Transcript 1248363031_1

2009 Exhibition of School
Planning and Architecture
New Springfield High School
Location - Springfield, Ohio
Category of Entry - Project of Distinction
Award Type - High School
Firm Name - Lesko Associates, Inc.
New Springfield High School
Front View
Community Environment:
Springfield, Ohio is a small urban city of approximately 65,000 people. It is the
county seat for Clark County. Springfield is home to Wittenberg University, one of the
nation's top liberal art and science colleges, International Harvester (now Navistar)
and the Westcott House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. During the mid and late
1800s, Springfield was dominated by industrialists. The City became a center of
manufacturing for farm equipment and automobiles. Springfield is also notable for
being the first city in the US to have a black mayor, Robert Henry, elected in 1966.
In 1999, the School District elected to participate in a comprehensive Kindergarten
through 12th Grade public school construction program administered for the state by
the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC). The OSFC was established to help
districts fund, plan, design, and build or renovate schools. As part of this $200 Million
Facilities Master Plan program, the District replaced 23 aging facilities with 16 new
buildings.
The District serves 8700 Students housed in 10 New Elementary Schools, 4 New
Middle Schools, 1 High School and 1 Alternative School. The New grades 9-12
Springfield High School is the largest OSFC funded school building to date. This one
new facility replaces two existing High Schools and is designed for 2447 students. The
High School is the 16th and final building of the District’s Master Plan.
The District began their project with a commitment to engaging the Community.
In preparation for their November 2000 Bond Issue, a series of Community
engagement meetings were held to present Master Plan options and solicit input.
Their commitment to engagement continued through the entire building project.
Also, in anticipation of the large scale of construction that was to take place, the
District and the City worked together to establish a “Chisels” program to train the
local workforce to provide them an opportunity to participate in the building
construction. The building specifications contained a requirement for contractors to
seek laborers from a list of Chisel program graduates to supplement their workforce.
Planning process:
One of the initial challenges of the New High School project was to determine the
site location for the new building. This was to be a controversial decision due to the
fact that the two existing High Schools were located on opposite sides of the City. A
Blue Ribbon Committee was assembled by the District to make a site
recommendation to the Board.
The Committee was comprised of representatives from various stakeholder groups
including the School Board, Administration, Staff, Teachers, Parents and local
Businesses. The Committee met for a number of months and alternative conceptual
site plans were developed for each potential site to be evaluated. As project budget
implications were also important in the decision making process, cost data for each
site plan option was also presented to the Committee.
When the final decision was made to build behind the existing North High School,
a series of Community Forums were held to review the proposed site plan and
discuss any issues and the design and construction process.
Another important issue to address during the planning phase was the need to
accommodate two separate High School programs and unify them as one while
making sure that their history, tradition, spirit and programs were not ignored in the
planning process.
The transition of bringing two student bodies together also provided unique
opportunities for student involvement in the planning process. A combined student
group from both existing High Schools called the Springfield High School “Spirit
Board” was established to help in the planning and facilitating of the merger.
Having determined the site location and identified major issues, a specific
engagement process was planned and implemented to insure that all Stakeholders
had ample opportunities to provide input. Due to the size and impact on the
Community, the New High School engagement process had to be more substantial
and include a wider representation of Stakeholders.
Planning process (cont.):
A series of engagement meetings were scheduled at each phase of the design
where various user groups from each school were brought together to provide input
into the planning and design of the building.
In each of the engagement meetings, we began by introducing the engagement
process and the project scope. We then solicited feedback by asking each group to
discuss the issues, express their needs, evaluate the design and make any suggestions
for changes.
These groups had multiple opportunities to review and respond to the design of
the building as it was developed. The engagement process not only served to solicit
input but also provided an avenue to help bring the faculty and staff of both buildings
together around a common goal. This process helped to unify the two programs and
begin the transition from two High Schools to one.
Meetings were held initially with the Administration and Department Heads from
both existing high Schools to finalize the educational program. Educators,
Administrative and Guidance Staff, Food Service and Maintenance Staff, Students and
Parents from both schools were all engaged during the planning phases. City officials
and Community members were also engaged in the planning.
The engagement meetings continued through the Schematic and Design
Development phases. As the design of the building became finalized, a model and
renderings were presented at additional Community Forums to give the residents a
final opportunity to express concerns and provide additional input.
The plans were presented to each user group and refined until each space was
reviewed in detail, including technology, cabinetry and furniture layouts. The input
from these meetings were incorporated into the design and the plans were
presented to each user group for final approval.
Learning Environment:
The New Springfield High School is a state of the art facility designed to address
the program needs of the District by incorporating the latest educational trends
shaping the design of school facilities today.
Although the District knew there were inherent efficiencies in combining their two
existing High Schools into one building, there was a concern about the learning
environment in a large school setting. The District determined to explore the “small
school” concept. This would provide students the best of both worlds. The school
would have the full academic and extracurricular offerings of a large High School and,
at the same time, the comfort and support of a small Learning Community.
The “schools within a school” structure would support constructive relationships
between and among students and teachers by grouping students together each year
to take core courses with the same group of teachers, thus increasing the support
students would receive from peers, teachers and other adults.
When the “small schools” concept was introduced as a possible program solution,
it was quickly endorsed by Stakeholders, including the Board of Education,
Superintendent and Teacher’s Association. During that exploratory phase, over 70
staff members visited small schools across the country. This concept became the
driving force behind the design of the building. In addition, thanks to grant funding,
EdWorks, a nonprofit subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks Foundation, helped the District
redefine their program and transition to the four “small school” High School by the
opening of their new building in fall 2008.
Learning Environment (cont.):
The School is divided into four small “Learning Centers” that accommodate 610
students each. Each Learning Center houses a self-sufficient program within the
larger school building and contains its own Administration and Guidance Office suite.
The four Learning Centers include the School of Humanities, School of ProblemBased Learning, School of Leadership and School of Global Perspectives.
Each Center has a different theme and teaching strategy that were determined by
Staff and Community involvement. There is a Campus Director and each small school
has a dedicated Principal and support team. Each has its own identity, program,
personnel, students and classroom spaces and is also identified by a different color
scheme.
The Classroom wing is organized into three levels. The upper and lower levels
contain two Learning Centers each and the main level contains Classrooms for shared
Science labs and elective classes. The Students also share the main core spaces,
including the Media Center, Cafeteria, Music and Vocal Rooms and the Athletic
facilities.
The design of each Center also has designated Extended Learning Areas (ELA). The
ELA is a flexible multi-purpose space that provides opportunities for small learning
groups and an environment conducive to both contemplation and interaction. There
are a variety of furniture types that can be quickly rearranged in different
configurations to accommodate various individual and group activities.
Physical Environment:
The building site posed a number of challenges. One challenge was the site
constraints. The new building had to be constructed between the existing North High
School and the existing Land Lab behind the school while the existing building
remained in operation. In order to accommodate the new construction, a classroom
wing at the rear of the existing school had to first be demolished.
In order for the existing High School to stay operating during construction, a plan
was developed to complete the project in two phases. In the first phase, the new
High School was constructed. In phase two, the existing High School was demolished
at the end of the school year in June and the parking area and the parent and bus
drop off zones were completed during the summer. The entire project was completed
for the start of school in September 2008.
Another physical challenge was the dramatic slope from the front of the site to the
rear. The design team saw this challenge as an opportunity to be incorporated into
the design of the building.
The slope of the site was used as a major design element that created a transition
from the core spaces and Community use areas at the front of the building to the
three level curved classroom wing behind.
The curved classroom wing is the main feature of the New High School. The curved
design limits the line of sight down the corridor and creates more of a sense of
personal scale. The classroom wing contains an upper level and a lower level that
houses the four smaller Learning Centers. The main level of the classroom wing
houses all elective course Classrooms and common Science Labs.
At the center of the building are two large courtyards. These spaces provide areas
for outdoor learning activities and also serve to provide natural light to interior
classrooms that face the courtyards. Daylighting illuminates the Classrooms and
other areas where students learn as well as corridors and core spaces including the
Media Center, Cafeteria and Gymnasium.
Physical Environment (cont.):
Community use of the facility was also paramount in the design of the building in
light of the fact that two High Schools were being combined. Community use areas
are located at the front of the building near to parking for easy accessibility. The
classroom wing is separated from the multi-use spaces in order to be able to close
that portion of the building down while Community areas are being used.
The self-contained Athletic Department has a separate entrance and can be used
for evening and weekend activities while maintaining security in the rest of the
building. It includes a competition Gymnasium with seating for 2300, an Auxiliary
Gymnasium, PE and Team Locker Rooms with easy access to adjacent athletic fields.
There is also a 1600 square foot Wrestling Room and a 4400 square foot Exercise
Room.
The Cafeteria also has a separate entrance and was designed with a stage that will
also be used for a future Auditorium addition.
Foundations and structure were constructed to accommodate the future fly loft
and proscenium opening. The existing stage will be reoriented to face the opposite
direction and function as the future Auditorium stage.
The building is also equipped with state of the art technology systems. The
building's data network, telephone system, audio/visual system, security system,
lighting control and building automation systems are integrated and able to
communicate with one another.
The District’s goal of energy conservation is addressed by incorporating an energy
management system that includes direct digital controls. In the fully air conditioned
facility, these controls are part of an energy management system that manages and
monitors energy use and improves operational and energy efficiency. To conserve
utilities, the lighting in each room of the High School is either automatically
controlled by occupancy sensors or a central scheduling system. The extensive
daylighting in the building also conserves energy by reducing the use of artificial
lighting.
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture
2009 Project Data
Submitting Firm :
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Lesko Associates, Inc.
Architect
Robert W. Blatchford, Jr., AIA, REFP
President
27955 Clemens Road, Suite A
Cleveland, Ohio 44145, USA
440.835.0850
Joint Partner Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Other Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Construction Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Ruscilli / Kapp Construction
Construction Manager
R. Anthony Ruscilli
Vice President
2041 Arlingate Lane
Columbus, Ohio 43228, USA
614.876.9484
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture
2009 Project Details
Project Name
New Springfield High School
City
Springfield
State
Ohio
District Name
Springfield City School District
Supt/President
Dr. E. Jean Harper, Superintendent
Occupancy Date
September, 2008
Grades Housed
9 through 12
Capacity (Students)
Site Size (acres)
2,447 students
108 Acres
Gross Area (sq. ft.)
381,878 sq. ft.
Per Occupant (pupil)
156.06 sq. ft. per pupil
gross/net please indicate
Design and Build?
gross
No
If yes, Total Cost:
Includes:
If no,
Site Development:
$5,894,852.00
Building Construction:
$44,299,555.00
Fixed Equipment:
$1,959,797.00
Other:
$12,432,361.00
Total:
$64,586,565.00
New Springfield High School
Main Entrance
New Springfield High School
Classroom Wing
New Springfield High School
Courtyard
New Springfield High School
Media Center
New Springfield High School
Cafetorium
New Springfield High School
Main Gymnasium
New Springfield High School
Extended Learning Area
New Springfield High School
Main Corridor
New Springfield High School
Rotunda
New Springfield High School
Partial Side Entry