Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

P.K. Yonge Middle-High School Construction Complete

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/21/21

SchenkelShultz Architecture announced this week that construction of the Middle-High School at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, Fla., is complete. The public, K–12 school was designed to meet the LEED Gold Certification standard as set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Affiliated with the University of Florida College of Education, the school is known for its innovative educational curricula and programs that provide each student with an optimized learning experience and environment. The facility was also awarded first place in the Architectural Showcase presented by the Florida Education Facilities Planners’ Association (FEFPA).

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

“Our goal was to design a physical environment that was an embodiment of the school’s mission to ‘design, test and disseminate innovations in education,’” said J. David Torbert, partner with SchenkelShultz Architecture. “We collaborated closely with P.K. Yonge’s Leadership Team, educators and students to create a new building that prioritizes active, participatory learning within a safe and secure environment.”

The three-story building was designed to create a student-centered, flexible, and technology-rich learning environment that fosters collaboration. It features amenities like STEM labs, open collaboration areas, distance-learning labs, open collaboration spaces, and break-out spaces for small groups. It was built to replace an existing, 60-year-old facility.

The construction manager for the project was Parrish McCall Constructors.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.