Ellen Ochoa Elementary School

Ellen Ochoa Elementary School

TULSA, OKLAHOMA

  • Union Public Schools
  • New Construction
  • 133,000 SF total
  • (Phase I: 70,000 SF, Phase 2: 14,000 SF., Phase 3: 49,000 SF)
  • $31 million

A tight-knit community centers around the new Ellen Ochoa Elementary.

This new school is deeply embedded in its surrounding neighborhoods, with the majority of the population living within a one-mile radius of the school. Spaces for community events, including open gyms, adult education and a community garden and kitchen, where parents and students can learn to grow and cook together.

The educational spaces open out into shared collaboration spaces and the central media space, blurring the lines of the traditional definition of a classroom. Classrooms incorporate a shared “Dream Space” dedicated to focused learning and small-group work.

Named after astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa, this elementary school is unlike any other in the district.

Walden Middle School

Walden Middle School

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

  • Park Hill School District
  • New Construction
  • 114,500 SF
  • $34.4 million

2021 A4LE John Shaw Award Recipient

Visual connectivity and strategically designed collaborative spaces have led to an evolution of learning styles at this newly combined middle school. 

Driving up to the building, you immediately feel the sense of space and pride created by Walden Middle School. Exterior signage and artwork can be illuminated with interchangeable colors to celebrate special occasions and holidays. The space was designed and built to give students access to outside daylight, while also ensuring safety and security as well as the durability of the building. This feeling of openness and transparent connectivity has attributed to the lack of bullying, according to the principal. Lockdown features also can be activated at the push of a button, securing 75 percent of the building.

In addition, the three academic wings are flexible and include operable walls, allowing for customization and collaboration throughout. The wings are connected by the gallery-like commons, where students’ work can be showcased, as well as the media center. The green building is the first LEED V4 certified school building in the region and demonstrates how the design played a crucial role in extending the building’s life cycle while incorporating impactful and sustainable features.

Learnscape-Park Hill School District

The Russell Jones Education Center offers educational programs to identified special education students from kindergarten through twelfth grade who have emotional and behavioral concerns. The learning approach targets specific skill deficits using data-based decision making.

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Heartland Middle School

Heartland Middle School

In Association with Frankfurt, Short, Bruza

EDMOND, OKLAHOMA

  • Edmond Public Schools
  • New Construction
  • 150,000 SF
  • $27 million

Learning happens outside traditional academic neighborhoods. An outdoor classroom and an exterior courtyard encourage students to take learning outside.

Designing for middle school students presents unique challenges because these young adults are five years removed from teddy bears but five years away from driving. They’re in the process of significant developmental changes, so flexible spaces that encourage adaptable teaching methods for every type of learner are critical.

Looking for opportunities to take students outside of the traditional classroom was a priority for Edmond Public Schools’ newest middle school.

Heartland Middle School

In Association with Frankfurt, Short, Bruza

EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  • Edmond, Oklahoma
  • New Construction
  • 150,000 sq. ft.
  • $27 million

Learning happens outside traditional academic neighborhoods. An outdoor classroom and an exterior courtyard encourage students to take learning outside.

Designing for middle school students presents unique challenges because these young adults are five years removed from teddy bears but five years away from driving. They’re in the process of significant developmental changes, so flexible spaces that encourage adaptable teaching methods for every type of learner are critical.

Looking for opportunities to take students outside of the traditional classroom was a priority for Edmond Public Schools’ newest middle school.

Academic areas are specific to every type of learner and include:

  • performance based
  • project based
  • elevated and casual/social learning

Liberty High School Performing Arts Center

LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL Performing Arts Center

LIBERTY, MISSOURI

  • Liberty Public Schools
  • Addition
  • 43,000 SF
  • $16.5 million

The new performing arts space boasts unique elements contributing to the full performance experience, down to the technical and behind-the-scenes details.

As a district who places a strong emphasis on the importance of arts in education, Liberty Public Schools sought to improve its fine arts facilities at Liberty High School as part of the 2018 district bond passage. The addition of the new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center brings many opportunities for students, featuring an expansive two-tiered auditorium, flexible band, orchestra and choir rooms, a scene shop, drama classroom, individual rehearsal spaces and an event entrance for performance attendees. All of the spaces were designed to be multi-use to maximize the building’s utilization.

Inspired by spaces such as the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the nearly 800-seat addition is comparable to that of a performance space found on a college campus. Securely connected to the high school, students now have a professional setting to hone their talents. Acoustically accurate architectural details support students in achieving their full creative potential.