2017 Honor Award
AIA Gulf States
Client
Fayetteville Public Schools
Project Location
Fayetteville, AR
Students
3,000
Area
177,500 SF
To maintain its competitive advantage in academics and attract the state’s brightest students, Fayetteville Public Schools tasked us to strategically re-structure its educational program into a small learning community, or SLC, model. This vision constitutes a massive modernization of aged buildings through a 36-month phased approach, allowing for continuous operation of the school during construction.
The new SLCs are designed with core learning studios that feature discovery, project-based learning, and digital and applied learning labs to foster collaboration. Distributed administration, resource centers, and dining allow students to spend a majority of their day within their SLC.
The MEP design allows systems in each space to operate individually and ultimately be integrated into one core system at project completion. The addition features abundant glass and overlooks a new landscaped street which creates a collegiate campus feel, reflective of the school’s ties to the University of Arkansas.
As one would anticipate in a university town, there was significant community interest in the future of Fayetteville High School. Dozens of meetings were held with the invitation extended to all constituencies – faculty/staff, parents/ patrons, business, etc. – to participate in the conversations necessary to develop the program for this transformed high school campus."
Today when we shovel dirt, we don’t just shovel dirt, we shovel hope for the next generation of children to come on, generation to generation."
FHS is much more modern and contemporary. It is very nice to have all of the natural light flowing into the building since the old building was fairly dark."
In a few short years time, the commitment that Fayetteville has to education will once again shine, and our purple pride will not only be for the Bulldogs that play here, but it will also be for the 21st century learning environment provided by our schools."
The community brought energy and an inquisitive attitude that contributed to the overall success of the planning. There was a perfect mix of community input and a design team that listened carefully. In my every encounter with the design team every effort was made to listen and go beyond what may have been original thinking. A balanced approach was very successful."
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