Page 36 - spaces4learning, Fall 2021

EDUCATION DESIGN SHOWCASE • K-12
PROJECT OF DISTINCTION
BRIGADIER GENERAL ANNA MAE HAYS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ALLENTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT ALLENTOWN, PA
ARCHITECT
Breslin Architects
STEPHEN J. BEHRENS, A.I.A. 610-437-9626
PROJECT INFORMATION
DEPUTY SUPT FOR OPERATIONS
Jennifer Ramos
COMPLETION DATE
July 2020
GROSS AREA
114,000 sq. ft.
AREA PER STUDENT
130 sq. ft.
SITE SIZE
2.5 acres
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
733 students
CAPACITY
875 students
COST PER STUDENT
$32,249
COST PER SQ. FT.
$247.53
TOTAL COST
$28,218,087 (site not included)
36 FALL 2021
COMPLETED IN 2020, THE Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School is
a major milestone in the Allentown School District’s ongoing effort to renew its instructional facilities for 21st-century learning. The four-story school of 114,000 square feet is located on
a repurposed 2.5-acre center-city site and accom- modates 875 students in grades K-5. It is composed of Academic and Shared Facility Wings that are linked by a central Main Lobby, which is accessed by two Main Entrances. The facility further includes a Commu- nity Services Building that houses pre-kindergarten classrooms, an adult educa- tion meeting room, a food pantry and a health services suite.
The project’s goals were aligned with the District’s Strategic Framework and 21st Century Learning. Fore- most among these was the creation of a safe, nurturing environment that enables personalized learning, col- laboration and technology integration. These goals are expressed in the School’s design, as is the effort to sensitively integrate the new facility with the urban fabric of the existing neigh- borhood. With a variety of spaces scaled for different- sized, small- and large-group instruction, the building has become a flexible teaching tool. Material choices and the architectural massing demonstrated on the build- ing’s exterior take their cue from adjacent, older resi- dential construction.