Pub. 3 2020 Directory

44 NORTHERN NEVADA ARCHITECTECTURE .20 | 2020 | www.aiann.org CITATION DESERT SKIES MIDDLE SCHOOL Design Goals: For this new Middle School, the District set out optimistic goals to provide the community a prototype design that is sustainable, safe, flexible, functional, maximizes natural daylight and beats the relative cost per square foot of current trends and those seen in the previous “traditional-schools.” At a time where costs in the area exceed $335.00 per square foot, the District’s budget restraint called for strategic design. A simple arrangement of program components was required to offer ease of construction, transformation for future site adaptability, and ease of wayfinding. Equally important to the District was to evoke imagery for a renewed interest in school pride through quality interiors and architectural identity. Design Approach: The design is an adaptable “kit of parts” solution organized by a main street corridor. Separate wings surround an outdoor courtyard with outdoor learning sub-courts. Grade levels are individually paired as “Schools within a School”; sixth grade with Electives and seventh grade with eighth grade in separate two-story wings with TeamTeaching spaces for each grade level. The central wing accommodates the Main entrance(s), Administration and the Media Center. The “main street,” monitored by the school office, organizes the building parts. It is the main conduit of the school. It includes inspirational wall words representing the acronym S.T.R.O.N.G. (Significant, Tolerant, Resilient, Noble and Grateful), each of which are teamnames that students are assigned. These words are placed throughout the main street to support these student teams to create teampride and school unity. Collectively, the building acts as a campus yet functions as one facility. Separating seventh and eighth grades in one wing and sixth grade and electives in another directly respond to the District’s brief to address age differences. To address the strict budget constraints, the design team set out to create simple construction systems by applying an “economy of means” building approach. A repetition of concrete masonry walls uninterrupted from the ground to a parapet, alternating with glass curtain walls, provided expedient construction measures, as well as rhythmic composition for aesthetics. Metal panel volumes highlight programmatic areas for architectural interest and school colors and identity. This simple construction methodology on the majority of the building allowed for the hierarchical treatment of the centralized entry wing (including the main single-point entry, library, the student entrance from the outdoor commons space). For this element, an expressive simple framed inverted roof celebrates the importance of function and offers a unique school identity. Interior architecture strategies carry out a vibrant color palette, wayfinding methods, graphics, and a school mural unique to Desert Skies. These strategies are intended to inspire and activate the students and staff to generate motivation for teaching and learning and school pride. The design is also responsive to the District’s wish to have the building act as a learning tool. The team incorporated the concepts of an exposed mechanical room at the west end of “main street,” exposed mechanical piping routes and exposed structural systems. A learning component is incorporated. The mechanical room includes a computer and monitor that faces “main street” to display real-time heating and cooling data, electrical supply and demand and diagrams of how the school HVAC system is designed ARCHITECT: VanWoert Bigotti Architects CONTRACTOR: CORE Construction COMPLETION DATE: 2019 LOCATION: Reno, Nevada