As with the Gold and Silver SLI awards, our student judges had a challenging decision when selecting the winner of the Bronze "SLI" award. In fact, it was a three-way tie between three designs. Our three Bronze winners are the "Secret Door" design (submitted by Urban Studio), the "Buffalo Academy" design (submitted by Cannon Design), and the "Green Touch Screen" design (submitted by The Miller|Hull Partnership).
SECRET DOOR
by Urban Studio
Words used by our student judges to describe the "Secret Door" design concept were ... mysterious, awesome, and "so Harry Potter!" The design elements used capture your imagination as they incorporate many of the mysterious secret passageways and hidden rooms that you may have seen revealed on the classic cartoon Scooby Doo.
Beginning at the end of the second floor hallway of the Ron Clark Academy classroom building, students get a view of the "library" at the end of the hall. As they enter the "library," it looks like a room right out of a Harry Potter movie. The design is brought to life by continuous wood paneling, a fireplace, fully-functioning library shelves, a velvet sofa, and an inexpensive antique metal chandelier purchased at a local yard sale. As students rotate the torchlight on the wall, the bookshelves magically open unveiling Mr. Clark's classroom!
The "Secret Door" design is one that would capture the excitement of any student. Michael Litven our 12th grade student judge from Washington remarked, "Kids would totally look forward to going to school if their classroom had a secret entrance - that's so Harry Potter." Becky Gunnell from Wisconsin felt that this design was the most interesting out of all the entries. In her words, "It looks put together very well, and is a pretty awesome idea. Having a bookshelf which reveals a hidden room is something I've always thought about and wanted, but never thought anyone would be able to do beyond something in the movies. It was really awesome to see somebody put one together."
Congratulations to Urban Studios, Inc. for being selected to receive the Bronze "SLI" award for their fascinating design and for potentially "unlocking the mystery" of learning in our classrooms!
by Cannon Design
The Buffalo Academy of the Visual and Performing Arts is a 5th-12th grade Performing Arts Magnet School. The program was relocated from one of the oldest buildings to a newer facility now boasting the largest auditorium in the district. Because this auditorium was not originally designed as a performance venue, it required a complete reconstruction to meet the needs of this elite program.
The Performing Art Center is now designed to accommodate a range of performance types from dance, to solo voice theater, to orchestra and film. It also functions as a venue for community performances. To satisfy the need for flexibility, the space is outfitted with a "tunable acoustic system," a digital sound system, and a wave dispersal ceiling system. Even the auditorium floor was completely rebuilt to better accommodate the theater's flexible needs, as well as to provide optimal seating for the audience. This state-of-the-art auditorium rivals any performance venue in the area. Student judge Becky Gunnell recognizes its uniqueness when she remarked, "It seems like most new schools don't even have auditoriums anymore. They're usually just a bit of a stage in the cafeteria ... The fact that it's really versatile makes it special, and it's nice to look at as well."
Student judge Thomas McConnel noted its attributes as well: "This auditorium at Buffalo Academy is both pleasing to the eye and functional. The floors, the walls, and even the ceiling are all very good looking and toy with many different patterns and designs... On top of the great design, this auditorium's flexibility is applaudable, especially since it is a part of a middle/high school and serves a variety of performers." Student judge Tom Check recognized its design qualities when he noted, "My reasoning for picking Buffalo Academy ... was because of the flexibility this offered for any type of performing art. The technology that has been put into this building is amazing. With the 'tunable acoustic system' the flexibility for different music will be astonishing. Another amazing thing in this building is the rotating walls that will improve the reverberation time of the music. Plus it will be used for multiple purposes."
Congratulations to Cannon Design for being selected to receive the Bronze "SLI" award for their Buffalo Academy design! Its creativity, uniqueness, functionality, and flexibility as a Performing Arts Center is to be commended.
by The Miller|Hull Partnership
This has been a popular and well-liked design among our judges as it also received the bronze award in the "High Tech" design category, as well as the gold award in the "Green Piece" design category, and for good reason. All of our student judges seem to agree that its "go green" concept and design is instrumental in promoting environmental awareness and stewardship among the pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students who attend the Bertschi School in Seattle, Washington.
Each green component and system incorporated into this new gym / arts building has been recorded, carefully documented and made available to the students by a "green touch screen" located in the lobby. The touch screen can be used independently by students of all grade levels or incorporated into various curricula. Students not only learn about all the wonderful environmental features that went into the design of their new school building, but also how they operate. Some of the features that went into the design of this concept embrace energy conservation, water conservation, and the use of recycled and rapidly renewable materials and components with recycled content.
Student Thomas McConnel accurately summarizes the reasons our student judges chose the "Green Touch" design as an "SLI" winner. Thomas remarked first on its beautiful design. "... The concrete and wooden exterior facing the street front provides a striking façade that compliments its surrounding and provides the students with privacy from the roadways ... the design of the roof ... and the interior windows appear to allow for plenty of light to filter throughout the building. I also liked the interior because ... it is spacious and allows the students to interact with their surroundings through the touch screens. Secondly ... I liked its ... sustainability. No shortcuts were taken in making this project environmentally friendly and low maintenance. The PV paneling and the rainwater cisterns are great ways to help conserve energy .... I find the natural ventilation and lighting most impressive of all simply because they are the subtle aspects of the project that really make it work .... " He added that the concept "is a creative and original way to teach children about the green components in the school, and to inspire them to take responsibility in caring for the earth (which in turn, creates better living conditions for us and helps protect the future)."
Congratulations to The Miller|Hull Partnership for being selected to receive a gold and two bronze awards (in three different categories!) for their "Green Touch Screen" design!
