Academy of the Holy Names

Academy of the Holy Names

JULY 2016: Existing Conditions

The Academy of the Holy Names (AHN) is a private Catholic school for boys and girls in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade and an all-girls high school. The school has been located at its current location for the past 90 years, and the campus houses buildings dating from as early as 1927 with various additions.

The transformation of the School’s 30,000 square foot, late 1990’s era library and arts center into the new Middle School completed the most recent stage of the campus master plan.

The existing building required extensive structural reconstruction on the first floor and required completely upgraded HVAC and electrical systems. The first level was constructed using load-bearing CMU walls, which supported a concrete plank flooring system. Additionally, the second floor was constructed of non-load-bearing gyp walls and load-bearing steel columns. The existing space arrangements lacked flexibility, and limited learning modalities for students.

DESIGN CONCEPT: Vast and transparent connections will be made between 4 “Learning Communities” and a central Learning Commons.

Augmenting those challenges, a critical design driver for this transformation was the School’s desire to “Embrace Innovation.”

This was accomplished through the creation of four inter-locking Learning Communities. Each Learning Community is a collection of variously sized learning studios, commons spaces, small group rooms and multi-modal learning areas.

AUGUST 2017: New learning studios replace traditional classrooms, and learning commons allow for both group and individual study.

The renovation preserved the exterior envelope and reused the existing structural frame of the building, but completely transformed the interior space into a 21st century Learning Community for the school’s 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th grade students.

The new inter-locking communities includes a variety of learning spaces that are optimized for a broad range of learning modalities. These spaces are grouped into a suite of rooms centered around a learning commons that encourage collaboration and project-based learning.

4 L E AR N I NG C OM M U N I TIES: a strategically laid out collection of variously sized studios, common spaces, small group rooms and multi-modal learning areas.

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A critical Design Driver of the master plan was the transformation of the academic fabric of the middle school from a more traditional, self-contained classroom model (“cells and bells”) into “Learning Communities.”

Within this educational community, teachers now can incorporate teaching and learning methods into curriculum units that could not be adequately delivered in a traditional classroom. The 21st Century Learning Community becomes the place where education practice and spatial design can finally work in harmony. It allows new teaching and learning methods to benefit from spaces specifically designed to fit a new model of education.

LEGEND 1 STEAM LAB 1a 2 3 4

FABRICATION/ELECTRONICS ROOM SMALL GROUP ROOMS OFFICES TEACHER WORKROOM

5 LEARNING STUDIOS 6 ADMIN WORKROOM

7 VESTIBULE 8 LEARNING COMMONS 9 SCIENCE LAB 10 PREP ROOM 11 I-LAB 12 CONFERENCE ROOM

I-LAB The renovation of a former Computer Classroom into an Educational Innovation Lab was the first stage of the transformation of the Library into the new Middle School. Within this 1,800 square foot educational laboratory, teachers have the ability to incorporate teaching and learning methods into curriculum units that could not be adequately delivered in a traditional classroom. The “I-Lab” quickly became the campus showcase for what 21st century education looks like in practice.

2nd Floor Key Plan

Small group room within the i-lab

Opening to the Commons

THIS NEW, INNOVATIVE SPACE POSITIVELY IMPACTS STUDENT’S BEHAVIORS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH PEERS AND TEACHERS.

ADAPTING EXISTING SPACE FOR NEW, FLEXIBLE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND FUNCTIONALITY STEAM Education design transforms typical teachercentered classroom by encouraging an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary curriculum that is driven by problem-solving, discovery, exploratory learning, an experience that requires each student to actively engage in a situation in order to find its solution.

GOAL: Design spaces which have less opaque walls and

more transparency between classrooms and working areas.

Before, existing spaces lacked transparency with the surrounding academic environment, resulting in inadequate lighting for students and teachers, and limited opportunities for collaboration.

DESIGN ELEMENTS FOR DIFFERENT LEARNING MODALITIES The Learning Commons space was designed with several areas to support specific collections of learning modalities such as presentation, group collaboration, quiet study, cave spaces, cafe spaces, lounge spaces, peer tutoring, etc. Seminar rooms and small group work rooms are also both directly accessible from the Commons space. These design elements make it easier for a teacher to seamlessly shift from instructor to mentor depending on the educational context. Architectural expression throughout creates a sense of energy and enjoyment.

Design takes Advantage of Natural light

Booth Seating Supports Focus and Collaboration

Writable Surfaces

Small Group Study

Room for Flexibility

Colors Increase Creativity and Attention

INTEGRATION OF THE LIBRARY INTO THE NEW LEARNING COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE Integration of the library into the Learning Commons gives students direct access to research materials and enables fluid self-directed, independent, and group learning. It also provides a design infrastructure where faculty can ignite discussion, coach, and give feedback to students, and to demonstrate, supervise, observe and consult with student teams as they collaborate.

A Variety of Ceiling Treatments Soften Acoustics

1st Floor Key Plan

2nd Floor Key Plan

THOUGHTFUL INTERIOR CONNECTIONS: Academic + Social + Emotional The School had bad experiences with movable partitions that were difficult to operate. To address this, the design implements custom glass sliding doors that allow for large connections to be made. New visual transparency allows teachers to maintain duty of care of students when they break out to work in other spaces and also allows for natural light to extend into the center of the building.

Sliding partitions connect learning studios for collaborative teaching throughout the space.

Openness promotes opportunity for social interaction.