 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Emmett J. Conrad High School
Emmett J. Conrad High School Emmett J. Conrad High School is situated on a site shared with Fair Oaks Park owned by the City of Dallas. A 14-acre apartment complex had been located there, but over time, had become severely deteriorated and depressed. Recognizing the opportunity to revitalize the community, Dallas Independent School District struck a deal with the City of Dallas to put the school’s athletic fields on the 40-acre property in exchange for joint use. Simultaneously, they worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate the park, legal and planning issues for the site. The district negotiated the purchase of the dilapidated apartments that joined the park as the actual property for the new school. Flooding was a serious problem so the ultimate goal of the planning phase was to raise the flood plane to one hundred years. First, the City of Dallas Department of Public Works joined with Halff Associates, environmental consultants, to solve the flood plane issues. The goal was to put the softball fields above the existing five-year flood plane and the school’s athletic fields over the existing fifteen-year flood plane. The overall planning process took six months, but architects were working on both designing the site and school at the same time. The biggest challenge of the project was a tight budget and site constraints. The site could not be enlarged and designers had to fit a 330,000 SF building on 14 acres. It also had to include parking areas, bus drives and student drop-off and pick-up areas. The construction team dredged the on-site creek and spoils were used to sculpt the new athletic fields. This helped alleviate the cost of having to import fill in order to bring the athletic complex up to a satisfactory level. Conrad High School is a comprehensive high school which was designed to be decentralized and features learning neighborhoods. The design is arranged as a “school within a school” concept which includes four academic houses for core areas of study while elective subjects are contained in six academies. The focused academies include healthcare, finance/banking, restaurant, travel agency, marketing for the school store and CISCO technology. The concept of the academies is to allow local business people to come in as adjunct faculty and guest speakers. Many of the students in this particular neighborhood would not likely go to college, so the career and technology training would serve as preparation for the working world after high school. The healthcare academy serves to provide vocational teaching for students who are interested in nursing and other health services. The school store which sells spirit wear and supplies also provides students with a chance to run a business and develop marketing strategies for increased sales. Also included on site is a full-functioning restaurant which allows students to learn about the culinary world and serves as a way to reach out to the community. The school teamed with Outback Steakhouse, a national chain, to open a full-service restaurant inside the school. The restaurant contains a full kitchen and limited seating for diners. This space acts as a hands-on teaching tool for students and prepares them for a career after graduation. The school’s design features an abundance of daylight and exterior views to enhance the learning experience and define the design of the building. Exterior teaching and exhibit spaces extend that intention beyond school walls. The school’s modern look is built for durability and the use of day lighting gives the space a light, airy feeling and helps to connect the outside areas into the building. The T-shaped main corridor connects one end of the school to another and allows the faculty to easily monitor traffic flow as well as the safety and security of students. A unique feature housed inside the school is a youth and family clinic, a partnership with Parkland Hospital. This space was designed underneath a classroom wing and functions autonomously. The school’s athletic complex features a softball field, a baseball field and a football field. The fields and parking areas are shared with the City of Dallas and are designed for community use along with the library and gymnasium. The school was designed and carefully planned around after-hours use. Basketball clinics are held in the summer and the band practices year round. Another exceptional feature is the ROTC rifle range. Located on the same level as the weight room and band hall, the range allows for only rubber pellets and compressed air rifles. An art courtyard is shared between the fine arts department and food/nutrition department. Here students can set up for fund-raising events, food tasting, art sketching and a sculpture garden to display work. Conrad High School has proved to be a catalyst for redevelopment of a once grief-stricken area. The crime in the area has been significantly reduced as a result of this new high school and positive changes are still happening.. Project Description:
Locale:
Methodology & Standards:
Funding Method(s):
Project Delivery Method(s):
Sustainable/Green Design:
Architect(s):
Associated Firms and Consultants:
Area Map: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| © 2008 Peter Li Education Group | Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions |