TruexCullins Wins Awards for School Design

Anglo-American School of Sofia, Bulgaria

TruexCullins Architecture recently won national awards for their design of the Anglo-American School of Sofia (AAS), an authorized International Baccalaureate World School located in Bulgaria. TruexCullins was hired to create the “Vitosha Wing”, the new home for the middle and high school programs.

The $8 million expansion, included  site planning and building design developed by Architect and Managing Principal David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP and Associate Architect Diantha Korzun, AIA, LEED AP. Epstein Leads the K-12 and International Education Studios at TruexCullins.

TruexCullins worked closely with the AAS; listening to the needs and desires of the administration, faculty, students and parents. “The project is a result of unique community effort,” shares Marchella Ignatova, Business Manager of the AAS. “Students, parents and teachers worked with the TruexCullins providing feedback and ideas for these buildings.”

The significant expansion, which doubles the capacity of the school, includes new classrooms, sports facilities and plans for a new performing arts complex. The campus layout was crafted to foster smaller learning communities within the larger school community.TruexCullins designed the new 8,500 sq. meter middle school and high school facility to incorporate green building features including storm water management and reuse. This is accomplished through the use of green roofs, constructed wetlands and ponds. Other green features include daylight harvesting, solar hot water, photo-voltaic roof covered parking and extensive use of local materials. The project is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is expected to earn LEED® Gold certification.

TruexCullins’ building design earned first place at the National Building of the Year Awards in the Education Category and runner up in the Bulgaria Building of the Year in the Green Category.

The Bulgarian Chamber of Architects also awarded it first place in the Bulgarian Building of the Year – Education Category. It also received a second place award in the Bulgarian Building of the Year – Green Category.

“AAS was a great partner to work with," shared David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP. " They were truly interested in creating a facility that fosters collaboration, community, and engaged learning. And they were fiercely committed to sustainable design solutions. We are fortunate to work with clients with great vision."

Making Good Homes: Conditions and Challenges

by Rolf Kielman

At TruexCullins we’ve spent decades contemplating the necessary requirements for good places to live. Twenty years ago we designed a series of modestly sized, affordable and energy efficient homes for a statewide competition sponsored by Housing Vermont. Now, we are picking up that banner again, developing the design for a prototypical home that meets all of the requirements and expectations of a modern-day family in an affordable and efficient package.

First, let’s define the criteria. What are our basic needs for the places where we live? The basic components of a house in Vermont include spaces to sleep, prepare and eat food, and wash ourselves and our clothes. Beyond these human necessities, we place great importance on having a comfortable place to socialize and entertain. Conversely, our homes are increasingly places where we work and study. The spaces just outside our homes are also valued, whether it’s a porch for protection from the elements or a garden within which to grow food and play. Finally, an auxiliary building such as a garage or shed is added to store vehicles and outdoor equipment. All of these components have come to be viewed as essential parts of our homes.

Second, we must come to term with the challenges we face. Externally, the need for shelter from our environment is perhaps more challenging now than it has ever been. Our climate is demanding and unpredictable, from the cold of winter to the heat and humidity of summer. Global climate change has brought an increase in extreme weather events that test the endurance of our structures, from flood to drought to the frequently returning 100-year storm. Meanwhile, the cost of fuels is accelerating, in economic costs and environmental costs. The physical land and materials with which we build our homes are also increasingly rare and expensive to come by.

We look forward to addressing these challenges over the next several months, continuing our exploration of designs for homes that sufficiently meet our needs while abundantly filling our souls. Ultimately, our goal is a product that could be acquired in any number of forms: a set of complete architectural plans for purchase at a modest cost; a set of component parts available for purchase with a manual for assembly; or even a complete home, pre-made and brought to the site ready for placement and occupancy.

In the meantime, you can expect that we will share our thoughts, present some designs, and keep you informed of our progress. We hope you enjoy this creative journey.

Digital Crayon: Article 12- School Design for the Whole Child

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

 

For a few years now, we have been giving a presentation entitled “Design for the Whole Child”, which describes our view of the goal of school design. The thesis is this: the mission of schools has expanded to address the needs of the whole child: academic, social, emotional and physical.  When we design schools, we need to be thinking about how the design affects these four aspects of the whole child.

Historically, schools focused primarily on academic and physical needs. This is why so many older schools consist of mainly classrooms and gyms (cafeterias too). Now schools are working to develop children into good community members and global citizens, imbuing them with a sense of social mission. They are concerned with a child’s emotional well-being as well.  Teachers often remark how positive classroom dynamics makes for a more effective educational experience. This focus on wellness encompasses physical education as well, where kids are learning about healthy lifestyles, including fitness, diet, drug/alcohol awareness, and meditation. Typically, we present these ideas to the entire school community at the outset of the planning process. We find it gets the staff’s juices flowing and helps them think beyond their own experience.

School design can address these broad goals in many ways. Here are but a few examples:

• Academic: A school can meet its students’ academic needs by facilitating “21st Century Learning” concepts (see Articles 5 and 10). This includes providing ample space for collaboration and meetings in multiple configurations.

• Social: A school can demonstrate its social mission by embracing sustainable design (see Articles 8 & 9). It can also be designed for easy use by the broader community.

• Emotional: School design can create a sense of place using scale, form and color elements that help children feel connected and give them a sense of well-being.  Natural light and views to the exterior can also contribute to this feeling.

• Physical: Schools can provide spaces such as fitness and movement rooms that teach kids long-term healthy lifestyles. They can be located in walkable communities and provide bike racks and access to public transit.

These are but a few examples. The reality is that every part of a school should address the four components listed above. We find that the Whole Child approach reminds us of the true goals of school design. It guides our thinking as we work with schools around the world to design creative buildings where young people thrive.

Last Article 11 - Aligning Existing Facilities with 21st-Century Learning

Next Article - Flexible Learning Environments

Join our Team

We are happy to say that due to an increase in our project workload, we are now hiring Architects and Project Managers to join our team at TruexCullins. We currently have immediate openings for these full-time positions:

ARCHITECT / PROJECT MANAGER
TruexCullins is seeking a senior level Architect / Project Manager with 10+ years of experience to work on a variety of project types in our resort, workplace and education studios. Registered architects with a B.Arch or M.Arch degree are preferred. Qualified candidates should possess extensive Project Management experience, experience coordinating a consultant team, superior design and communication skills, familiarity with building and life-safety codes and be capable of running multiple projects independently. Proficiency in AutoCAD, SketchUp and Revit is required, and LEED AP Certification is highly desirable.
 
ARCHITECT / PROJECT MANAGER, EDUCATION STUDIO
TruexCullins seeks a registered architect with 10+ years of experience in K-12 school planning and design to work in our Education Studio on US and International school projects around the world. Familiarity with educational trends, space programming and master planning required. Qualified candidates should have Project Management experience, superior design and communication skills, and be capable of running multiple projects independently. Proficiency in AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit and LEED AP Certification is highly desirable.


Our creative team is currently comprised of over 25 talented and dedicated individuals who are passionate about design and enjoy working together. Our work includes local, national and international projects in the residential, commercial, education and resort markets. We offer competitive compensation with full benefits including health insurance, 401k retirement plans, profit sharing, flexible vacation and sick time.

For either of the above positions, please send a cover letter, resume, and a portfolio sample of your work to: employment@truexcullins.com.

Digital Crayon: Article 11 - Aligning Existing School Facilities with 21st Century Learning

posted by David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP

In the last article, we discussed how greening an existing school is often more difficult than building a new school. The same could be said for integrating 21st century learning concepts into an existing facility.  Despite the challenges, I would say this is a goal of every school we work with so we are happy to share our insights.


We discussed 21st Century Learning as it is called back in Article 5. The term “21st Century Learning” has come to describe the paradigm shift from teacher-centered instruction to student-centered inquiry, recognizing that schools must provide multiple pathways to learning to accommodate the different learning styles of students. This often translates into more project-based curriculum, interdisciplinary themes, and collaboration between teachers and among students.

The kinds of spaces that support these activities include project rooms, small group meeting spaces, larger team meeting spaces, etc. The bottom line is that if your existing facility is at capacity, incorporating these features requires adding more space to your facility.

Many schools, especially middle schools, are organized in grade level teams. Organizing support and instructional space in a way that supports this concept, such as pods or clusters is challenging in an existing facility. Often the end result is a compromise between the ideal and the reality of the geometry of the existing structure, availability of expansion space, cost and disruption to normal operations.

There are several strategies worth considering. If your classrooms are sufficiently large, it is sometimes possible to insert small group spaces between classrooms. Other times a whole classroom can be transformed into a suite of smaller spaces.

To create a team environment, it may be possible to remove the wall to the corridor of one classroom to create a common space serving the surrounding classrooms. If there is enough exterior space, a new classroom can be added to the exterior of this common space, creating a suite of three classrooms with a common space.

Another technique is to outfit an existing classroom as a project room. This includes adding sinks, storage, sufficient electrical and data, work tables and durable flooring and wall materials.

Probable the simplest strategy to encourage collaboration is to add a connecting door between classrooms. This allows for easy flow and communication between teachers and students on the same team.

Last Article: 10 - Greening Your Existing School Facility

Next Article 12 - School Design for the Whole Child

A New Venue for the Big Game, on the Field and on the Ice

This is it, sports fans: the weekend you’ve all been waiting for. (cue football music) On Sunday all eyes will be on New Orleans for the biggest sports event of the year.

This will be the seventh Super Bowl played at the Louisiana Superdome (now rebranded as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome). This impressive arena opened in 1975 and soon became a major draw for its size and location. More recently, in 2005 it suffered major damage from hurricane Katrina and became the symbol of institutional failure in the wake of a disaster.

But this year marks a new beginning for the aging structure. With a major renovation complete that spanned 6 years and cost $300 million, the Superdome may seem like a brand new building, inside and out, to the millions of fans tuning in.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably wondering what our connection is to this modern architectural landmark. Well, this is the moment in the TruexCullins blog when we roll out our design for the new 70,000 seat sports arena that will soon grace the Burlington waterfront.

Well, not quite. But we can share a sports facility renovation project that’s a little more… Vermont-style.

While modest in comparison to this weekend’s Super Bowl site, this project nonetheless would have made a notable difference for some local skaters. The project is an addition to one of our community ice rinks.

The building currently consists of two ice rinks connected by a long walkway. The design on the drawing board connects the two sides with a new addition that provides a suite of new amenities. A new Pro Shop, concessions, seating areas, offices and locker rooms all occupy a central location, with direct access to each of the rinks. The project improves circulation for players and spectators, and it unites the two rinks under the same roof with a singular grand entrance.

Unfortunately, this project can be filed under ‘Unbuilt Works’ due to a detour on the road to construction. This is a story not uncommon in the world of real estate and development, as many projects never get off the ground. But perhaps some day this addition will be built, and perhaps some day millions of viewers will tune in to watch two teams go head to head on the ice in northern Vermont.