Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Florida District Selects Designer for K–8 Prototype Campus

  • By Matt Jones
  • 11/19/24

St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie, Fla., recently announced that it has selected Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., to design its new Western Grove K–8 prototype campus, according to a news release. Construction on the 217,500-square-foot facility will begin in February 2025 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026. The district is also partnering with construction management firm Wharton-Smith for the project’s construction.

The campus will feature two-story academic buildings, an administration building, a gymnasium, chiller plant with thermal storage, and an auditoria, which will serve as both a cafeteria and auditorium. The auditoria measures in at 33,569 square feet and features dining facilities, a kitchen, stage, band classroom choir classroom, and art classroom. It also serves as the campus’ Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA).

“Spiezle’s design for Western Grove K-8 builds on the extensive history shared between us and the school district, as we continue to evolve and modernize our prototypes, while creating a model that is easily replicable at other future school sites throughout the district,” said Principal Anthony Donadio of Spiezle. “This new school will provide students in St. Lucie with a safe, clean, and forward-thinking facility that will suit their needs for many years to come.”

The classroom buildings include four classroom pods surrounding an interior extended learning area, the news release reports. Both the common core facility and classroom buildings feature laboratories, science demonstration classrooms, ESE classrooms, skills labs, and more.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • school building with glowing circuit board patterns

    AI Is Coming to Schools — But Most School Buildings Still Run on Institutional Memory

    As school districts race to introduce AI into classrooms, administration, and curriculum planning, another conversation is happening behind the scenes: How prepared are school facilities themselves for the operational demands AI will create?

  • Fellowes Expands Finish and Wall-Covering Options for Architectural Wall Systems

    Fellowes Architectural Solutions has expanded the materials library for its architectural wall systems with a series of new finishes and wall-covering options intended to provide architects and designers with additional choices for commercial interiors, according to a company news release.