The European Infrastructure Consolidation — the Pentagon’s plan to close 15 military installations across Europe as part of a reorganization of U.S. forces on the continent — cancelled several proposed school projects, reported Stars and Stripes.

Rainbow Elementary School at Barton Barracks at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach is no longer needed, as the base will be returning to Germany. The U.K. also lost two school replacement projects — Feltwell Elementary School at Royal Air Force Feltwell and Menwith Hill Elementary/High School at RAF Menwith Hill — as a result of force structure changes. In Portugal, a school project at Lajes Field was also cancelled.

School construction at U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder in Germany is currently on hold, Russ Roberts, DODEA-Europe chief of logistics, told Stars and Stripes. The base was supposed to get a new elementary and middle or high school, but DODEA is waiting to see future troop numbers from the military before proceeding.

Despite the project cancellations, plans are still moving ahead on others. For instance, plans to replace the schools on Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, are still underway. Spangdahlem Elementary School was to be remodeled and expanded, but those plans were withdrawn after project bids came back $6 million to $7 million over budget, officials told Stars and Stripes. An updated plan calls for building a new school, with construction projected to start in 2018 and completion expected in 2020. Similarly, the design for a new Spangdahlem middle or high school is complete, and bids should go out this summer.

Another project making progress is Kaiserslautern High School, being built on the former site of the base exchange at Vogelweh complex in Germany. It is on schedule to open in 2018, and will be unlike any school constructed for military family members living overseas, reported Stars and Stripes. The local office of Dorsch International designed the school in collaboration with SchenkelShultz Architecture’s Orlando office.

The $74 million school is designed in the shape of a hand, as opposed to the standard rectangular layout. The “palm” serves as the commons area, with a cafeteria and auditorium. Four instructional wings (or fingers) extend from that central core, and the gym acts as the thumb. In each wing, there will be “learning studios” in lieu of classrooms, and instructional areas will be more open with a variety of fixed walls and moveable partitions that can be adjusted for different class sizes. A separate music room is also being built with superior acoustics.

Wiesbaden High School, located in Wiesbaden, Germany, features a similar 21st century design and is on track for completion by the fall of 2017.
 

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According to the DoDEA, 21st Century Schools specifically support 21st Century Teaching and Learning, a student-centered approach to education that builds on responsive and inclusive teaching to engage students through technology and the environment. As such, DoDEA seeks to develop schools that are both flexible and adaptable, facilitating new and innovative ways to deliver instruction and meet the educational needs of all students. Also emphasized are curriculum delivery, use of technology and the growing expectations for sustainability and energy conservation.
Educational facilities that support the 21st Century Teaching and Learning model are built to function as teaching tools, with systems and components exposed to provide real world relevance and examples to reinforce STEM curriculums. Building designs and standards as related to the DoDEA’s 21st Century Educational Facilities, are guided by “prudent, fiscally responsible thought processes that will result in flexible, adaptable, student-centered and technology infused learning environments that will have an anticipated lifespan of nearly 50 years,” according to department literature.
These student-centered, energy-efficient facilities also accommodate multiple learning modalities, and allow the buildings to grow and adapt with the school programs. The DoDEA plans to transition the majority of its schools across the United States and Europe to the 21st Century Teaching and Learning model.
SchenkelShultz has already designed more than 50 million square feet of K-12 schools, including more than 4.3 million square feet of DoDEA 21st Century Schools. The firm’s previous work for the department includes the newly constructed Evans and Oak Ridge High Schools, in Orange County, Fla., as well as the recently announced University of Florida P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School’s New Middle/High School Building.

Currently, SchenkelShultz is designing four new schools on U.S. Army and Air Force bases in Germany, and is in the programming and planning stages for six additional projects within the U.S. and Europe. The expansion has required SchenkelShultz’s Orlando-based education design team to add two new employees to accommodate its state-of-the-art workload. SchenkelShultz President and COO, Tom Chandler, AIA, estimates the firm’s partnership with the Department of Defense has created a $3 million to $4 million economic impact in central Florida architectural and engineering fees, including those to local sub-consultants.

The DoDEA is now in the midst of a major construction and renovation program that will eventually result in the replacement or renovation of more than 70 percent of its 194 schools. DoDEA currently has 49 projects in design, with eight more in construction. During the last year DoDEA has initiated 40 school designs and made five school construction awards. In the upcoming year, the department anticipates an additional 21 designs and 13 construction awards. The Department of Defense and Congress have allocated a nearly $3.7 billion increase to the DoDEA construction program over the next five years.

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According to DoDEA, 21st Century Teaching and Learning is a student-centered approach to learning that builds on Responsive and Inclusive Teaching to engage students through technology and the environment. As such, project architect RS&H of Columbus, Ohio designed the building’s renewable energy technologies and sustainable features and systems so that they serve as a hands-on learning tool for all students.

Upon completion, the single-story school complex will house learning hubs with flexible studios, a central commons area with performance stage, and both indoor and outdoor classrooms. A gymnasium, cafeteria, specialist rooms, music and art rooms, a learning impaired room, counseling areas, an information center will round out the student-occupied spaces. Meanwhile a new administrative, supply and storage areas, a state-of-the-art kitchen and teacher workrooms, will improve overall operations. Various related infrastructure such as the construction of new parking areas, a parent loop, bus loop, mechanical rooms, delivery areas and playgrounds.

Kingsolver-Pierce Elementary will also include multiple high-efficiency building systems, renewable energy technologies and sustainable features. According to RS&H, the 115,000-square-foot school will utilize a geothermal heat pump system, solar water heaters, clerestory windows, and solar tubes, as well as photovoltaic powered parking lot lights. These renewable sources coupled with energy efficient systems yield a net-zero energy “achievable” design. Additionally, the school’s design includes classrooms extending into outdoor space, energy dashboards, a green roof and ample daylighting. With all of these sustainable elements, the facility is on track to earn LEED for Schools Silver certification.

In keeping with the surrounding environment, the new $32 million school will feature a brick and limestone façade with site features that complement its context. Exterior projects and site improvements will also include new parking areas, mechanical rooms, delivery areas, and playgrounds.

The joint venture team of S. M. Wilson of St. Louis and AWA Business Corporation of Cincinnati has been selected by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District to build the new 115,000 square foot elementary school, which will be located in the Ft. Knox Historic District. The AWA Wilson JV, a SBE 8(a), HubZone-approved Mentor-Protégé joint venture, will provide general contracting services for the $32 million project.

As the new school will be constructed on the site of the current Kingsolver Elementary, work will also involve minor demolition of the existing structure, which will remain open through the construction process. The original structures will be demolished following the transition into the new school. Construction will begin in June 2014 and is expected to last through November 2015.

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The $23.3 million phased project will include construction of a modern, two-story, 66,400-square-foot facility with plenty of flexible and adaptable spaces. Woolpert North Carolina PLLC of Charlotte provided planning and design services for the new school, which is part of the DoDEA 21st Century Education Initiative.

According to Woolpert, this initiative focuses on “providing students with school environments that support flexible and adaptable spaces that are critical for teaching and learning.” Woolpert adds that these cutting-edge schools take into consideration innovations in education, curriculum delivery, use of technology and growing expectations for sustainability and energy conservation.

In keeping with the initiative’s goals, the new Delalio Elementary will include several 21st century learning neighborhoods, an information center, a centralized commons/dining/performance space, and an art studio. The school will also offer a number of general purpose classrooms, a technologically-driven computer lab, and a special education classroom. New counseling areas, teacher work rooms and supply areas, and administrative offices will further improve operations and functionality.

Several related infrastructure projects, such as the addition of new parking areas, playgrounds, mechanical rooms, delivery areas, covered walkways, landscaping and utilities will also be included in the construction process.

The new school will connect to the recently constructed gymnasium and music room addition. However, all other existing facilities will be demolished. The current Delalio structure is nearly 50 years old, and offers cramped classrooms, inadequate facilities and a poor overall configuration. The inefficient design fails to meet current DoDEA Education Facilities Specifications, and utility and maintenance costs are excessive. With numerous ADA code violations and no fire suppression system, the building poses numerous risks for students and staff, and many maintenance issues are no longer repairable.

Luckily, the current school site is large enough to accommodate new construction with minimal impact to students and staff. The older facility will be demolished upon completion of the new, allowing crews to then wrap up any necessary connection or site work.

Construction for the new school, which was designed to meet LEED Silver certification requirements, began in April 2014. It is scheduled for completion in May 2017.

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