nation. Funded by a $1 million donation by the United Arab Emirates, Joplin Schools implemented the 1 to 1 laptop program in the interim high school. The 1 to 1 initiative, along with the innovative interim high school design, has moved Joplin Schools to 21st Century learning environments for its students.
Mild weather and integrated design team helping construction of new Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. stay on schedule and budget. http://bit.ly/BattleHS
Metea Valley High School is a new high school design for 3,000 students in suburban Chicago. The design provides the flexibility to support a multitude of teaching/learning concepts such as school-within-a-school, multi-grade level houses, or block scheduling.
To support the core instructional areas, within each wing is a unique consolidation of administration offices, student lockers, vertical circulation, teacher planning centers, and resource areas creating a think tank type environment for academic exploration, tutorial, and socialization.
A media center, forum rooms, and check-out computer labs connect the two wings. The spaces that make up this connection are flanked on each side by two courtyards. These courtyards expose the building core to natural light, allow for secure outdoor dining, create an interior sculpture garden, and provide southern exposure for a greenhouse and rooftop garden.
The Rio Vista Middle School in Oxnard, Calif., recently received a 2011 Honor Award from AIA Ventura County.
Community input for new Joplin High School
DLR Group and CGA engaging community for ideas and input toward the design of the new Joplin High School.
