Florida District Selects Designer for K–8 Prototype Campus

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

  • School Construction Projects Boom as Education Systems Address Aging Facilities and Growth

    Construction opportunities are almost always abundant, but currently there are more than usual construction projects being launched for public school campuses. Common objectives include major renovation or expansion of aging facilities, total replacement of inefficient classrooms, upgrades to lighting, technology, and security equipment, and adding new sports and cultural facilities.

  • KI Wall Demonstrates New Solutions at NeoCon 2025

    KI Wall attended NeoCon 2025 in Chicago, Ill., last month to showcase its new architectural wall systems and collaborations, according to a news release. Its customizable, design-forward wall solutions are intended to support creativity in work, education, and healthcare environments.

  • ClassVR headsets

    Avantis Education Revamps Hardware for ClassVR Solution

    Avantis Education recently announced the launch of two new headsets for its flagship educational VR/AR solution, ClassVR. According to a news release, the Xcelerate and Xplorer headsets expand the company’s offerings into higher education while continuing to meet the evolving needs of K–12 users.

  • The Role of Unified Communications in Hyflex Education

    Academic technology and pedagogy have evolved in ways few could have imagined a decade ago. Today, hybrid/flexible (or hyflex) learning environments — a mix of in-person and remote instruction — are the new normal. However, as promising as it sounds, making hyflex work smoothly is no small feat.

Digital Edition