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Four years into the Dallas ISD bond program, much has been accomplished. Sixteen of the 21 new schools are open, three are currently under construction, and two are in design. Similar progress is reported on the remainder of the program, including additions to 57 schools (ranging in size from a handful of rooms to 168,000 square feet of new space), renovations to over 200 schools, and the addition of classrooms at 21 elementary schools for the district’s Early Childhood Education program. DISD chose program management as the delivery method for this massive and complex bond program, working with three firms – Austin Commercial, Jacobs/Pegasus, and DMJM – to manage the new construction as well as the expansions and renovations of virtually every school in the system. Architects selected to design the 16 new elementary schools, four middle schools and the single new high school were provided by the district with an “educational specification” document prepared in 2001 by Heery International and DeJong & Associates, a strategic school planning and programming firm based in Ohio. These program documents – one for each type of school – provided the architects with a vital link between statements of educational programming and the building specifications. The elementary school program, for example, emphasized the importance for students to be intrinsically motivated to analyze problems, formulate creative solutions, and communicate their ideas both verbally and through a variety of media. These educational goals could be best accomplished in a built environment that provides for a variety of small and large groupings, individual instruction and solitary exploration. The resulting program model for each of the 16 new elementary schools called for 33 classrooms (Pre-K through grade 5) organized into four core academic areas. Each of these academic areas was comprised of two grade levels of four or five classrooms each, with the exception of grade 5, which was a stand-alone grade. In addition to the core areas, classrooms were also provided for special and alternative education. The projected enrollment at each elementary school was 824, with a total program area of 90,000 gross square feet. The
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(opposite page and this page) The three-story Hector P. Garcia Middle School by
“DALLAS SCHOOLS” continued on page 59
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Perkins + Will is expected to help transform a decaying commercial district.
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