In planning the Burr Elementary School in Fairfield, Conn., the school's building committee heeded the words of William Wordsworth: Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.
They selected construction manager Turner Construction Company, New York, and the New York office of A/E firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to integrate nature on the heavily wooded 15.5-acre site into the day-to-day experiences of the K-5 school's 500 students.
SOM's design realized the town's vision of bringing the outdoors inside by organizing classrooms along the east and west edges of the building. This program allowed existing trees to remain in place, perforating the interior of the plan and creating a series of courtyards that serve as outdoor classrooms.
Separating the bus drop-off on the south side from the parent drop-off on the north obviated the need to build a perimeter road encircling the school. As a result, classrooms face out onto wooded areas instead of parking lots.
Getting the curvilinear courtyard walls right was critical to the success of the project and required the close collaboration of the Building Team and the steel fabricator, United Steel, East Hartford, Conn. The walls were made from insulated glass panels measuring 4×11.5 feet and 4×9.5 feet in an aluminum mullion system. The top of the curving courtyard was defined by a continuous 27-inch-deep curved steel beam that supported the roof decking above and anchored the top edge of the glass wall below.
Related Stories
| Mar 5, 2012
Perkins Eastman pegs O’Donnell to lead K-12 practice
O’Donnell will continue the leadership and tradition of creative design established by firm Chairman and CEO Bradford Perkins FAIA, MRAIC, AICP in leading this market sector across the firm’s 13 offices domestically and internationally.
| Dec 27, 2011
USGBC’s Center for Green Schools releases Best of Green Schools 2011
Recipient schools and regions from across the nation - from K-12 to higher education - were recognized for a variety of sustainable, cost-cutting measures, including energy conservation, record numbers of LEED certified buildings and collaborative platforms and policies to green U.S. school infrastructure.
| Dec 5, 2011
RJM Construction begins building Nova Classical Academy in St. Paul
As the general contractor, RJM is constructing the 94,000-sf building that will consolidate the St. Paul school’s two other locations.
| Sep 23, 2011
Under 40 Leadership Summit
Building Design+Construction’s Under 40 Leadership Summit takes place October 26-28, 2011 Hotel at the Monteleone in New Orleans. Discounted hotel rate deadline: October 2, 2011.
| Sep 12, 2011
LACCD’s $6 billion BIM connection
The Los Angeles Community College District requires every design-build team in its massive modernization program to use BIM, but what they do with their 3D data after construction is completed may be the most important change to business as usual.
| Jul 22, 2011
Five award-winning modular innovations
The Modular Building Institute's 2011 Awards of Distinction highlight fresh ideas in manufactured construction projects.
| May 18, 2011
Former Bronx railyard redeveloped as shared education campus
Four schools find strength in numbers at the new 2,310-student Mott Haven Campus in New York City. The schools—three high schools and a K-4 elementary school—coexist on the 6.5-acre South Bronx campus, which was once a railyard.
| May 18, 2011
Eco-friendly San Antonio school combines history and sustainability
The 113,000-sf Rolling Meadows Elementary School in San Antonio is the Judson Independent School District’s first sustainable facility, with green features such as vented roofs for rainwater collection and regionally sourced materials.
| May 18, 2011
New Reform Jewish Independent school opens outside Boston
The Rashi School, one of only 17 Reform Jewish independent schools in North American and Israel, opened a new $30 million facility on a 166-acre campus shared with the Hebrew SeniorLife community on the Charles River in Dedham, Mass.
