Honorable Mention in the 2008 Educational Design Showcase
MCHarry Associates has developed a new prototype elementary school for Miami-Dade County Public Schools to house 800 to 1,300 student stations. The prototype has various reuses (adaptations) which yields a high quality design that is responsive to varying contexts.
The goal of the ‘prototype system’ is to achieve a high performance school that delivers meaningful civic presence; responds well to varying site conditions; and creates an inviting educational environment for impressionable young minds. The architect has responded with a collection of ‘proto-parts’ to create a village-scale ‘campus’ organized around a central ‘Mainstreet’ pedestrian environment.
The architectural vocabulary for the campus is based on a ‘tilt-wall model’. This construction model organizes a system of abstract, yet coherent, visual relationships expressed through the use of asymmetric, geometric, planar wall elements. Techniques for achieving student-oriented scale and proportion for the school includes the use of wall plane articulation, fenestration, and the controlled use of bold color.
Sustainable design strategies were derived from the California High Performance Schools initiative and the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
The first three (3) of these schools have a
budget of $69 million. The prototype elementary schools' total build out of 15 sites over the next five (5) years is estimated at $225 million.
Click here for photos from Goulds Elementary School.
Click here for recent photos taken by the fourth grade students at Goulds Elementary.
State School 'W-1', the fourth prototype to be funded, is currently in the punch-out phase of construction. Click here for recent construction and installation photos.
Click here for the recent publication regarding the Honorable Mention Award by the Educational Design Showcase.