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New Joint-use School Concept Approved for Daybreak Development
At a recent meeting, the Jordan School District approved
construction of Utah's first joint-use public elementary school.
Upon completion, the new school will feature an integrated
community center and a clustered classroom layout. The school
stems from a public-private partnership between Jordan School
District and Kennecott Land, developer of the Daybreak community
where the school will be located.
Architect Jim Christopher from Brixen & Christopher Architects
helped design the joint-use structure. "We've carefully
scaled the school's spaces to be responsive to the needs of
students and faculty," said Christopher. "You won't
find any long halls with blank walls. The modular design focuses
on providing an ideal learning environment for students with
flexibility and maximum contact time for teachers."
The school's features include the following:
Integrated community center
A community center will be integrated within the new elementary
school. Parents and grandparents will be able to drop off their
youngsters and then enjoy fitness classes, and educational and
social activities. This approach makes it economically feasible
to offer a greater range of recreational facilities for the
school children. It also ensures more efficient use of the building
well beyond the confines of the school day.
Clustered teaching spaces
The school's design clusters multiple classrooms around a common
area for each grade. The clustered layout, combined with movable
walls and visibility among rooms, provides flexible and collaborative
teaching opportunities.
Kennecott Land helped fund the joint-use design and will contribute
funding toward the community center. "We believe great
schools make great communities," said Peter McMahon, President
of Kennecott Land. "It's been an exciting exercise to work
with Jordan School District and design a school that integrates
education into the fabric of the community."
The school's design prompted Jordan School District Superintendent
Barry L. Newbold to comment, "This school will share space
such as the kitchen, cafeteria, gymnasium, athletic fields and
parking with the community center. Because of the shared space,
taxpayers will get more facility for every dollar spent. We
are very pleased to be a partner with Kennecott Land to benefit
our students."
The new school will represent one of only a handful of joint-use
schools in the United States. The concept of a joint-use facility,
allows the school district to offer significantly more facilities
and programs. Construction of both the school and adjoining
community center will commence next month.
Daybreak is a 4,200-acre community located at approximately
11400 South and 4500 West in South Jordan. In addition to
the joint-use school and community center, Daybreak will feature
more than 1,000 acres of open space and a large lake.
New Housing Project Approved at Utah State University
A new student housing complex located on the site of the
former steam plant at Utah State University has been approved
by school officials. The new "living/learning community,"
will be designed by KCB Architecture of Layton and built by
Salt Lake City-based Evergreen Construction.
The plan was selected from those presented by 10 architectural
firms and was designed in the style of "collegiate contextualism,"
said Keith Bennett of KCB Architecture.
Bennett said the design plans feature a residential feel
to fit in with the rest of the campus proper in a very prominent
university location. "We wanted it to have a college
campus feel that contextually ties the historical elements
of its surrounding building neighbors," he said.
According to Bennett, the architectural style of Old Main
(the historic central building on the campus) was the key
point of inspiration for the new complex. "The living/learning
community will be a modern expression of the Romanesque style
of Old Main," he said. "This way each building will
look and feel more like a home, instead of just another building
on campus."
The new $40 million complex will benefit both students and
faculty, said Juan Franco, vice president for Student Services.
"The Living/Learning Community will be a state-of-the-art
facility where students can live, learn and socialize, because
it will be near the center of campus with easy access to the
Taggart Student Center and the academic buildings. It will
be the centerpiece of our housing recruitment efforts."
Andy Hofmeister, assistant director of the Housing Services-Physical
Facilities office, said the new living/learning community
will re-energize campus by keeping students on campus and
close to the Taggart Student Center after classes are over.
"The residents of the new living/learning community
will increase the business and energy to the student center
and be more involved in events that take place on campus,
making it more attractive to students who don't live in the
living/learning community as well," said Whitney Milligan,
assistant director of Residence Halls/Residence Life. "The
campus, which usually shuts down after 5 p.m., will have a
critical office and community that will be active and alive
at all times."
The plans consist of six buildings, five of which will be
four-levels that will collectively house 512 students. Aside
from bedrooms, each building will contain community kitchens,
quiet study space for individuals or groups and lounges with
couches and big-screen TVs.
The sixth building will be a community center containing
the main office, mail boxes and a larger community space and
kitchen. The community center will also give prospective students
the opportunity to view life-size models of the different
living areas.
"The living space in the new living/learning community
has been intentionally designed to provide privacy while,
at the same time, promoting important social interactions
between roommates, others living in the individual buildings
and throughout the community as a whole," said Milligan.
"This factor is vital in the development of younger students
who often remain isolated in their apartments."
Below the center, a 603-car parking structure will be built
for use by the housing residents, as well as other students,
faculty and Haight Alumni House visitors. The current parking
lot north of the Haight Alumni House will also be removed
in order to make room for the new complex.
More information and renderings are located at http://www.usu.edu/featurestories/newdorms/
Pentalon to begin third phase of condominium
Pentalon Construction, recently negotiated a contract to
construct Phase III of Pemberley Condominiums, a new 78 unit,
two-story condominium development in Pleasant Grove, Utah,
with completion in June of 2005.
Pentalon is finalizing construction of Phase I & II, with
the same team, Shay Johansen is the Sr. Project Manager and
Shaun Carley is the Project Superintendent. The project was
designed by Mr. Gary Dodson, AIA of Humphreys and Partners
out of Las Vegas, NV.
Furst Construction Contracted for Church Expansion and Renovation
Furst Construction is set to begin a 35,000 sq. ft. renovation
and expansion project for Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC).
The project will involve reconfiguring the 2.75 acre site,
including demolition of much of the church's existing facilities
and an neighboring residence in preparation for new construction.
Furst will also help the church remodel much of its existing
facility including the kitchen and all the classroom and office
areas. The new structure will include a music room, additional
classrooms, a nursery and daycare area, a youth room and a
multi-purpose gymnasium.
Furst has worked closely with CUMC and architecture EMA of
Salt Lake City to design the new space for the church's 1,000-member
congregation and expanded ministries.
EMA and Furst have incorporated the "Building God's Way,"
program developed by Ogden architect Daniel Cook and Associates.
The program provides comprehensive and affordable building
solutions to Christian church and school organizations that
are planning construction projects.
CUMC was established in 1893 and has been in their current
location at 2375 East 3300 South since 19554. The replica
of the Pieta was created in Pi.
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