Award of Merit: Woodland Elementary School, Addition + Renovations

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["strong"]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Woodland Elementary, a one-story 60,000 sf brick building designed in 1968, underwent a complete interior renovation to transform the existing facility into a modern 21st century learning environment. This K-5 school located in East Syracuse, NY is particularly unique in that it was still operating under the 1960\u2019s-era \u201copen plan\u201d concept, a design that featured spaces with little to no physical walls or doors separating one from another. This concept, while considered innovative at the time, posed numerous problems with modern-day educational delivery both aesthetically and acoustically, as well as many safety and security concerns relevant today. The district tried to adapt the building to create more traditional classrooms, which resulted in a cluttered maze of bookcases, curtains, and furniture throughout. To ultimately resolve these issues, the only solution was to completely gut and rebuild the interior, which had never been renovated since it was first constructed. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The design team\u2019s vision not only addresses these building-wide issues, but also pushes the envelope in terms of creating flexible, innovative, and collaborative learning environments. The biggest design challenge centered around the need to incorporate permanent walls but do so in a way as to not make spaces feel too small or closed off from one another. To achieve this, spaces were designed with flexibility and collaboration in mind with classrooms established in each grade level cluster to have direct connections to one another or utilize moveable walls to encourage learning that extends beyond the classroom into breakout spaces. The original open plan classroom wings, connected only by two narrow corridors with an underutilized courtyard in the middle, were reorganized into a Primary Wing (K-1) and Intermediate Wing (2-5) with their designs specifically tailored to the needs of each grade level. The reconfiguration of these spaces and the addition of new walls and doors significantly improves acoustics, circulation, egress, and safety not only in the classrooms, but across the entire building. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Though the exterior was originally intended to remain unchanged, the design team concluded that the courtyard would be better utilized as interior space, especially in the often-snowy Syracuse winters. To do this, the courtyard and connecting corridors were demolished paving the way for the construction of an expansive, double-height infill addition. This new addition features a modern and inviting main entrance, secure vestibule, school store, and large group gathering space named the Collaborative Commons. The Commons bridges the gap between the classroom wings and finds itself as the new heart of the school with the ability to host a variety of student-centered activities. It is also situated within the new STEAM core, a central hub featuring the Media Center, Maker Space, Band, Music, and Art rooms. These spaces were designed to be interconnected with one another and directly accessible to and from the Collaborative Commons, furthering the vision of a flexible, collaborative environment across all subjects. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The redesigned Woodland Elementary now fosters high-quality educational spaces with an emphasis on flexibility and innovation in a modern, collaborative, and safe 21st century learning environment."]]],[1,"p",[]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"PROJECT TEAM:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Architects:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"King + King Architects"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"358 West Jefferson Street"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Syracuse, NY 13202"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Jason Benedict, AIA, Partner-in-Charge"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Amanda Thomas, RA, NCIDQ, Project Manager"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Michelle Fuller, Assoc. AIA, Team Leader"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"David Markfelder, Designer"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Site\/Landscape Architects:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Appel Osborne Landscape Architecture"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Syracuse, NY"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Structural:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Klepper Hahn \u0026 Hyatt"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"East Syracuse, NY"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"M\/E\/P\/FP Engineers:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"IBC Engineering"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Rochester, NY"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Kitchen Consultant:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"FETECH, Inc."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Canastota, NY"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Construction Manager:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Watchdog Building Partners"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Rochester, NY"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Photography: "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Revette Studio, Inc."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Syracuse, NY"]]]]}