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Central Bucks South High School
Goals and Visions: With a student population of 2,000 and a building size of almost 400,000 square feet, the vision at Central Bucks South High School was to create a human-scale atmosphere for personalized teaching and learning. Educational Needs/Program: A sense of community was achieved by organizing teaching stations, study areas and administrative/counseling offices into three academic “houses” where students spend the majority of their time. Planning Process: A participatory planning process was used in the design phase to fully understand the needs of the district. This process involved multiple meetings with the school’s user groups with the goal of matching the design to the curriculum. Using this process the design was custom-fit to the district’s curriculum and philosophies and helped to determine the layout of the three grade level houses. From the beginning of the process, mechanical, electrical and technology were considered in the design to create energy efficiency, security, and flexibility. Challenges and Solutions: The challenge at Central Bucks High School was to break down the scale of this 2,000 student, 400,000 SF building into reasonable, understandable groupings for a more personal, intimate feel. The idea was to bring the school’s resources to the student instead of having the student searching for the resources. The design solution was to create three houses within three stories and incorporate a centralized house administration-guidance unit, and 2 “classroom learning communities” in each academic house. A “classroom learning community” consists of 8 classrooms, 1 large lab, a flexible team learning area (FTLA), student lockers, student and staff toilets, a conference room and a staff planning area. Unique Features/Innovations: Centrally located support facilities including cafeteria, art, family and consumer service and industrial technology, 2 gymnasiums, an 8-lane competition pool that accommodates 500 spectators, an 800-seat auditorium with full fly gallery, and a full-service media center are shared by the houses. State-of-the-art equipment and attractive, well-organized interiors facilitate study, athletic and performing arts endeavors. The media center offers ample study space at computer workstations, team tables and study carrels. Tall windows and clerestories provide abundant light. Interior design features inspired by local architectural vernacular, like heavy timber ceilings and brick walls, furnish visual interest and create a warm, inviting atmosphere. Site Considerations: The building is placed on the slope of a hill to break the scale of the building down vertically and to take advantage of the natural features the site is offering. Entry is at the mid-level to reduce the need for movement up or down. The three-story portion is in the back of the building as the hill recedes giving the illusion that the building is two-stories from the front side. The student entry embraces students with welcoming landscaping and surrounding three-story academic wings. To maximize available acreage, the bus corral also doubles for event parking when not in use. Material Choices: Material choices respect the local vernacular and include brick, precast detailing, and heavy timber elements. Local, indigenous materials were also used to keep shipping costs down. High quality roofs, flooring, walls, windows and doors and other materials were chosen based on a life-cycle cost analysis, weighing long-term advantages, lower maintenance, durability and longevity. Safety and Security: Clearly marked, separate entrances for auditorium, athletics and academic areas allow after-hours and simultaneous use of these spaces by the students and public and secure them from the rest of the building. The parking, bus corral, and field placement are organized with safety and security as the primary goal. The student parking is located to the north, directly connecting to the house portion of the building. The bus drop-off is completely separate from the student traffic at the south side of the building. This insures the control needed for the students entering and exiting the bus without crossing automobile traffic. Environmental Considerations: High performance design strategies were used in the development of the new high school through site, energy, materials, indoor environment and facility usage. The site plan was designed for limited site disturbance and the development footprint of the school is decreased by making it a three-story building. Energy recovery systems were implemented to maintain heat while mixing with new, fresh air. Materials were chosen based on a life-cycle cost analysis and local materials were used when possible for less fuel in transportation. The indoor environment of the building has high indoor air quality and daylight is maximized through energy efficient windows. The facility is also designed to easily make multiple uses of the gymnasium, auditorium and forum room for students and community. Facility’s Response to Various Teaching and Learning Styles: The school was designed with three houses to match three grades (10-12) on three different levels of the building. Each floor is a house and each house has grade administration and a guidance center. The idea was to bring the resources to the student, therefore, each house is broken into two “classroom learning communities” each having science, computer labs, special education, lockers, staff planning room, student toilets, small group rooms and flexible team learning areas. The media center and cafeteria are located as close to the academic core as possible, yet separate enough not to disturb each other. The media center’s floor plan provides for small group study areas. Three bus and car areas accommodate separate entries for the main building, gym, and fine arts auditorium. Due to the separation of these areas of the building, gym activities and auditorium performances can operate simultaneously without disturbing each other. The gym is located next to the cafeteria, therefore, gym activities can use this space for overflow, lobby space. The school also has a forum-style lecture room that fosters a collegiate learning style. The room can accommodate 5 classrooms of students and is located to be easily accessed for community use. Project Description:
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