Draft designs of Centennial & East exteriors unveiled (June 4, 2020)

posted Jun 4, 2020, 2:19 PM by Unknown user
Wednesday night, June 3, the community got a peek at a "very preliminary" draft design of the floor plans and exteriors for the new Centennial and East high schools.

In the third Community Forum and Town Hall Wednesday, which was hosted virtually by the project architects, MOA Architects and HGF Architects, its ever evolving designs were unveiled. As many as 100 viewers signed on to the Town Hall, which is now archived on District 60's Vimeo Channel.

The plans were unveiled to elicit comment and suggestions from those viewing the meeting. The firms' designs were based on public feedback from the previous two Town Halls. 

While the architects stressed that the designs were "very preliminary" and subject to change based on the community's continued input, current designs are incorporating several key elements:
  • Both schools will follow virtually the same floor plan. That plan includes an activities area that houses the main gymnasium, an auxiliary gymnasium, an auditorium, and wrestling and training rooms.
  • A two-floor classroom wing and an area for each school's career and technical education (CTE) activities, such as the Health Academy at Centennial and the culinary program at East. 
  • Several student "hangout" areas, including elevated overlooks, a "student hub" in the classroom wing, "teaching stairs" that are often used as casual study areas, and outdoor dining with a covered canopy pier.
  • Centennial's building will be located just north of the existing tennis courts, with access off of Mountview Drive
  • East's building will be located on the corner of Constitution Rd. and Mac Alester Rd., where its current baseball field is located
One of the highlights of the presentation was a more fleshed out design of the exteriors of the schools.

Based on previous community input, designers presented a draft design that is heavy with brick and other masonry elements while also having plenty of natural lighting and moder design elements. Some of the keywords that came out of previous community comment was "modern," "innovative," and "playful," and designs were reflective of that. 

Both schools, while having the same architectural elements, will have its distinctive colors and logos (red for Centennial, yellow for East).

Additionally, the entries for both schools are slightly different, making each school look distinctive despite the same floor plan.

"There are some similarities between the buildings, but the entries (and colors) are different, so that you won't show up at Centennial and think you're at East, and vice versa," MOA Architecture's Chaz Marquez said. 

The fourth Town Hall will take place Aug. 12, where the schematic design and budget outline will be presented. 

To view key points of the presentation, use the links below:
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Town Hall 3.pdf
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Unknown user,
Jun 8, 2020, 11:49 AM
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