Architecture Firm Celebrates 50 Years
ORLANDO, Fla. –– Florida-based architectural firm SchenkelShultz is celebrating its 50-year anniversary as it leads design efforts for several school projects planned for LEED certification.
With 10 offices — seven of which are in Florida — the firm specializes in the education, justice, aviation and commercial markets. It has designed more than 37 million square feet of K-12 facility space including several projects under construction in Florida:
• High School EEE, under construction in Brooksville, is based on a “high school as small town” concept that responds architecturally to its surroundings.
The school will feature three academic neighborhoods, an administration and media civic center, and an athletic, dining and performing arts “town center” that wraps around a landscaped courtyard. The project is expected to cost $48 million and it is slated for completion in June 2010.
• Construction is under way at the new $36.9 million, 167,5000-square-foot North County Middle School BB in Vero Beach. The school was designed to meet LEED for Schools Gold criteria.
The school will feature a two-story entrance with daylighting, a secured central courtyard with two-story walkways connecting academic buildings, a single-story cafeteria, and a 9,000-square-foot dining and multipurpose space.
Each grade level will be housed in a separate classroom building. Classrooms will feature student-controlled lighting, interior air quality controls, and recycling programs.
Green features of the project include low-VOC material, 90 percent natural lighting, clerestory windows, recycled building materials, a rainwater harvesting system, and solar paneling, among other components.
Proctor Construction Company, of Vero Beach, is managing construction for the project, which is scheduled for completion in July 2009.
• W.G. Mills Inc., of Bradenton, is handling construction for the $64.7 million, 321,666-square-foot Palm Bay High School CCC in Palm Bay.
The project is scheduled for completion in July 2009 and will feature three two-story classroom structures, administrative offices, a central courtyard and a 869-seat auditorium, among other facilities.
Classrooms will be equipped with digital projectors, laptop computers for teachers, and DVD/VCRs to amplify instruction.
The gymnasium and cafeteria can serve as a Category 5 hurricane shelter.
• Duval County Public Schools’ new High School AAA in Jacksonville is the county’s first new high school in 20 years.
The architectural style of the $73.5 million, 263,937-square-foot facility that is currently under construction was designed to integrate with surrounding communities.
Features include 12 small-scale learning communities, a central courtyard, a media center and high-tech academies with college-level science labs.