Sean MEYERS

Active Learning: Guiding the Development of our Youth

Sean Meyers

Blue Mt. Adventure School

Thesis Advisor: Don Jones

Active Learning: A New Approach to Guiding the Development of our Youth SITE PROGRAM 1 - AERIAL CENTER 2 - ACADEMIC CENTER 3 - DORMS A 4 - DORMS B 5 - BOATHOUSE

he primary and secondary Teducational systems currently

in place in the United States are continuously developing to better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse group of students with varying cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. This increasing demand can require more than what is able to be accommodated by the public school system. This proposal is for the design and development of a boarding school for grades 9-12 that incorporates student-centered learning in a group environment with physical activities that encourage students to work together in a problem solving academic setting. This active-learning environment will help the students develop the necessary skills to effectively contribute to a modern society.

a) The classroom settings will be a mixture of predominantly non traditional classrooms, where the students are encouraged to work in groups to resolve issues presented by the instructor; with the addition of traditional classrooms, where students are presented material by an instructor in the form of lectures.

b) Along with classrooms, the the facilities will include indoor and outdoor training areas, where the students will have the opportunity to hone their athletic skills to the same level as their academic acuity.

PROGRAM: The facility will incorporate athletic training and scholastic activity to encourage the students to actively become engaged in the learning curriculum. The building will have classroom spaces, as well as a training area equipped with a skate/bike park, foam pit, trampolines, and gymnastics equipment.

PRECEDENT STUDY: CAMP WOODWARD [INDOOR AERIAL PARK]

[SUPER RAMP]

[BMX/SKATE]

Camp Woodward is located in Woodward, Pa. and is one of the first summer camps of its kind. The camp is continuously improving their training facilities to better accommodate the needs of extreme sports athletes ages 7-18.

[STREET PARK]

[FLATLAND PARK]

Woodward offers a variety of action-sport focused camp sessions, from bmx riding and skateboarding, to freestyle skiing and snowboarding. Each session is designed to provide each camper with a unique opportunity to train with and learn from top pros in each sport.

PRECEDENT STUDY: HAVERFORD COLLEGE

Kim & Tritton Residence Halls: Haverford College, Haverford, PA - The college has historic Quaker roots, and is located in the lush landscape of Haverford as a registered arboretum.

Tod Williams Billie Tsien was commissioned to design a 160 room/45,000 sq-ft dormitory that complimented the setting of the campus. Located on what was initially an unusable plot of fill, the dorms are situated in a manner that utilized the fill to create circulation paths along a berm that spans between two double height buildings. This reduces the need for stairs making the transition between elevation more accessible.

PRECEDENT STUDY: MAGGIE DALEY PARK - Three-acre play garden - Tennis courts - Rock-climbing park - Seasonal ice-skating ribbon nestled in an evergreen grove

Maggie Daley Park - Chicago IL - MVVA Built over top of a 4,000 car , underground parking garage in the urban landscape of Chicago, this park provides several different recreational settings for the people living in the area.

The disbursement of program across the landscape of the site provides the user with an interactive, organic experience.

The features offered to the user allow them to engage in a variety of activities in a single location.

SITE ANALYSIS: CLIMATE and ADJACENCIES

SUM

BA SE :e

MIT : el eva tion -

14 82 ’

Wind blows across the face of the mountain from West to East.

It is forced up the face of the mountain ( toward the South), where the difference in pressure cools the air, condensing it and forming precipitation. Through this process, Blue Mountain Resort receives the potential for more snow than surrounding areas.

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at io n

-4 00 ’

Because of this, the setting is ideal for maximizing training time on snow for the local competitive alpine and freestyle participants.

ACADEMIC FACILITIES General classroom typologies will be studied and applied to the programming in order to accommodate the average area required per work station.

These spaces will be arranged to accommodate each year of students.

The four primary room types that will be used for the educational element will consist of lecture rooms, discussion rooms, seminar rooms, and group work spaces.

CONCEPT SKETCHES

FALL QUARTER REVIEW

1 - RESIDENTIAL 1

2 - EDUCATIONAL 3 - AERIAL COMPLEX

2

4 - FREESTYLE PARK

5

6 7

5 - HALFPIPE 4

6 - BOWL PARK 8

7 - BOAT HOUSE

3

8 - RETENTION POND 9

9 - PUMP TRACK

10

10 - JUMP LINE

The project will be in close proximity to the ski slopes, optimizing the students opportunity for hands-on training in their preferred discipline.

Various athletic amenities will be provided on site to ensure a successful training environment is offered to supplement a scholastic curriculum. The arrangement of program through out the landscape will offer an engaging setting for the students to develop academic and athletic skill sets.

The academic and residential facilities will provide a composition of public and private spaces to encourage a productive collaboravtive experience.

FALL QUARTER REVIEW

NOTES: -The combined residential and academic facilities proved to make too dense of a building.

-This also created awkward public spaces that weer overshadowed by the large structure.

-Moving forward, more emphasis was placed into developing separate architectural settings that articulate the versatility of the site.

STRUCTURAL and MECHANICAL

-The primary structural elements in the Academic facility will be made from large timber columns.

-Cross laminated timber (CLT) beams will provide the support for Nail Laminated Timber (NLT) floor slabs.

-Connections will be made with steel brackets and bolted into place.

STRUCTURAL and MECHANICAL

-Timber framing will span the columns and shear walls, providing a roof for the main buildings.

-Cathedral ceilings will be utilized to provide tall room heights to emphasize public spaces.

-Dormers will be placed within the roof to optimize natural light throughout the central interior spaces.

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS -Geothermal energy will be utilized to provide comfortable environmental conditions in the spaces.

-The Aerial Center roof will be equipped with solar panels to supplement energy distribution on site. spaces.

WATER STORAFGE TANKS GEOTHERMAL CONTROLLER GENERATOR ELECTRICAL PANELS GEOTHERMAL B GEOTHERMAL A

FINAL REVIEW

FINAL REVIEW BOAT HOUSE -Geothermal energy will be harnessed and distributed centrally to the campus via the Boat House.

-The Boat House will also provide storage for athletic training equipment such as bikes and kayaks.

1ST FLR - ATHLETIC STORAGE

B1 - POWER PLANT

FINAL REVIEW

AERIAL CENTER

AERIAL COMPLEX SECTION

AERIAL COMPLEX WEST ELEVATION

AERIAL COMPLEX FLOOR PLAN

FINAL REVIEW

-The dormitories will have sloped roofs with dormers to emphasize the alpine characteristics of the site.

-A combination of public and private spaces will encourage the residents to socialize and collaborate on academics.

DORMS

FINAL REVIEW

ACADEMIC COMPLEX

2ND FLR

WEST ELEVATION 1ST FLR

SOUTH ELEVATION

FINAL REVIEW

ACADEMIC COMPLEX

SECTION A LIBRARY

SECTION B

GREAT HALL -The academic facilities will accentuate the timber structure that supports it.

-The large central hall will serve as both central circulation and a large gathering space for public events.

VERTICAL CIRCULATION

-An outdoor aerial park will be equipped with terrain features that the students can utilize to hone their athletic skills.

-A synthetic snow system will provide a surface that traditional snow equipment can be used to slide on.