Merit Award – New Construction
Sealston Elementary School consists of 102,838
SF and is a two-story state-of-the-art elementary school designed to
serve 715 students. It is the third elementary school for King George
County and houses students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5th.
Community involvement and collaboration was at the heart of the design
effort, Sealston Elementary School is a testament of community pride
and ownership. Sealston Elementary School's layout has a clear
separation between the public spaces and the educational classroom
wing. The two-story academic side of this school is divided into four
separate wings and the administration space is centrally located in the
building providing separation between the academic wing and assembly
spaces. The media center is centrally located on the first floor of the
academic wing and is the focal point of the academic wing. The
gymnasium and cafeteria are adjacent to each other and are separated by
operable walls that can be opened as one large space to accommodate
large assemblies and community use after hours.
Merit Award – Renovation / Addition
This project renovated the existing high school to accommodate an educational program developed for future high schools in Chesterfield County. It provides 85,000 s.f. of new construction for an increased student population of 1750, phased construction, and the creation of Meadowbrook as a focal point for the community. Renovations include classrooms, full school technology network, flexible instruction spaces that facilitate both traditional and interdisciplinary organizational approaches, updated science labs, and conference areas to accommodate an International Baccalaureate program. Performing arts areas for drama classes, dance and auditorium production support, and vocational area upgrades modernized current facilities. The old auditorium was renovated for use as a large group instruction area that also serves as a facility for community meetings. Internal building circulation was improved with larger corridors, relocating lockers out of main corridor areas, and better supervision of corridors through direct routing of students. Expansion and reconfiguration of administrative and guidance areas provided parents and visitors easy identification of and access to these areas.
Merit Award – Interior Architecture
The first newly constructed school facility for Roanoke City Public Schools in 30 years, which opened in Fall 2005, was worth the wait. Combining the latest in technology with supportive environments that inspire students and support teachers was realized through the coordinated effort of designers, administrators, teachers and the greater community. Spectrum Design oversaw and directed the planning, and the architectural and engineering design for the new school, which accommodates at least 550 students, pre-K through fifth grade, has 30 classrooms and a complete program for the City’s REACH program. Located in an urban, residential neighborhood on a 27-acre park adjacent to the replacement school that was demolished, the new Magnet school for mathematics and science can be attended by any student in the Roanoke City school system. The school system asked Spectrum to represent in building form the concept of mathematics and science that are taught in these grade levels as examples of how they are used. An example of this was using floor patterns involving the Golden Ratio, Venn Diagrams and the Pythagorean Theorem. This combined with the architecture of the surrounding neighborhood provided the concept for the building.
Merit Award – Interior Architecture
Kenmore Middle Schools
Arlington County
Grimm + Parker Architects
Citation for Unusual Program
Hayfield Secondary School
Fairfax County
Samaha Associates
Samaha Associates, P.C. provided design
services for the modernization and addition to Hayfield Secondary
School to meet current educational specifications for 21st century
schools. The existing two-level, 453,000 sq. ft. facility
accommodates middle and high school students in separate areas, and
utilizes shared core facilities which include the library/media center,
cafeteria, gymnasium, auditorium, and music department. The
modernization reorganizes the middle school into “teams.” The high
school side is departmentalized with outdoor courtyards accessible to
each department. A new main stair and two story lobby area provides a
more dramatic and secure entrance and improved circulation between the
floors. The additions and modifications to the building’s exterior
transforms the school’s appearance into a contemporary and inviting
educational facility for the 21st century.
Honor Award – New Construction
Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School
Falls Church City
BeeryRio Architecture + Interiors
In a partnership with Public Private Alliance,
LLC, Clark Educational Advisors and the City of Falls Church Public
Schools, BeeryRio was selected, under the Public Private Educational
Act (PPEA) of 2002, to master plan the new Mary Ellen Henderson Middle
School in Falls Church, Virginia. The architectural concept of the
building plan reinforces “small learning communities” and affords each
of the three grades a unique identity and “sense of place”. Classrooms
are configured around a commons with teacher planning areas. The school
houses a unique grade configuration of 5th, 6th and 7th grade students
in a facility which is directly adjacent to the existing George Mason
High School. The proximity of the two schools will allow the students,
teachers, administrators and community to share the resources of both facilities.