A growing student population and school overcrowding at the middle level precipitated the development of this new 800-student middle school.
The school will feature learning opportunities integrated into a “knowledge commons" strategy focused area surrounding large open social areas of innovation makerlabs, the media center, STEM lab, administration and guidance suites.
The heavily-wooded site on Robinhood Road in Lewisville, NC features steep and varied terrain, several streams and challenging soil conditions. The site was designed to accommodate an elementary school at some point in the future.
The design complements the compact site development and efficient footprint via a 3-story structure which will take advantage of the terrain for on-grade access while providing expansive views.
The project required McKissick Associates to design a program for a new Middle School facility to relieve overcrowding of other school buildings. After an extensive evaluation of multiple options, the decision was reached to construct the building on the site of the abandoned two-story 62,000 SF C.W. Rice Middle School, closed and decommissioned in 2011. The new middle school was designed to provide three learning communities each containing two teaching teams aligned along a shared core. The site design includes modular wall systems to permit the provision of two competition sports fields on this sloping 8.8 acre site while preserving space for future expansion of 300 pupils. The community's limited finances dictated that the new building be as cost effective and durable as possible. In meeting this goal, McKissick Associates incorporated a number of sustainable building strategies into the design of the 3-story building: earth berming; a structural system utilizing super insulated ICF (insulated concrete form) with plank construction; and rain gardens with underground storm water infiltration. The look and feel of the finished building harmonizes with the architecture and aesthetics of the town by incorporating exterior brick, engineered wood plank siding and a high slope metal roofing system. Operational costs are further minimized through the use of high performance heating and cooling systems with 100% energy recovery. Shikellamy Middle School represents the first Pennsylvania school to use 100% LED interior and exterior lighting systems.
This school (designed for students K-5) is located in an affluent suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With limited open space in this Philadelphia streetcar suburb the only available site was 3.1 acres of a 10-acre community sports complex. The building and site circulation pattern is intentionally compact to maximize the amount of athletic field space that will remain available to the community for sports including lacrosse, soccer, field hockey and football. This necessitated a three-story building plan, the use of subsurface storm water detention, as well as, the hard surface playground for event overflow parking. A sub divisible gymnasium room, cafeteria, two music rooms, art room, and fourteen flexible learning spaces provide support for the District's enrichment and special needs programs. Spatial efficiency is maximized through dual-use of cafeteria as both stage and sub divisible large group instructional area. A reinforced masonry bearing and precast concrete plank structural system was utilized for the classroom wing to substantially reduce construction time and permit the overall height of the building to be limited to 30-feet to meet local zoning requirements. To further reduce the buildings apparent mass within the residential neighborhood, the exterior skin utilizes a mixture of reflective zinc colored metal panels, allowing the three-story building and gymnasium wing to assume the color of the surrounding environment. Internally, the building features an integrated data fiber optic backbone with wireless networking and a complete modern voice over IP communication system. In additional to portable wireless labs, each classroom has four computers, a mounted LCD projector, as well as a smart board. Green components of the building are cost-effective and protective of the environment. Sustainable features include insulated glass windows and doors, lighting occupancy sensors, high efficiency indirect/direct lighting and day lighting. The acid-etched and sealed concrete floor (in circulation areas) require minimal maintenance while avoiding the use of manmade products.
The new Westmont Hilltop Elementary School was the outcome of a prior district-wide optimization plan that called for the realignment of the district’s grade-level structure. The resulting new school is located on the site of the former Westmont Hilltop Middle School which was demolished as part of the project. The available area for the new building was extremely limited as the site also houses the high school sports field/track complex. Substantial site reconfiguration was needed to better accommodate separation between cars, buses, and pedestrians.
Located in the historic district of Luzerne Street (a nationally registered streetscape) a careful selection of materials including stone, cement board clapboard, brick, and metal panels harmonizes the neighborhood's vernacular. The resulting solution entails construction of a high performance 3-story ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) classroom building. The building is functionally configured by floor into three schools: kindergarten, grades 1 to 3, and then grades 4 to 6. Upper level classrooms “paired” by subject matter, science and math, and then, English and social studies. To contain costs, the gymnasium wing of the former middle school was retained and incorporated into the new bThe new Westmont Hilltop Elementary School was the outcome of a prior district-wide optimization plan that called for the realignment of the district’s grade-level structure. The resulting new school is located on the site of the former Westmont Hilltop Middle School which was demolished as part of the project. The available area for the new building was extremely limited as the site also houses the high school sports field/track complex. Substantial site reconfiguration was needed to better accommodate separation between cars, buses, and pedestrians.
Located in the historic district of Luzerne Street (a national registry of historic streetscapes), a careful selection of materials including stone, cement board clapboard, brick, and metal panels harmonizes the neighborhood's vernacular. The resulting solution entails construction of a high performance 3-story ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) classroom building. The building is functionally configured by floor into three schools: kindergarten, grades 1 to 3, and then grades 4 to 6. Upper level classrooms were “paired” by subject matter, science and math, and then, English and social studies. To contain costs, the gymnasium wing of the former middle school was retained and incorporated into the new building. The gymnasium itself now houses a smaller gym, performance stage, cafeteria, kitchen, and updated locker rooms. Former shop areas (from the 1977 metal building structure) made way for a new STEM Learning Center, including a vocal and instrumental music suite, computer labs, art, and library space.
Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science & Technology
Belefonte, Pennsylvania
completed:
2020
currently:
design development
School
Grades:
13-14
Institution:
Building Area
New Construction:
45,800 SF
The Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology is a major source of technical training in Centre County and the surrounding areas. What started as a vocational-technical school in the 1960s has grown to offer 18 secondary programs, over 60 in-house adult and continuing education programs, and over 350 online courses. The new Health Sciences Building is being constructed to accommodate the growth of healthcare-related specialties and the additional programming in healthcare management, medical assistance, LPN/RN, nurses aid, surgical technology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.
The sustainable design includes a three-story structure to include two stories of academic areas (labs, classrooms, technology spaces), as well as autonomous facilities and entrances (on the ground floor) for professional suites, labs, and offices of third-party healthcare partners. This allows autonomy of academic and professional space while providing students an opportunity for hands-on experience in a true professional setting. By combining extensive academics with hands-on technical training, graduates will leave CPI with high levels of competency in their field. Additionally, the new facility will serve as a new campus hub for student life as the school continues to add programming and increase its post-secondary degree offerings.
