don r. roberts elementary school

1. 2009 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture don r. roberts elementary school Little Rock, Arkansas New Construction Project of Distinction Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson, Inc.

2. don r. roberts elementary school

3. South Elevation – Aerial view Community Environment: Roberts Elementary School is located on a busy intersection of a State Highway, adjacent to local residential and commercial streets. To blend with the environment, the exterior façade is broken down into several elements which provide a smaller feel to the large school.

4. North East Elevation – Play Yard Community Environment: The zoned playground was planned around an existing grove of trees on the site. Separate street access was designed for Pre-K check-in, elementary student drop-off, bus loading and building service and deliveries. To further accommodate the restrictive 20-acre site, the architects implemented a two-story design solution. The school is designed to be cordoned off for after-school activities and community use, to better enhance the relationship with the surrounding community.

5. View in to Media Center/Atrium – lower level Learning Environment: Though it serves 895 students from Pre-K to fifth grade, Roberts Elementary is broken into pods, creating smaller "communities of learning" for students. These communities are divided by grade level and are arranged so that all are readily accessible to the media center which is considered the "center of learning."This learning arrangement furthers the Little Rock School District's initiative to create intimate learning opportunities for all students amidst its large student population.

6. View in to Media Center/Atrium – upper level Learning Environment: Upper grade level communities have the following features: direct access to a science lab and East Technology Lab on the same level, access to a Reading Mezzanine and internal stairway to the media center, and individual stairways to ease congestion and reduce traffic noise. Other features which are readily available to all "communities of learning" include two art classrooms, two music classrooms and a piano keyboarding lab and dedicated physical education space.

7. Cross-Section/Day Light Strategy Physical Environment – Sustainability was a major priority throughout the planning and design processes for Roberts Elementary. Energy and water use, as well as the use of sustainable materials, were superior concerns of the school district. Natural day-lighting is utilized in the building design through the inclusion of large areas of glass in each classroom and clerestory windows into interior spaces. Solar heat gain is mitigated through the orientation of the windows and sun-shade devices.

8. South Elevation – Entry Detail Physical Environment –Recycled and local material content was given preference, and light controls were designed to reduce electrical consumption. The resultant school building uses environmentally-friendly practices to further the users' productivity and learning experiences.

9. North Elevation – Outdoor Classroom/patio Planning Process: The architects met with school representatives and neighborhood residents early in the planning process to get a better understanding of their expectations and concerns. One major request was that Roberts Elementary students not be subjected to the traffic and loud noise of the nearby Arkansas Highway 10. The architects responded by moving the building southward, away from the highway. Other building characteristics that were affected by the extensive planning process include the "L" shape configuration, which turned the building towards the perimeter of the site to cradle the play area from the street, and the retaining of a landscape buffer between the school and an adjacent neighborhood.

10. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Data

11. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Details