Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"An evolution of the Seattle Academy of\nArts and Sciences\u2019 urban campus, this new middle school harnesses verticality\nto leverage a limited site and connect the academy more deeply to the\nsurrounding community. Sitting at a busy Seattle intersection, the six-story\nacademic volume offers students a supportive learning environment that encourages\nindependence, experimentation, and a new dialogue between the school\u2019s\ncurriculum and the Capitol Hill neighborhood. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The school\u2019s core academic spaces comprise\nthe upper floors of the new 69,900-square-foot building, while its lower floors\naccommodate athletic activities, administration, music instruction, and a\nmakerspace. In addition, the school\u2019s gym and rooftop playfield provide\nvaluable space for physical activity, which is often overlooked in urban\ncontexts. Adjacent academy buildings can be accessed via the lower floors,\nunderscoring the middle school\u2019s role as a vital connector on campus. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Each grade occupies a floor within the\nmiddle school, and classrooms, the fundamental building block of the program,\nare organized around collaborative learning spaces that support project-based\nlearning and cross-disciplinary discovery. Glazing in each classroom creates a\nporous and transparent connection between both spaces, allowing activities to\nmove easily between them. The collaborative spaces are designed as a series of\nstepped double-height volumes that cascade between floors, advancing a sense of\nvisual and physical connection between grades. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"While the collaborative spaces are key\nto the academy\u2019s educational mission, they also form the primary architectural\nexpression of the building. Its exterior is wrapped with brick and punctuated\nwith swaths of transparency that are directly related to the collaborative\nspaces contained within. Glazing tumbles down the exterior of the building,\nending at a primary gathering space that anchors the intersection. An outdoor\nspace at the entry is a welcoming, street-level gathering space for students\nthat also provides an amenity for the community. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The school\u2019s design is reflective of\nthe academy\u2019s commitment to a socially and ecologically responsible community,\nand its sustainable features actively engage the student body. Building\nanalysis modeling employed by the design team optimized daylight, solar\nexposure, and natural ventilation, while the multistory classroom bar,\norganized north to south, maximizes solar heat gain in the winter and relies on\nsunshades to limit heat gain in the summer. Mechanically assisted natural\nventilation and passive cooling are incorporated in the learning spaces, which\nare also equipped with indicator lights that empower students to manage\nclassroom operation modes. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The middle school is a\nmodel for how Seattle can densify sustainably. It uses 64% less energy than\ncomparable schools, and all five of its facades work together to support its\nsustainability goals. In addition, the design promotes regional vegetation, street\ntrees, and ample natural light that reaches the parking garage and below-ground\nmusic spaces by taking advantage of the site\u2019s steep grade."]]]]}