Miami University graduate students, Brian Albrecht and Kristopher Kunkel, and their faculty adivsor, Mary Rogero, recently sent us their submission for the AIAS School of Tomorrow 2010 Competition. They chose to design for the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School that we recently featured on our site. Their proposed design seeks to accomplish two vital aspects of sustainability and design: the preservation of an iconic Modern structure that embodies the period in which it was built, and secondly adapts that structure to suit present day needs for an area with unique problems and a unique culture.
To celebrate the history of the area as well as the existing structure, bright color, exposure of structural elements, and permitted passive techniques are utilized. To facilitate mechanical needs without relying on intrusive renovation, a raised floor system is used. This allows optimum cooling and heating efficiencies while minimizing space requirements for such systems.
