The Thiruvalla campus opened for 100 primary school students in June with six classrooms, a teacher’s room, cafeteria and administrative spaces. Upon full build-out, the K-12 facility will accommodate up to 2,500 students in an award-winning educational community, according to a statement by CetraRuddy.

The Thiruvalla campus comprises modular blocks for primary, middle and high school students, all housed in a single structure allowing for greater interaction between students of different ages and grade levels. The designs have been noted for their imaginative architecture, holistic approach to education and sensitivity to local context.

"I firmly believe the learning effect is maximized with the overall design, aesthetics, materials usage and the understanding that a school is more than just a building with windows," said Karthik Saravanan, vice president at Choice Group. "Thanks to CetraRuddy, this belief has been given form."

The new school building marks a significant milestone for both CetraRuddy and The Choice School, who are together creating a new prototype for K-12 education in the country, according to a statement by CetraRuddy. This is the fifth commission in India for CetraRuddy and the firm’s first of three planned school projects there. This particular project is the brainchild of entrepreneur Jose Thomas, founder of Choice Estates & Constructions Ltd. In 1990, Thomas founded The Choice School in Tripunithura, Cochin, and it now ranks among the country’s best educational institutions.

Other school projects for The Choice School now under construction in India include a major renovation of an existing campus as well as a new 2,500-student campus in Calicut. The projects have earned accolades, including a finalist spot in the World Architecture News Future Projects Education Award and the Architizer A+ Award.

The projects were spearheaded by CetraRuddy Principal Theresa Genovese, AIA, an expert source with extensive experience in education, cultural and library projects.

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Q: What safety criteria should design and construction teams consider when planning a project for an active school or university campus?

Ciaramitaro: First and foremost, it is important to understand what will be beyond the construction fence. Many builders know how to manage what happens within the limits of construction and how to source their materials from a Construction Supply Store, but it is attention to all details around the project that really ensures safety on active campuses. This is why it is often important to get something like this commercial construction management team to help you keep track of things and make sure that everything runs smoothly. This starts with understanding adjacencies to the construction site, whether they be interior spaces such as classrooms, hallways, libraries, etc., or adjacent structures or buildings. Getting to know the typical circulation patterns in and around those spaces and examining daily vehicular traffic flow is an important factor in the overall construction process. Having this information allows the builder to set up a site in a way that causes the least disruption to the school community and allows people to move around the construction site safely.
The builder can also work with the school to establish pedestrian wayfinding patterns around the site and maintain safe accessibility to buildings. In addition, it is essential to understand what the schools individual safety protocols entail, such as specific requirements for CORI/SORI or badging. These details can be folded into the site-specific safety plan that the builder creates.

Q: Can you describe a typical logistics and phasing plan for construction on an active school or university campus?

Ciaramitaro: A typical logistics and phasing plan for a campus is a series of graphical illustrations, ordered by date, of the proposed building area showing the progression of construction from one area to the next. They are extremely helpful for the planning, but also for the school to visually understand how construction may impact specific building areas or adjacencies. They are visual platforms that allow the builder and school to collaborate and discuss spatial requirements for the project. For example, if a specific classroom is identified as coming offline on the plan by a certain date, and the school has a specific need for it to be online, the builder and school can rearrange the phasing plan to accommodate for that.

Q: How can design and construction teams turn a campus construction project into a learning opportunity for students?

Ciaramitaro: There is no simple formula, however, the ability to integrate construction with learning really derives from the partnership that the builder and the school share. Weve seen this evolve in many different ways from students touring the construction site, to having our construction professionals teach in the classroom, to involving students in the design process. Each school is different in its approach because of the age of its students. If the school sees value in the educational opportunities construction presents, we will come up with creative ways to facilitate the process and support that initiative. We are energized by these types of relationships with our academic clients because it makes what we do far more meaningful.

Read more of this Q&A in the June Safety & Security issue of School Construction News, available soon.

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When the school district’s selection committee named GraceHebert Architects to the Lee Magnet High School project team in 2013, the first priority was identifying the district’s goals for this hallmark institution. Keeping the school’s forward thinking, collaboration-based curriculum in mind, the firm early on integrated students, teachers, board members, community members and alumni into the design process. After numerous roundtable discussions and public town hall meetings, it was determined that the school should be student-centered with a plethora of opportunities for hands-on learning in a facility that was adaptable, flexible and sustainable.

Instead of cramming all grades 9-12 into one standalone facility, the 1,200-student school improves even on the basic STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) approach to learning by offering three, freestanding, 400-student academies and one larger Commons Building on a 250,000-square-foot campus. Each academy is the same in terms of layout and design, but singular in the functions it houses. One academy is devoted to biomedical studies; one to STEM education (with an emphasis on robotics and engineering) and the third houses the school’s digital arts program.

While teaching and learning are largely concentrated in the academies, the shared Commons Building is where students can visit the school nurse, take part in sports programs and attend whole-school events in the gymnasium, which also includes a projection and sound system. The Commons Building also contains elective classrooms as well as music rooms and additional art space. A large pre-function gathering space with terraced seating, booth seating, four-top tables and a lounge area is also included.

At Lee Magnet High School, learning takes place online, in blended learning spaces and in the classrooms. Hence, every space provides an opportunity for formal and/or informal learning. Flexible group workspaces are both large and small, and breakout study and collaboration spaces are built into all circulation areas. Informal seating configurations, conference rooms and “living rooms” throughout the campus are further evidence of the great care taken to address the unique learning needs and preferences of each student.

Flexible WOW! Spaces in each academy are yet another feature that help to reinforce the school’s signature “Like No Other” tagline. These large, tech-ready, student-centered studio spaces are the showpiece of each academy. They are designed to accommodate student-driven projects and presentations as well as those spearheaded by professional and higher education partners.

Both the WOW! Spaces and standard classrooms also anticipate future needs and changing use. They are equipped not only with flexible, moveable furnishings, interactive touch boards, writeable surfaces and ample workspace, but also with additional power and data. Rough-ins above the ceilings contain empty conduits should new projectors or other technology be required in the future. Additionally, key connections were put in place for utilities such as gas, water and electricity should the need arise.

DLR Group of Overland Park, Kan., and educational consultant Victoria Bergsagel of Architects of Achievement, based in Mercer Island, Wash., also brought invaluable experience and knowledge to the project team.

Jerry Hebert is president of Baton Rouge, La.-based GraceHebert.
David Hebert is a principal with GraceHebert.

Read more about Lee Magnet High School in the May issue of School Construction News, available soon.

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Tyler Patrick, AICP, is a principal with Watertown, Mass.-based Sasaki Associates Inc., which works primarily with higher education clients planning both facilities and detailed campus master plans. Nate Appleman AIA, LEED AP, is director of Sports + Recreation + Entertainment for the Kansas City office of HOK, which offers both architectural and planning services as well.

Q. What technology or modeling programs have been most useful to your firm in crafting master plans?

Patrick: We actually have an in-house team of programmers, Sasaki Strategies. They help us to create tools. We don’t necessarily develop generic tools for every institution; we’re more interested in developing custom tools to explore certain issues. What we’re trying to do is provide access to a visualization of data, in some cases where data doesn’t exist, to develop tools where we can create data. That means sometimes we’re creating interactive mapping surveys. We have a survey tool called My Campus that we use in order to understand how people use the campus. By making it map-based we can really understand use patterns.

Appleman: Three-dimensional modeling is important to communicating intent with clients who aren’t used to looking at architectural plans. These programs allow them to understand a project’s scope, program and size very effectively. At times, we create low-tech, physical models to look at specific planning issues and building placement so we can truly see and appreciate the building’s form and location on a site in relationship to other buildings on campus.

Q. What methods have you employed to develop a plan that met a school’s needs while also adhering to a tight budget?

Patrick: Increasingly what we’re seeing is an emphasis on renovation and strategic reuse of facilities rather than building new. Part of the problem is an increasing deferred maintenance backlog that colleges and universities are facing. If they can renovate to improve the quality of a space and reduce that deferred maintenance backlog that is key. We look at a building and ask, ‘What is it best suited for?’ It may have been created as a lab building or library, but isn’t meeting those needs anymore. So, can it be repurposed as an administrative office building? Can it be better used as a classroom building? We’re always looking for high value solutions for the client so that they can best use their existing resources.

Appleman: What’s important to remember is that “improve” does not always mean “new.” With every master plan we do, we always challenge our clients to think about assets they currently have and help evaluate how viable those assets are long-term. This begins a critical discussion about building new vs. renovating or expanding existing facilities. It’s a case-by-case basis, but often adhering to a tight budget means converting existing assets to serve a new purpose that meets the needs and budget of the department and university.

Q. How will environmental sustainability continue to impact master planning on both the K-12 and university levels?

Patrick: Sustainability is ingrained in everything we do. We don’t think of it just in terms of environmental sustainability, but financial, social and environmental sustainability as well. We try to look at all those factors together to bring a balanced approach and solution. We’re looking at decisions around transportation impact demand for parking and what that means in terms of single occupancy vehicle trips. We’re thinking about the impact of impervious areas on campus, about giving back to the community and the role that universities and colleges play as community stewards. I think that the master plan at the broadest sense has to embrace all of those things, so that as individual initiatives are developed there’s a framework to support that sustainable lens through which things should be looked at.

Appleman: Sustainability will continue to be a key priority for master plans on college campuses and will continue to evolve. This is particularly true for sports facilities, which are often anchors for a campus community. Just a few years ago, universities and municipalities asked about how to reduce water use, minimize waste, save energy and reduce costs. Looking to the future, next-generation campus facilities must now go a step further to create and produce; enhancing the habitat, generating water, creating resources, harvesting energy and adding lasting project value. Ideally, the collegiate stadiums and recreation centers of the future will generate more energy than they consume, providing surrounding businesses and mixed-use developments with valuable resources from which to draw.

Read more of this Q&A in the March/April issue of School Construction News, available soon.

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Originally constructed in the 1920s as a Shops Building, SMUHSD’s “Old Brick Studio” was in dire need of restoration and renovation. The historic, but long neglected, structure on the San Mateo High School campus had over the years fallen into disrepair.

Making use of the centrally located building’s vastness, northern clerestory light and industrial materials — including original brick and concrete — QKA re-envisioned the building to provide art studios, general education classrooms and large meeting spaces. The new and improved 20,000-square-foot building been seismically upgraded throughout, historically restored on the exterior, and enhanced with new technology and modern amenities, including the ability to function as a black box theater for student and community performances. The project achieved high Collaborative for High Performance School scores for reuse, conservation, restoration of existing materials, sustainable new materials and natural light and ventilation.

“As architects, it all comes together for us when we have the opportunity to design modernizations and restorations of historic buildings,” said QKA Principal Mark Quattrocchi in a statement. “Having worked on the San Mateo High School campus previously as well as other sites throughout the district, it was a thrill to collaborate with our colleagues and friends to bring this previous vocational shops building —the last remaining original building on campus — to modern use for today’s students and staff. The abundance of natural light and original high ceilings makes the building an ideal space for art studios, large group meetings and performances.”

The purpose of the Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards Program is to enhance the educational programs available to California public school students by recognizing exceptional architectural and program implementation in the design of public school facilities, according to a statement by QKA. Nominated projects are evaluated based on planning process, learning environment of the facility, design, community environment, physical environment, and the role of high performance/sustainability in the planning and design of the project.

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In 2010, Superintendent of Ignacio School District Rocco Fuschetto set out to change the district and surrounding community forever. The district had been saddled with below-standard performance ratings, lack of space for educational programs, and was losing students and staff to neighboring schools. Fuschetto invited RTA Architects’ (RTA) Stuart Coppedge, AIA to tour the site and to inspire ideas for change. Soon after, RTA was appointed lead architect with a master plan containing four different options for implementing a new design for the district. Thus began a five-year-long process that would create a unified school district with three 21st century learning environments, state-of-the-art athletic and art facilities, an administration building, a transportation facility and an entirely changed community.

The school district’s goal was to increase educational programs, resources and overall student performance. Fuschetto wanted students to come to school to learn, rather than only for athletics. He also wanted to instill pride in students, staff, and community members, and to create a well-balanced curriculum.

In October 2011, a public vote was held for the district to receive a bond for the proposed master plan that initially resulted in a tie. However, a recount revealed that a single ballot had been placed in the wrong envelope. This led to a one-vote bond election victory and the ability to start the project.

Initially, Ignacio School District owned four main pieces of land. The first parcel held district-owned rental properties, the second held the 4-6 school, the third housed the PK-3 elementary school, and the fourth held buildings for the grades 7-8 middle school and the grades 9-12 high school. The four options presented in the master plan by RTA included a variety of well-researched renovations, upgrades, additions and new builds for these parcels. After many discussions, an option was chosen that required using the first piece of land for a brand new 6-8 middle school, renovating the existing 4-6 building into a PK-5 school, and renovating the existing combined middle and high school buildings into a single, unified high school campus. RTA and the district chose not to use the existing PK-3 elementary school in the new layout because of its poor condition. The end result is three distinct campuses for an elementary school (grades PK-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12). This option allows for potential growth, while providing athletic facilities at the middle and high schools and achieving the greatest flexibility for future space developments.

The first phase focused on construction of the new middle school. During this time, students were able to stay in their respective buildings, but after its completion a district-wide game of “musical chairs” began. After the middle school was built, the 6-8 grade students moved in and the intermediate 4-5 grade students were relocated to the existing junior high for phase II of the project. After the 4-6 intermediate school was renovated into the new PK-5 elementary, the PK-3 grade students and the remaining 4-5 grade students moved in. At the same time, the old wrestling and band room were being remodeled into the new administration building, including a warehouse and maintenance shop. The existing maintenance shop was renovated into a new woodshop. This left the existing middle school and PK-3 grade elementary buildings empty, so the high school students were able to move into the original elementary school while the existing combined middle and high school campus was renovated.

The massive changes made to Ignacio School District produced dramatic results. By keeping the best parts of the existing buildings, repurposing them and adding necessary additions, RTA was able to give the district the highest value for its hard-won dollars. The design also stayed true to the original master plan. With the help of several design advisory groups comprised of designers, staff, students, teachers and community members, the project has also allowed for the implementation of more leading-edge educational programs. For example, the district hopes to grow the performing arts program with the new state-of-the-art high school auditorium and students can now receive credit from nearby Fort Lewis College.

RTA’s in-depth structural analysis and energy-saving strategies have even earned Ignacio LEED Gold certification. Fuschetto noted that the school’s gas bill for March was under $200.

Ignacio Bobcats also have a newfound respect and love for their educational and sports facilities. RTA Associate Mike Riggs said, “The new middle school and renovated elementary and high school buildings give students hope, inspiration and something they can claim as their own.” The middle and high school’s athletic facilities have also helped to improve the Ignacio School District experience by allowing the Bobcats to host regional and local tournaments with their CHSAA-approved fields and gyms.

The district is also well balanced and well rounded as vocational programs were expanded and improved alongside educational and athletic programs. This allows students with a variety of goals to be prepared for wherever life takes them. Fuchetto said, “RTA Architects understood the needs of the district and community so they captured those needs and feelings in the design of every building. The community should be very proud because without that one vote, nothing would have been accomplished.”

A new transportation building will be the final item in the district overhaul and is currently under construction. The project earned Ignacio School District several awards, including the CEFPI 2014 Summit Merit Award, AIA 2014 Merit Award for Best Architecture, AIA 2014 Honor Award for Best Architecture and the CEFPI 2013 Peak Merit Award for New Construction.

Stuart L. Coppedge, AIA, LEED AP led RTA’s Ignacio work as principal-in charge. He is the 2016–2017 national treasurer of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the Colorado Springs Downtown Review Board and the Board of Directors of Atlas Preparatory School. He can be reached at: stuart@rtaarchitects.com.
 

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Randolph Field ISD serves the children of military personnel at Randolph Air Force Base, part of the Joint Base San Antonio System. To facilitate the planned expansion, the school chose to replace the current high school with a new two-story facility adjacent to the existing high school and middle school. Estimated at $7.3 million, the new structure will provide space for 23 classrooms, an eighth grade science center, two computer labs, two student commons and an administrative area with offices, counseling suite and a nurse station. It will also include four high school level labs for physics, biology, chemistry and environmental science all situated around a common central preparation area with chemical storage capability.

The building’s exterior design will feature masonry on the first floor and custom-colored architectural metal siding placed both horizontally and vertically to highlight entrances and complement existing campus structures. High-efficiency, gas-fired rooftop HVAC units will provide heating and cooling on the second floor, with zoned electrical HVAC units for the first floor.

Ramtech began manufacturing the building in mid-November and expects to begin setting the modular sections the first week of February, according to a statement. The project is slated for completion in July 2016, after which the district plans to demolish the existing high school structure.

"Randolph ISD immediately saw the speed, cost and quality benefits of using our Accelerated Building System after they reviewed the two permanent ABS projects that we completed for Blue Ridge ISD,” said Ramtech President Linc Moss in a statement.

Prior to awarding the design-build contract to Ramtech, the school district also worked with Gallagher Construction of Richardson, Texas to develop the district’s master plan and to facilitate the RFP and contract negotiations for the prefabricated building project.

Ramtech also recently completed a $1.5 million project for the Melissa Independent School District in Melissa, Texas. Built using Ramtech’s traditional wood-framed permanent modular construction approach, the 9,018-square-foot, eight-classroom facility is located in the middle school area of the district’s combined campus.
 

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The future Del Norte School will combine the campuses of the Juan de Onate and Washington Elementary in a modern, energy-efficient facility adjacent to the existing Washington Elementary, which is scheduled to be demolished, according to a statement by project architect Van H. Gilbert Architect PC (VHGA) of Albuquerque. The new two-story, two-wing building will sit on an eight-acre site and house pre-K-5 classrooms, a cafeteria and gymnasium, and administrative offices.

In the efficient design, classrooms radiate from a centralized core. The gym and cafeteria occupy a separate wing, and wide hallways and gathering spaces support group activities. The clean, contemporary architecture of the masonry and stucco building is accented by metal panels and details and responds to its context and climate, according to a statement by VHGA.

“The new Del Norte School will provide pleasant, light-filled, and technologically up-to-date classrooms and plenty of outdoor play space for the students, and a cafeteria and gym space that can be secured and used for community events,” said Serge Kalajdzic AIA, VHGA’s project architect, in a statement. “We sited the building to take advantage of natural light and to protect against harsh winter elements by placing the entries and play areas on the south side of structure.”

Throughout the school’s planning and design, the architect has been working closely with the school district, the New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority and the families of the students who will attend the new school to ensure the end product meets all needs. “Few architectural projects are as rewarding as working with a community to design a modern learning environment that supports the education, culture and wellbeing of their children,” said Van H. Gilbert FAIA, president of VHGA, in a statement. “We are pleased to be working with such thoughtful and forward looking collaborators.”

“The opportunity to unify two separate elementary schools on one campus is going to be of great benefit to the community,” added Ronald Triplehorn, director of facilities for the school district, in a statement. “Beyond the savings in operating costs for one, modern, energy efficient building, we believe the expanded interactions that the larger student population will have with one another and their teachers in a facility specifically designed to meet their educational and social needs will have a deeply positive impact.”

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The new West Orange Relief High School has a construction budget of approximately $70 million, and will be located in the a 17-acre site within the West Windermere Rural Settlement. The 385,000-square-foot prototype school will be able to accommodate nearly 2,800 students upon completion.

Although the facility is much needed, gaining approval from the Orange County Commissioners has proven to be both a lengthy and challenging process. The commissioners initially denied plans for the relief high school two years ago due to potential issues regarding traffic and noise.

However, commissioners, residents and school proponents were able to reach a compromise, ensuring restrictions on school signage, bleachers and portable classrooms. Noise restrictions will also require that band practice end no later than 8 p.m., and both a wall and tree buffer zone will serve as added mufflers. The school’s sports stadium will also be located off-site in a shared recreation complex to avoid further noise and lighting impacts on nearby residents.

“Good planning and good zoning is all about giving people some reasonable expectation as to what is going to happen around them. …Unfortunately, by the time we got to this point, we didn’t have any other options as a board,” Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs told News 13.

The relief high school is scheduled for both completion and opening in 2017. The district will begin drafting a redistricting plan in 2016.

Also suffering from overcrowding, Orange County’s Avalon Park Middle School in east Orlando’s Avalon Park community now has a population of 1,800 students, though it was originally built for a maximum of 970. In an effort to ease overcrowding, the Orange County School Board voted on June 9 to purchase 12 acres of land to add to the school’s existing 16.7-acre site. Here, the school board hopes to build an additional, nearly $40 million relief middle school.

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