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CHURCHLAND PRIMARY + INTERMEDIATE
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2014 HRACRE: Award of Merit for Best Interior (Media Center)
INFO + STORY
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CLIENT:
LOCATION: SIZE: |
Portsmouth Public Schools
Portsmouth, VA 74,000 square feet |
In order to update their 1970’s era facilities, Churchland Primary + Intermediate requested the design for a 10,000 sf gym addition, the renovation of all the common area toilet rooms, the modernization of the media center and computer lab, and the re-working of the entry and site circulation for pedestrians and vehicles. In addition to these objectives, the design also involved pursuing LEED® certification, improving the indoor environmental quality, full ADA compliance, and building code upgrades to include fire protection systems.
The school system was interested in bringing color and excitement to the façade of this otherwise bland and linear school building. The new design uses a dramatic steel framed form for the gym, clad with a vibrantly colored panel skin and abundant glazing to improve both the exterior appearance and the interior environment. The reworked media center has become an area for excited learning. It is a place for imagination and creativity to be fused with learning and intellectual progress.
In order to achieve the goal of occupancy during construction, the design team divided the work into multiple phases so that the gym could remain under construction during the school year – while the mechanical, lighting and above ceiling work, and the site work could take place during the course of two summers.
The school system was interested in bringing color and excitement to the façade of this otherwise bland and linear school building. The new design uses a dramatic steel framed form for the gym, clad with a vibrantly colored panel skin and abundant glazing to improve both the exterior appearance and the interior environment. The reworked media center has become an area for excited learning. It is a place for imagination and creativity to be fused with learning and intellectual progress.
In order to achieve the goal of occupancy during construction, the design team divided the work into multiple phases so that the gym could remain under construction during the school year – while the mechanical, lighting and above ceiling work, and the site work could take place during the course of two summers.