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Renovate and Build New

  • 12/01/08
Built on the site of an 1887 school, the 1920s Lone Pine Elementary School in east Medford, OR, is about to undergo a phased renovation and construction project that will result in an eco-friendly, mostly new school.

Demolition of four of the seven buildings on the 9.3-acre campus began in June, while phase two began in the fall. The three remaining buildings are being remodeled and two new ones will be built — a two-story 22,500 sq.-ft. classroom building and a 15,500-sq.-ft. single-story gymnasium and cafeteria.
   
The school has been remodeled and expanded several times over the past 80 years, most recently in the 1980s with a hexagonal-shaped library that will be remodeled, along with two classroom buildings.   

The $11.7M project will give the school a new “front door” to the campus, a series of green outdoor learning spaces, and 3,700 sq. ft. more than it had previously for a total of 64,000 sq. ft.

The design for the complex was challenging because some existing buildings will be retained, the sloping site has a 30-ft. grade and there are existing soccer and baseball fields to the south. “Our goal was to use the steep terrain to knit together the old and new parts of the campus into a coherent whole,” said Anjali Grant, project manager with Mahlum Architects.
   
 The gym/cafeteria will open onto a central courtyard and amphitheater, the playing fields and the Siskiyou Mountains to the south. An acoustical wall between the gymnasium and cafeteria will be moveable to allow for large school and community gatherings. When fully opened the space will accommodate 800 people.
   
The school will incorporate a number of “green” elements, including operable windows, ventilation systems that maximize the use of outside air, high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, daylighting to maximize natural light, and channeling of rain water from the new classroom roof into infiltration planters.
   
All of the new classrooms face north for optimal daylighting. A covered “porch” along the south side of the building provides shading from south-facing sun and a place for students to gather.

“There’s a strong desire for the learning environment at Lone Pine to benefit from an integrated high performance, or sustainable, design,” said Mark Cork, Mahlum principal. “The design team has worked together to develop a building that minimizes its environmental impact and operating costs.”


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