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Greenman Elementary School Photo by George Lambros     What constitutes excellence in school design? Functionality clearly must come first. But a school building that thoughtfully accommodates a thriving educational program also can be a handsome addition to the community. The designs singled out for special notice in the 2005 edition of Learning By Design meet both criteria. Corodogan, Clark & Associates, Inc. and Rozeboom Miller Architects have been selected as Grand Prize winners this year. Corodogan Clark received its honor for the design of Greenman Elementary School in Aurora, Ill., while Rozeboom Miller was awarded the prize for Horizon Middle School in Morehead, Minn. Both schools were new construction projects. A five-member panel of judges selected the two grand prizes along with 12 citation awards from more than 150 entries in the 14th annual competition sponsored by American School Board Journal. Corodogan Clark’s design of Greenman was built on a four-acre site that once housed a neighborhood school. Rather than build a “three-story breadbox,” the architects designed a complex L-shaped facility that makes use of natural lighting in the corridors while paying attention to “the scale of children within the building,” the judges noted. The 700-student school features a performing arts theme and a layout that includes clusters of classrooms that open to outdoor learning courtyards and hallways that double as computer labs. “This design is the one I’d like to take back to the office to use as a model because of how it’s done,” one judge said of the Greenman Elementary School project. “It’s a beautiful job on an extremely tough site.” Horizon Middle School Photo by Don F. Wong     Rozeboom Miller’s design of Horizon, a 1,300-student school on a 65-acre site, presented a different set of challenges. The judges cited the architects’ “abundant use of natural light” and attention to detail that was “well done without being fussy.” But what set the school apart from other entries, one judge noted, was Rozeboom Miller’s attention to the “team concept.” To help build stronger social relationships between students, the classroom wing is divided into nine distinct learning communities, each with general classrooms, a science lab, and a multipurpose resource center for group projects and team teaching. “This design is more likely to succeed with a traditional middle school program because the plan really reflects the program,” the judges said. “There are similarities between the two winners,” one judge noted. “Both designs address scale, break down the sites into small learning areas, and address the little things that make the schools both unique yet functional.” Citation of Excellence Winners Sprague School Wayne Soverns Jr. Architectural Photography     The judges also awarded 12 citations for new construction, renovations, a library, and school community centers/facilities. HMFH Architects, Inc. received two citations, one for the renovation of the Sprague School in Wellesley, Mass., and another for the design of the visual and performing arts center at the Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Sprague School, built in the 1920s, had not been used for 30 years and required significant restoration. The judging panel noted the design included good use of color throughout the building’s interior and exterior, as well as “nice detailing and design.” “They have made respectful and interesting additions that honor the character of a historic building while reinterpreting it,” one judge said. Countryside Elementary School Carr-Cialdella Photography     For the visual and performing arts center, which was added to the Beaver Country Day School’s existing campus, the panel applauded the “judicious, restrained use of color” and cited the design as a “nice example of new and old being compatible without mimicking one another.” The design of Countryside Elementary School in Byron Center, Mich., earned Tower Pinkster Titus Associates, Inc. a citation in the new construction category. The judges noted that the campus, which has a windmill and a silo-shaped central tower, is a contemporary interpretation of rural farm buildings. Students also look out onto the wetlands that are aerated by the windmill. “The building itself is used as a tool for learning,” a judge said. “There are some very nice connections between the inside and outside, and looking out onto the wetlands is a fantastic opportunity to engage the building into the landscape.” The Orcutt/Winslow Partnership and Perkins + Will were awarded citations for new construction for the design of two middle schools. Wigwam Creek Middle School Al Payne Photographic, Inc.     Orcutt/Winslow was honored for its design of the Wigwam Creek Middle School in Litchfield Park, Ariz. Despite the school’s size—it enrolls 1,200 students—the judges noted that the architects “break down the scale of the building very successfully.” They also praised the design’s “extraordinary indoor/ outdoor relationship,” particularly in the use of daylighting and classroom views of the landscape. For Woodward Middle School in College Park, Ga., Perkins + Will used a campus-like setting to incorporate nature into the design. The judges noted the private school, which is applying for Silver LEED certification, features an appealing courtyard and successfully separates classrooms from common spaces. Two architectural firms—Jeter, Cook & Jepson Architects, Inc. and DLR Group—earned new construction citations for designing two high schools. Jeter, Cook & Jepson received its citation for the design of Daniel Hand High School in Madison, Conn. The design separates the common areas and academic spaces and features a stand-alone area that is used by the community during off hours. The judges praised the architects for “resisting the temptation to sprawl all over the site and conserve as much open space as possible.” Boulder Creek High School     The design of Boulder Creek High School, a 300,000-square-foot facility in Phoenix, Ariz., resulted in a citation for the DLR Group. The panel noted the facility’s “college-like atmosphere” and applauded the facets of the design that encouraged joint use with the community, including a public library on the campus. “Despite all of these assets, the building was not too expensive and should age well,” one judge said. In a new category, post-secondary new construction, the firm of VCBO Architecture, LLC, was honored for its design of the student athletic complex at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The judges called the complex “well developed, successfully massed, and beautifully detailed,” and said that it successfully integrates both academics and athletics. Citations also were awarded for facilities that focus on joint use between schools and the community. The design of Molalla Aquatic Center in Molalla, Ore. earned Dull Olson Weekes Architects Inc. a citation. The firm energized the design with the use of a few imaginative details, the judges said, such as “waves” in the front walk and “ripple” patterns on the floor. The judges also cited the center’s landscaping and noted that it is economical with an eye toward ongoing maintenance. St. Charles Borromeo Church School & Community Center William E. Mathis Photography     MTFA Architecture, Inc. received a citation for the St. Charles Borromeo Church School and Community Center, which connected two existing buildings into one complex on an urban corner infill in Arlington, Va. The judges praised the “interesting design vocabulary” and “wonderful nightlighting” throughout. Fields Devereaux Architects & Engineers received two citations, one for a project that has been completed and another for a design that is under construction. The first was for the Oak Park Joint Use Library in Ventura County, Calif. For the project, the firm used computer modeling to develop a state-of-the-art energy conservation system. But the judges were even more impressed by a city-school partnership that has resulted in the school being used by students during the day and the community at night. “By pooling scarce resources, everyone benefits,” one judge said. For the work in progress, Fields Devereaux earned a citation for the Suzanne & David Saperstein Middle School in Los Angeles. The judges said the school’s design on the side of a hill “makes excellent use of a complicated site,” noting that great care has been taken with sight lines from heavily trafficked highways. “It is an interesting, thoughtful design,” one judge said. “We want to see this again when it is built.”