HONORABLE MENTION - DESIGN
Cantrell Intermediate School

The Goal:
The development of an expansion plan for a growing suburban district was envisioned through a series of community engagement meetings. From this engagement it was determined that the district could better accommodate their long-term growth by creating a new intermediate school to house the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. The mandate from the process was to design an affordable modern facility that includes a place for the community and a room for the future needs of the district.

The Site:
After an evaluation of several sites, the choice of expanding an existing elementary school site was determined the best value.

For the District Due to the ability for both the new facility and the existing elementary school to share site amenities, parking, and any multi-purpose spaces, the district could share the expense of the improvements over a greater student population. The playing fields and playground areas allow each school in the district to have dedicated and age appropriate exterior education areas for the first time. The improvements in circulation and parking provide a safe and accessible site to this growing rural district.

For the Community This solution created a magnet for community organizations and programs that needed more outdoor areas to grow.

The Building:
The building works to build on the advances created from the shared site by creating a structure that can transition from a self-contained educational environment by day to a dynamic community center by night.

For the Community The east portion of the plan contains all community use areas with a dedicated event entry from the parking lot. This portion houses a gymnasium/auditorium, a commons/cafeteria, food service, and an art room. The mechanical systems were designed to allow any or all of these spaces to be operated individually when necessary. The commons acts as a cafeteria during meal periods, but doubles as a lobby for sporting, theatrical, or musical events. The design allows school and community organizations to hold meetings, exhibitions, fairs, or practices in its day-lit interior. When the partition to the band/chorus room is opened, the gymnasium transitions into a performance hall for the entire district and community to hold plays, recitals, and other events.

For Everyone The middle portion of the facility is the main entry to the school for bus riders and daytime visitors. A large lobby was designed to accommodate this daily influx of riders and to be a welcoming “front door” for visitors. This leads to a state of the art media center that may be accessed from the community wing if desired. This space creates a leisurely place for casual reading, wireless internet surfing, individual learning, small group events, or entire class research. The added classroom size computer lab allows community classes and student instruction to occur at all hours.

For the District The west wing of the school was designed as a pod system attached to a wide circulation corridor or “main street”. This not only helps organize curriculum, but also builds in a modular way to expand the building. From this main street the students, teachers and administrators access each grade level’s “house”, each of which are divided by a core containing restrooms, building maintenance, and playground access. Each house has five full size classrooms, a special activity room, reading nook, and a commons. The special activity room can be configured to be teacher support, special needs classroom, or a group meeting room. The commons is a tall, clerestory day-lit space. This space breaks up the “main street” and allows for special events such as multi-class discussion, portable computer labs, portable planetarium, and small presentations.