The design of the new 238,000 square foot Marysville High School by French Associates Architects took Rigor, Relevance and Relationships. The existing site was the biggest puzzle that challenged the team. The daily operation of the existing high school and middle school continued while construction took place, the installation of 50 miles of geothermal tubing was placed and the typical site development related to a new school with walks, parking and athletic areas all came together making a successful project. The Rigor, Relevance and Relationships needed to complete this project was a direct reflection of the Marysville Public School's mission statement. Read more in the October 2011, CAM Magazine article:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/06b2e96d#/06b2e96d/63
St. Clair County RESA is hosting a Symposium on 21st Century Learning, August 25, 2011, at the new Marysville High School in Marysville, Michigan. The future of education will be discussed as there is a growing sense of urgency to provide students with skills that will enable them to compete with their peers internationally.
French Associates designed the new 238,000 square foot Marysville High School on the site of the existing high school. The existing high school remained in service while the new high school was constructed. About 70% of the new facility is dedicated to things such as gymnasiums, a pool and even a coffee bar. In the past, classrooms accounted for 75-80% of a building’s square footage. Designing for today’s “21st century learners” is a whole new ball game full of exciting, fast-paced opportunity!
Be sure to check out the Symposium presentation, “School facility design: Are we asking the right people?” by Dale C. Jerome, President of French Associates.
Learn more about the Symposium at www.sccresa.org.
After receiving an update last month from Steve Lodge of architectural firm French Associates, Shelby Township officials say they're on track to break ground on a new police station by the first quarter of 2011.
"I'm excited about it," said Supervisor Richard Stathakis. "And I think the officers are, too. We'll get into a new building and it'll be safer for our civilian employees - that was the utmost thing."
The $4 million project is expected to include renovations to the lower level of the municipal building - where the current police station is located - and a stand-alone building. The proposed 8,000-square-foot area in the municipal building is expected to be used for training and meeting space. An 18,000-square-foot stand-alone building is expected to house the police station next to the train at the township's municipal building at 24 Mile Road and Van Dyke.
"We believe it is best to build what we truly need now to remedy our spacing and safety concerns, and then continue saving for the future so that if there is a need for additional space years later, the funds will be available," Stathakis said.
The project comes nearly two years after the township scrapped controversial plans for a $23 million criminal justice center that would have included space for a new 41-A District Court.
Township officials also contemplated building just a courthouse, but Stathakis wanted a measure put before voters, asking about a new court.
The one-story facility is "going to be half the size for a quarter of the cost and paid in cash," Stathakis said. "We're definitely living within our means."
The building will include more lockup space separated from the department's other employees. Right now, prisoners are brought through the department's main hallway.
The records area will be larger - plastic bins are now used because filing cabinets are full - and the locker room will be bigger.
"We're building this station based on needs, not wants," Stathakis said.
The township board hired French Associates Inc., in May to design the new police station. Lodge, a senior associate with French Associates, reviewed the firm's plans with the Board of Trustees in November. He noted that the total estimated cost for the project is currently $4.1 million, which is approximately 2 percent higher than the township anticipated.
"However, we feel very comfortable that if a project is within 2 percent prior to going out for bid, that it's on budget because the estimates that are done are not detailed and it is not competitively bid," Lodge told the board.
Stathakis said construction of the new building will take place from January through October, 2011. An open house for the new building will be held in October, with renovation of the existing space taking place from October through December.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you this year.
We wish you abundance, happiness, and peace in a new year filled with hope.
Happy holidays!
Rather, contemporary schools have as much, or more, room dedicated to extracurricular activities as
they do to learning.
Take Marysville High School, which opened this month, for example. About 70% of the 238,000-
square-foot building is dedicated to things such as gyms, a pool and even a coffee bar. That can be
compared with older high schools such as Port Huron and Port Huron Northern-- built in 1957 and
1964, respectively -- where Superintendent H. Ronald Wollen said classrooms account for 75-80%
of the buildings.
There are several reasons schools are taking on a new look, educators and builders said, and at least one is self-serving: As districts struggle to maintain enrollment, catching the eyes of students and parents elsewhere is important.
Another explanation is education itself is changing, Wollen said. Teaching today's students -- "21st
century learners," as Wollen calls them -- is a whole new ball game.
"There's no question in my mind that many schools are going to look different than what we are used
to," he said.
By JASON ALEXANDER
Times Herald
MARYSVILLE -- One structure is on its way down, and another is nearly up and running.
Demolition is continuing on the old Marysville High School, and the finishing touches are being put on the replacement facility.
"Everything is going exceptionally well," Marysville Public School Superintendent John Silveri said. "It's right on schedule."
In the new building, furniture is being moved into classrooms, crews are finishing up trim work, painting and even doing a little cleanup.
Silveri said the only thing that might not be ready when school starts Sept. 7 is the new pool.
"We are still aiming for it being completely done on Sept. 7, but there could be a slight delay for a week or two," Silveri. "That is the only part we are concerned with not being finished."
Silveri said the fire marshal is expected to check the building on Aug. 30 and, if approval for occupancy is granted, district staff would be able to move in immediately. For now, supplies are being stored in trailers.
Ground was broken on the new high school project in May 2008.
Each of the new school's 28 classrooms will have about 800 square feet of space. The cafeteria will comprise about 12,000 square feet and include a coffee bar.
The staff will be without a home for a couple of weeks as work continues at the new high school building that is behind the old one at 1325 Michigan Ave.
The demolition of the old structure is near completion of the first phase of a four-phase process, scheduled to take four to six weeks.
Crews first took down the school's newest section, which doesn't have a basement. That part of the building is on the south, along Huron Avenue. That is the staging area for the rest of the construction as crews work from the south to the north.
"We are on track, and we expect to be fully operational by then," Silveri said.
Patricia Speilburg, executive director of finance operations for Marysville schools, graduated from Marysville High School in 1972 and has worked in the district for 32 years.
She said she's sad to see the old building go, but glad to see the change.
"Most people are excited about the change," she said. "It's a gift from the community."
Article By
STEPHEN TAIT
Times Herald
Photo by
Mark R Rummel
Times Herald
In a little more than four days, a wind turbine and solar panels near Port Huron's Vantage Point have produced 103 kilowatt hours of electricity.
That is enough to power an average house for 3.5 days or operate a 13-watt energy-efficient light bulb for 7,923 hours. It also is enough to offset 151 miles worth of carbon dioxide produced by an average American car.
"That's pretty impressive for four days," said Adam Abele of ABM Electric, which wired the alternative energy sources.
The two alternative energy sources are part of the curriculum at St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency's Technical Educational Center.
In all, the project costs about $200,000, part of which was offset by a $45,000 grant from Michigan Renewable Schools program, an effort of the nonprofit Energy Works Michigan.
During a day with ample winds and plenty of sunshine -- perfect for the two energy sources -- officials from the state and RESA officially welcomed the wind turbine and solar panels to the community.
The wind turbine is a 90-foot structure that is capable of producing up to 10 kilowatts of electricity. The solar panels, which convert sunlight to electricity, can produce up to 6 kilowatts.
One kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts.
Information from the turbine will be downloaded onto a website, which will be shared with St. Clair County Community College and be available at the Great Lakes Maritime Center, to be used for alternative energy classes.
Dan DeGrow, RESA superintendent, said students are excited about the program. It also sets students up for a job in the alternative energy field, which continues to grow, he said.
"We think it is an excellent example of what RESA is all about," he said.
Amy Butler, director of the Bureau of Energy Systems for Michigan's Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, said the program will be an example for other districts statewide.
"This is really a unique opportunity," she said. "You guys are going to create a ... sense of excitement."
$27.8 Million for the Avondale School District. School Buildings are to be renovated, with some receiving additions. Energy conservation measures are to be installed and educational technology is to be updated. Outdoor athletic facilities and playgrounds are to be improved. French Associates Architects will be serving as the architect.
Brandon Middle School gets technology boost
Saturday, July 17, 2010
By DUSTIN BLITCHOK
Special thanks to The Oakland Press
The Brandon School District has completed construction of a new addition to Brandon Middle School, the Instructional Technology Exploration and Collaboration Center.
The grand welcoming for the center will be 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 8 The community is invited to the open house, said Paul Spoor, director of technology for Brandon School District.
“We’re really excited about this opportunity. I-TEC is an opportunity for us to meet varied learning styles,” said Superintendent Lorrie McMahon.
The addition was constructed using funds from the district’s voter-approved bond project for capital improvements. The new building, which is about 6,000 square feet in size, blends architecturally with the existing Brandon Middle School building.
The chief architects for the project were French & Associates, the contractor was Skanska, and Barton Malow handled technology for the project. Ground was broken last fall and the project was completed in nine months. Spoor and his technology staff are moving into the building from their previous office space in Brandon High School’s media center.
Spoor explained the thinking behind the building’s two “learn labs,” separated by a removable divider, which use a triangulated learning concept. The rooms have three projectors, four sitting locations, and no dedicated instructional space.
Spoor says the design means people in the room are “forced to collaborate,” and that the learn labs facilitate teacher-to-student involvement. Spoor says the natural point of instruction in a learn lab is the center of the classroom. The ideas for the learn labs and the building’s nontraditional seating come from the Steelcase Corp., headquartered in Grand Rapids.
The atrium of the building, called “the Eye,” can be “set up and torn down to meet anything you want to do; everything is mobile here, and everything has the ability to adapt,” Spoor explained. Community uses for the building may include senior activities and adult education. The I-TEC center will also be available for corporate rental.
All Brandon students now have student ID cards with a barcode, and Spoor says students will be able to use the center and check out equipment for instructional work. The regular business hours of the center have yet to be determined.
Director of curriculum Joanna McKinney says “we are very excited about our opportunity to have an efficient physical space that supports best instructional practice not only for our students, but staff and community alike.”
A pilot class from Brandon Fletcher Intermediate school, Amanda Goodloe’s fifth-grade class, will come to the I-TEC center in the mornings in the fall, where Goodloe will teach science, math, and language arts.
McKinney says the center also will be used for professional development for the district’s employees.
The first day of class in the district is Sept. 7.
French Associates, Architects was responsible for working with the Waterford School District to identify the needs and for special education students. The school first opened in 1979, and consists of center programs for special education students suffering from physical, mental and emotional impairments.
The school not only welcomes Waterford students, but students from across Oakland County, including from the Avondale, Bloomfield Hills, Brandon, Clarkston, Huron Valley, Lake Orion, Oxford, Rochester, Royal Oak, Walled Lake and West Bloomfield districts.
Click on Link below for article in Spinal Column.
KMS Waterford School District