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ALBION DISTRICT LIBRARY BY PERKINS + WILL IS A 2018 COTE TOP TEN RECIPIENT. IMAGE: DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY

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The Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) is a Knowledge Community of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). We are a large and active group of over 10,000 architects and allied professionals concerned with the quality and design of all types of educational, cultural, and recreational facilities that promote lifelong learning in safe, welcoming and equitable environments. The CAE’s mission is to foster innovative and collaborative design of educational facilities and to heighten public awareness on the importance of learning environments.

  

A different kind of sustainability

By Travis 8164008673 Willson posted 04-03-2015 12:35 PM

  

As completion of the last new-build school project I designed approaches, I am reminded of the process of decision-making that resulted in the largest elementary school in the state of Kansas.

“You’re building an elementary school for 1,200 students?!” 

“Yes, yes we are, and for good reason.”

For the reason of sustainability.  The term sustainability is tainted in today’s culture of eco-chicness. Yes, we designed Tonganoxie Elementary School to LEED Silver standards (without certification) and, yes, it has all of the trappings of sustainability from a “do it because it’s good design” standpoint.  But, that’s not what this post is about.  It’s about the District thinking about their own sustainability.  How does a rural district, poised for growth within an expanding suburban ring spend its resources in a way that creates a maintainable future?

A poorly-planned, low-quality middle school had been built just six years prior to our project.  A project that was over-promised and under-delivered was an unfortunate lesson that the community of Tonganoxie had taken to heart.  Sins of the past are difficult to overcome.  New board leadership, a new superintendent, and a new design and construction team sought to accomplish a sustainable future for a deserving community.  The decision was anything but clear- an existing elementary school had been part of the community for 60+ years, but it was land-locked, already over expanded with classrooms and trailers built beyond the core capacity, and over-populated by at least 100 students.  Continuing to Band-Aid this building was thought to be the most favored choice, if nothing else, but for sentimental value.  Instead, by proposing change of use to a mixed-use community space, operated by the City, the School District could focus on a new school to accommodate all of their elementary students and provide relief to a crowded middle school by re-adjusting grades.  The reality of this meant Kindergarten through 5th grades in one building.  At about 150 students per grade, that meant designing an elementary for 1,000 students.

Thinking about future growth and realizing this could be the last building project for the District for a while, the Board elected to design for an additional 200 students, with the general consensus of, “Let’s do it right, this time”.  With operating budgets being slashed at the State House, we needed to find ways to be as lean as possible.  This meant identifying and utilizing synergies, which ultimately lead to the decision of one school for all.  The Middle School site had been purchased with the idea of constructing additional buildings or building- by building on this site we were able to dual-use parking, a newly constructed water tower, and newly extended sewer lines.  By designing one kitchen to serve 1200 students in two different lunch rooms we were able to cut down FTE hours for kitchen staff by 2/3.  By creating one building with one administration, additional support FTE hours could be reduced.  Now the middle school and elementary school are on the same site, maintained by the same grounds crew; the number of sites the District has to maintain is down from three to two.

All of this thought process started before we drew a single bubble- it started as a partnership between an architect fulfilling his primary duty as problem-solver and an owner who had a strong focus on getting it right.  Sustainability in this sense isn’t about Prius parking spots and bamboo imported from the other side of the globe.  It’s sustainability rooted in the reality of a school district’s ability to accomplish their goals because of a well-thought, well-designed building, not in spite of it.

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