An addition to an Oregon high school and the renovation of an academic center in Connecticut have been selected as the grand prize winners of the 2002 Learning By Design contest.

	The West Linn High School Student Street is dedicated to student support and contains student counseling, student store, student government, and enterprise spaces.

West Linn High School, a project in West Linn, Ore., designed by Dull Olson Weekes Architects, PC, of Portland, was honored in the new construction category. Beaver Brook Academic Center/The Ethel Walker School, in Simsbury, Conn., won in the renovation category for Peter Gisolfi Associates of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

"The winners in both cases combined flexible learning areas, and the buildings also had a personality that wasn't so overwhelming that you couldn't imagine the students not taking ownership," said judge Pamela Loeffelman of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates in New York City. "The furnishings were flexible, and both felt contemporary but not trendy. More and more schools seem to be moving to a minimalist style."

West Linn's 120,000-square-foot addition "gives you a sense of community," said judge Melanie Hennigan of Grimm & Parker Architects in Calverton, Md.

"It has colored concrete that's very inexpensive but very dynamic," Hennigan said. "The common porch area is nice, and it's made into a series of neighborhoods. There are a lot of two-story open spaces."

Judge Sarah Woodhead, deputy director of facilities, planning, design, and construction for the Washington, D.C., public schools, called the West Linn addition "dignified."

"Some [additions] are not as adaptive and will look discordant in a few years," she said. "This school encourages smaller communities of learners. Whether that is the way schools are going to stay or not, it's a trend."

The emphasis on safety at Beaver Brook also was noted by the judges, who complimented the architects for "getting rid of dead-end corridors."

	The art studio at Beaver Creek Academic Center/The Ethel Walker School is spacious, with ample work room, storage room, and light.

"That's really important for security -- the feeling that the students are not trapped somewhere without a second way out," said judge Jo Anne Murray of Murray & Associates Architects in Glen Echo, Md.

Beaver Brook, which converted a historic building into educational space, also was cited for its adaptive use of a prime location on the campus.

"They decided to make an important educational building using historic buildings," said Hennigan. They went from being an extremely boxy, chopped up series of dorm rooms to open, gracious, spacious learning rooms.

The judges also chose to honor eight schools as citation award winners from this year's architectural entries. Below is a summary of the judges' comments on each:

Cougar Elementary School, Manassas Park, Va.
Architect: VMDO Architects, Charlottesville, Va.

This project shows what can be accomplished on a very restrictive budget and on an extremely restrictive site. Cougar Elementary is a large school, but the architects have managed to break the scale down so that it does not seem overwhelming.

The architects were very creative in their use of alternative materials, which are inexpensive but used in the proper places. Overall, this is a very elegant solution on a very complicated site.

Crosswinds Arts and Science Middle School, Woodbury, Minn.
Architect: Cuningham Group, Minneapolis, Minn.

Another school with tight site constraints, Crosswinds uses two-story gathering spaces and manages to achieve a variety of sizes in the classrooms. Every grade house has a two-story structure.

The learning areas are good examples of space used for flexible learning. The glue-laminated trusses, which are exposed construction, work because they have acoustic qualities. The mechanical section is organized neatly and tidily, and is done with more fluidity than usual.

Noble High School, North Berwick, Maine
Architect: Harriman Associates, Auburn, Maine

Even though Noble is a very large school, the architects were able to break it down into learning communities of a reasonable size with warm and friendly common areas.

The school has project-based interdisciplinary learning. Each learning community has a project room science lab, storage room, multipurpose room, and living room. It's a little bit different, the judges said, but the architects have produced a building that favors substance over style. The architects also were obviously concerned about sunlight, which is really important in Maine.

Detroit Country Day Early Education Center, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Architect: TMP Associates, Inc., Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

This is a very playful facility -- every child's dream of a playhouse or tree house out back. It manages to bring the scale down to the size of the young children it serves, and yet remains fully functional for early childhood learning.

The school's plan and organization are fun for children, and the exteriors of the rooms would work even if they were painted all white. It's an imaginative solution for a challenging age group.

Minnesota Business Academy, St. Paul, Minn.
Architect: Armstrong, Torseth, Skold & Rydeen, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.

A complicated renovation project, the conversion of this former science museum weaves a variety of different classrooms into existing theater space. It is a strong example of business-oriented, cooperative learning.

The most unique aspect of this school is that it does not use separate classrooms, but clusters. Students use the Internet almost exclusively (except for science and chemistry), and they work in their own cubicles, coming together to do joint planning. This is a nice example of a design that fully incorporates the mission and goals of the school it serves.

Roy Lee Walker Elementary School, McKinney, Texas
Architect: SHW Group, Inc., Dallas

With wider-than-average hallways that can be used for teaching and computer work by students, the architects' design is both flexible and sustainable. The daylighting in major public spaces is very successful, as are the cutaways to the building.

In this project, the architects have made use of what they have available, including environmental themes and awareness in the actual design that are being used as teaching tools. Teachers can use the mechanical systems, a working windmill, and a sundial in their instruction.

Trailside Elementary School, Park City, Utah
Architect: VCBO Architecture, LLC, Salt Lake City, Utah

To build a school that is responsive to its environment, the architects have placed small windows where there are large amounts of sunlight and large windows in areas that need more available lighting.

The learning areas are good examples of space used for flexible learning, and the corridors and common areas are not visually tight. The design is especially successful in the common areas and classrooms, which have a variety of spaces where students and teachers can work together.

Charles H. Flowers High School, Springdale, Md.
Architect: Grimm + Parker Architects, Calverton, Md.

This is a large high school that is giant in scale but broken down in a meaningful way that works.

The classroom clusters are used for long-distance learning. The school's design incorporates a nicely restrained color scheme and fresh use of materials, and the architects make good use of daylighting. It also has a fresh use of materials. The architects have taken what were flaws and problems with the initial design and, using creative solutions, have provided a fresh look at an addition to an existing high school.