Awards: Grand Prize > Citation Awards > Honorable Mentions

Fourteen architectural firms receive Citation of Excellence Awards
Thoughtful, compact, and regionally inspired designs captured the attention of Leaning By Design judges in the 2009 competition. They gave high marks to schools that effectively tackle students’ educational needs in a manner that is appropriate for their site locations.

VCBO Architecture in Salt Lake City was commended for its design of Mountain Green Elementary School, Mountain Green, UT, which seamlessly blends the school’s elevations into its surrounding mountainous landscape. Similarly, they noted how the designers at NAC|Architecture took a cue from nature when gathering the materials palette used to construct Little Cedars Elementary School in Snohomish, WA.

Judges also praised many firms’ careful planning and creative use of compact spaces, particularly in urban areas. HMFH Architects, Inc. received an award for its design of Everett High School, Everett, MA, a six-story building built into the side of a hill on a small suburban site. The firm is one of 14 companies hailed by judges as leaders in educational design.

The following firms won Learning By Design 2009 Citation of Excellence Awards for their entries in this year’s competition:

GREEN EARLY CHILDHOOD/ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Mother’s Club Family Learning Center - Bruce Hershey

Harley Ellis Devereaux, Los Angeles, received a Citation of Excellence for Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center in Pasadena, CA. Judges called this comprehensive, eco-friendly renovation project “a delightful and inventive rehabilitation that successfully integrates sustainability.” It includes the redevelopment of a surrounding site area and is the first preschool in the country to register for LEED Gold certification. The front of the building features a quiet room and library while four of the classrooms centered along the atrium have sliding window doors for optional space flexibility. The exterior of the school includes photovoltaic panels, which provide 20 percent of the building’s electricity.

GREEN MIDDLE/INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Ethical Culture Fieldston Middle School - Robert Benson Photography

New York City-based Cooper, Robertson & Partners’ design of Ethical Culture Fieldston Middle School in Bronx, NY, earned a Citation of Excellence for its detail and comprehensive approach. Judges particularly liked the school’s academic center, which they described as a “unique and different variation on a commons area” that, while small in scale, “still achieves flexible usage.” The LEED Silver-certified building also uses sustainable design as teaching tools, including two green roofs that mitigate heat gain and loss and lighting controls that adjust to daylight conditions. In addition, the project earned points for incorporating elements of the elementary school campus into the design.

GREEN HIGH SCHOOL

Oak Ridge High School - Alistair Tutton Photography

Learning By Design judges awarded DLR Group, Overland Park, KS, a Citation of Excellence for Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, TN. This renovation of the 1950s high school aimed at creating a state-of-the-art learning environment that promotes sustainability. Judges praised how designers doubled the school’s size by building multi-story spaces, rather than expanding the existing 58.8-acre site. “It’s a great example of modernization and reinvention that stays true to the existing structure,” judges said. Designers also installed lighting solutions that function on classroom occupancy sensors so that nearly two thirds of all hallway lighting automatically shuts off while classes are in session.

EARLY CHILDHOOD/ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Community Charter School of Paterson - Robert I. Faulkner

Design Ideas Group, New Brunswick, NJ, received a Citation of Excellence for Community Charter School of Paterson in Paterson, NJ. Learning By Design judges praised the school as “an exemplary model of adaptive-use building” and “an exciting place to be a student.” The exterior envelope of this former industrial building has been retained and original materials, such as concrete, steel, and brick, were integrated into the design. “Working with the architecture of the existing building, they’ve created a very elegant and somewhat modern solution with a lot of transparency,” judges said. “The school is full of daylight and draws from a wonderful, vibrant color palette.”

Seattle-based NAC|Architecture earned a Citation of Excellence for Little Cedars Elementary School in Snohomish, WA. The sustainable elements of this 68,000-square-foot school have been refined into an exciting learning solution, according to the judges. While some schools have “more formal learning opportunities,” judges were impressed with the integration of Little Cedars’ learning areas, noting that they are “at ease” with the rest of the building’s design and the external landscape. Moreover, the building palette features trellis wood, rather than traditional brick, and internal passageways “have a nice relationship with the outside plaza as well as the landscape behind,” judges said.

Little Cedars Elementary School - Benjamin Benschneider

Judges awarded VCBO Architecture in Salt Lake City a Citation of Excellence for Mountain Green Elementary School, Mountain Green, UT, for its sustainability, use of light, and “fantastic” diagram plan. They also noted how designers branded the school’s academies by season, giving each an individual brand identity. “This seems to be an evolutionary step in design,” they said. Moreover, they liked the project’s overall use of space, particularly in the teacher preparation areas, which facilitates passive interaction between teachers and students. They also applauded how the overall look of the school reflects its natural setting among the mountains of northern Utah.