New Centennial R-1 School

1. 2008 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture New Centennial R-1 School San Luis, Colorado Design Concept Projects Under Construction SLATERPAULL Architects

2. New Centennial R-1 School

3. Looking South over the Town of San Luis, Colorado Community Environment: The New Centennial R-1 School is a PK-12 public school that will serve the rural area around San Luis, Colorado and is redefining the image for schools in rural America. With a school district that also supports five other surrounding villages, the community is steeped in rich tradition and culture. Most of the families can trace their roots back to the original settlers that arrived from Spanish held territories to the south. They have always been self-sustaining; always reluctant to ask for assistance from those outside of this close knit group of villages.

4. Blanca Peak (Sangre de Cristo Mountains): View from New School Site Community Environment: Continued… Located at the end of a large high mountain valley, they are surrounded by significant mountain ranges creating a spectacular but harsh environment. In the winter the temperatures can remain well below zero for weeks. What they do have, though, is plenty of sunshine and they use it! They raise crops as a source of income during their short growing season with access to a good aquifer. Many of the local structures are of adobe construction with locally traditional sloped metal roofs and have stood for well over a hundred years.

5. Historic Tower at the Old School Community Environment: Continued… The tower element in the new building references this old historic school tower that still stands in the heart of town and once housed the school bell.

6. Concept Drawings of the New Tower Learning Environment: The welcoming entry courtyard starts the learning opportunities. The Vocational Agriculture classroom with attached greenhouse is immediately adjacent to the courtyard. The program’s demonstration gardens, hosting tagged and identified plants, flank the path to the main entry. Once you enter the secured vestibule and are allowed to proceed into the Commons, you are greeted with a warm fire in the fireplace. The chimney rises through the entry bell and clock tower, which also serves as a cooling tower in the warmer months. This tower design references the “old school” tower that still stands in the heart of town. The exposed heavy timber framing in the Commons adds to the character and will be the meeting place for the community. An adobe trombe wall at the south-facing glass wall is a built-in instructional tool for students. A concession area at one side will be used to serve the home-made green chili so famous in San Luis during community functions.

7. Instructional Graphics Learning Environment: Continued… An important aspect for the District was that the elementary, junior high, and high schools have their own identity all under one roof. Each wing (or school) is closely associated with exterior plazas that become extensions of this school-within-a-school plan. The building embraces educational curricula for the 21st century using technology as the enabler. As a wireless campus each student and teacher will have their own laptop with content and access controlled through a server. The students will also learn about this high-performance building through graphics permanently located throughout the building, describing what happens when they flip a light switch, etc.

8. Optimal Day Lighting Physical Environment: This wasn’t to be just any school. Not only would it be a reflection of the unique culture of the community, but it was also to be the 3D model for their “energy academy.” As fuel costs continued to eat into their minimal financial resources, the community decided to aim for a “net-zero” building that used both passive solar strategies and photovoltaic power. To reduce the energy demands, the mechanical system uses ground source energy, heat pumps, and displacement ventilation, which creates the very best indoor air quality possible. Optimal day lighting was created with large windows facing north and south with custom-designed tensile fabric “light-kites” to deflect glare. Sun shades are provided on the south windows and all light fixtures have built-in light sensors. The classrooms will provide the high performing environment they so desperately need.

9. South Wall - Commons Area Physical Environment:Continued… Through a true “integrated design” approach, the building was designed using very simple systems to create a structure and “super skin” wrapping learning environments that can adapt as needed through time. Teachers will have control of the environment through the use of operable windows, changing light levels, use of mobile furnishings, and even carpet that can be changed as needed to meet program requirements. With most of the interior partitions being wood studs with drywall, even the interior layout can be relatively easily reconfigured.

10. Conceptual Bond Campaign Poster Planning Process: The children attending the PK-12 school were following their parents and grandparents in a long tradition in this rural community. They would go to school and do the best they could to prepare themselves for the future. Unfortunately, the poor condition of the facilities in which they worked each day did nothing to contribute to their success. Without funding to replace the building, considered by many to be the worst school facility in the state, they limped along for years applying “band-aids,” hoping to get by just one more year. The school board knew the children deserved learning environments that at a minimum met state and national guidelines, but more importantly met basic code and life-safety standards. The incidence of absenteeism continued to rise and was directly linked to the lack of fresh air in the building during the long cold winter months.

11. Community Planning Process Board Planning Process: This board documents the community feedback session regarding the character of the building as it relates to the local style of architecture. Community members were given red, yellow, and green stickers, which would be used to indicate their preferences for or against the numbered character sketches. People were also encouraged to attach notes to the drawings. Input was compiled from the community meeting in order to arrive at the conceptual bond campaign poster design.

12. May 20, 2008 Groundbreaking in Style! Planning Process: Continued… The only way to accomplish their goal and dream was to reach out to the State of Colorado. The State requested that they develop a master plan and suggested hiring the architecture and planning firm SLATERPAULL Architects, whose planner worked closely with the school board, faculty, and staff to develop a program and design concept that was a direct reflection of the community. With the master plan attached to their grant application, they convinced the State to grant partial funding for a new facility; but only if the District matched the grant through a bond referendum. The campaign committee went to work to convince the voters in this disparately poor community to pass the ballot measure. They would go for the maximum funds allowed, knowing this was their only hope. It succeeded! Committee members even drove the elderly to the polls on that bitterly cold November day. Finally the community could move forward to design their new replacement facility.

13. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Data

14. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Details

15. Conceptual West Elevation: Local Vernacular at Elementary Wing.

16. Typical Window Group.

17. Early Schematic Wall Sections.