Davidson Elementary School Davidson, NC Adams Group, Inc. & Henry Sanoff Honor Award Program POE Site & Floor Plan Photos Home Grades K - 5 700 students 82,000 SF $6,500,000 Completion: 1997

"Arguments persist that a participatory process requires more of an architect's time that would consequently result in higher costs....  Actually, direct participation requires less time... Involving all participants in a planning workshop is more efficient than relying on information gathered in a piecemeal fashion."

Henry Sanoff

Architect:
Adams Group Architects, PA & Henry Sanoff
Graham Adams, Jr., AIA, President
10020 Park Cedar Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28210
(704) 341-0303
adamsgrp@theadamsgroup.com   http://www.theadamsgroup.com

Planning Partner:
Henry Sanoff, AIA
Professor of Architecture
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7701
(919) 515-2205  henry_sanoff@ncsu.edu  

Owner: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

Contractor: Edison Ford, General Contractors, Charlotte, North Carolina

Key Consultants:
• Mechanical: Professional Engineering Associates, Charlotte
• Electrical: Haas and Kennedy Engineers, Charlotte
• Structural: Structural Engineering Associates, Charlotte
• Civil: West Engineering, Charlotte

Publications:
"Community Participation Methods in Design and Planning,"
by Henry Sanoff  book link 

"School Design," by Henry Sanoff 
book link

Planning Principles:

1. How does the project enhance learning (and teaching), and support the needs of all learners?
    The project is designed to support learning in a number of ways. Some of them include:
     The interior classroom design is developed using learning centers arranged as a house group of 6 classrooms. Each classroom allows the teacher to form development appropriate areas for learning activities. The corridors are arranged so that no more than 6 rooms are located on a single loaded corridor. By offsetting the center classrooms, the wider corridor provides an additional shared learning center for use by the classroom group. By reducing the traffic pattern associated with each house, the shared areas are developed in unique ways as specified within each teaching group. Some of these areas utilize a couch and soft furniture for reading areas. Others form table and display areas for group activities.

2. How does the design reinforce the school as a center of the community?
      Community groups were involved in the design of the school. This included working with local artists, who contributed their time each week to tutor at the school. The artists expressed a desire to have places to exhibit student work as well as art developed by the local community. As a result of this desire, a gallery space was provided in the school design. The gallery allows for permanent artwork, designed and installed by the students working with local artist, as well as areas for temporary art display.
      In addition, the community working through the PTA expressed a desire to have a full sized gymnasium. An unusual feature for elementary schools in the region, a gym area was developed in exchange for code-required road improvements provided by the Town of Davidson. The gym area provides a community center for the public and a recreation area for the school. This facility is utilized throughout the day and year.

3. Describe the planning/design process and who was involved.
       The planning and design process for the school was very participatory. The involvement included all students and teachers at the school, school administration representatives, parents and PTA members, Town of Davidson Council and Historic Appearance Commission members. A specific participatory method was developed and utilized for each group.
       The teachers and school administration participated in a design game where they developed alternative site concepts and room arrangements for the proposed school using materials developed by the architects and consultant Henry Sanoff.
       The students were engaged in developing a wish poem, a series of statements beginning with the phrase “I wish my school ______”. These statements were combined with dream drawings the students completed for the image of the new school. One of the images was used to create the final elevations for the school by the architect.
        Town Council and Historic Appearance Commission participated in the editing of computer generated images presented by the architects of the school project shown in neighborhood context. By participating with the architects, this group was able to communicate desires for the building color, finishes, building massing and site details for the project.

4. How does the project provide for health, safety and security, beyond standard approaches?
      The project is designed to allow for natural ventilation in support of day-lighting features. The development of fresh air concepts reduce the sick building syndrome exhibited in many schools were ventilation issues are a problem.

5. How does the project enhance the use of all available resources?
      The 20-acre site design reserved 11 acres as a natural preserve. This compact utilization of the building site represents a sensitive response to preserving natural resources and animal habitats.
      Within the remaining 9-acre building, parking and outdoor play areas, the design takes advantage of southern sun exposures to enhance outdoor learning activities. Each classroom has an outdoor learning area for creating art and science projects as well as supporting classroom activities. 

6. What unique strategies allow for flexibility and adaptability to changing needs?
      The classroom design allows for flexibility in team teaching and multi-grade curriculum tasking. By locating K-1 classrooms in each wing, the school plan affords the opportunity to develop alternative curriculum approaches. This feature along with the learning center approach to classroom design allows for flexibility.

Program Summary:
      The Participatory process engaged students, staff, school community and parents in a variety of interviews and workshops. The participants were arranged into small discussion groups. Within these groups the individuals were asked to discuss their needs and requirements for an ideal school. Teachers were divided into small groups based on their teaching focus. The participants selected statements from a pre-arranged list, with statements such as developing communication skills, developing initiative and spontaneity and developing social awareness. Participants were asked to make their decisions based on group consensus to insure that the process could move forward. There was a strong support for the school’s interaction with the Davidson Community. Developing a sense of community was an important issue for the teachers.
      The next part of the session consisted of photographs providing examples of different environments. This interaction allowed teachers to visualize how the physical environment can support their teaching methods, and this process encouraged intense discussion about the pros and con’s of each. The photographs described a variety of outdoor settings that sparked interest for the need for a more integrated indoor-outdoor environment for learning.
      After realizing the value of outdoor spaces, further discussion evolved and it was determined that the space could be used for different activities such as, small or large group activities, reading, art, eating and gardening. Outdoor areas were then added to the building design in the form of areas adjacent to each classroom, covered porches, and a variety of different courtyard spaces.
       Children were also involved in the brainstorming sessions. Through an art exercise, students were asked to draw their dream school. Images such as cupolas, clocks and various window shapes were presented in the drawings. It became apparent that the students desired daylight throughout the building.
       Another activity conducted by the design team was to have the teachers, parents and students complete a wish poem stating their desires for a new school. All involved were asked to complete the phrase, "I wish my school...". From this exercise a wish list was compiled.
       The final workshop was held to establish the site planning where participants were given a drawing of the new site and scaled building components representing the spaces in the school building. The groups were asked to position the components where they felt would be the ideal location. At the completion of the session, each team presented their ideas for discussion and debate.
       When all of the sessions were complete the information was compiled and the design team went to work developing the plans for the school. The design contains features that are not typical of traditional schools in the area; for example, K-1-2, and 3-4-5 were clustered together to allow for team teaching, single loaded corridors with classrooms oriented toward the south, and outdoor learning areas for each classroom. In addition the design features enlarged corridors flanking classroom wings which create special places for small groups. Nature courtyards, formed by the classroom wings are apparent throughout design. The natural part of the site with large trees and a stream were preserved for nature studies. The central courtyard also provides amphitheater seats and a stage for outdoor performances.

The day lighting concept developed for the project includes providing a light shelf. The purpose of the light shelf was to reflect natural light throughout the classroom area as shown in the diagram. This indirect light supplements the artificial lighting system typically provided in school facilities and reduced energy consumption. The translucent porch canopy also allows natural light to enter the classroom while providing necessary shading for the outdoor learning areas.