Liberty Addition
A Middle school with big ambitions
The Brief
This middle school addition added a suite of new science labs, classrooms but at its heart is the multipurpose space with gathering stair and the project boasts a range of collaboration spaces strategically located throughout the school. Renovations expanded course offerings with a new fitness / dance studio, gym, family consumer science lab, maker space and digital arts studio.
Collaboration
The school offers a range of spaces for groups, individuals and even multiple classes to work in a more relaxed setting
Flexibility
Decisions were made with long-term objectives and a look beyond the 10-year education horizon, from design to furniture.
Fostering Identity
Through graphics and bold color choices the school creates a unique identity in the district while respecting the seven district schools that students come from
the great outdoors
The site carried opportunity to offer a courtyard experience, outdoor classrooms, a fitness course and a new soccer field and regraded softball field
Design Iteration
The existing school consisted of double loaded corridors typical of schools. The client was interested in a more dynamic experience, which was explored through a series of early massing and planning studies shown here.
Through increasing utilization we identified a number of rooms to convert to collaboration spaces or dedicated teacher workrooms identified on the colored plan by blue and red respectively. These are distributed throughout the school and are always available for drop-in usage, several collaboration spaces open directly to the corridors.
trying to build their ideal middle school
One of the most important parts of any project is engaging with a project’s stakeholders to shape the direction of the design.
Through over 50 workshops and meetings the needs of the students, teachers and administrators were collected and formed into a cohesive vision for Liberty
increasing utilization is the key
Collaboration spaces were never in the program, but through analysis of the existing utilization, we were able to increase usage of classrooms by one period. This small change created opportunities to create specialty elective classrooms and flexible spaces for students.
Site layout considerations
Two main partis were explored, including basic energy modeling. The data confirmed our assumptions that the scheme wrapping the existing building would be more efficient.
THE NEW HEART-AND IDENTITY-OF THE SCHOOL
The addition wrapped around the existing school and created a deep zone without access to the exterior windows. We used this opportunity to carve out a large volume of space and bring natural light in through a clerestory. The new multi-purpose space functions as circulation, pre-function space for sports, drama and other events, serves as breakout space for the classrooms in the addition and provides lunch space for the additional students joining Liberty.
