Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

21st Century Military School Chosen for Design Excellence Awards

  • 11/26/14

Woolpert, a national A&E, geospatial firm headquartered in Dayton, has been named a recipient of two awards for school facility design through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) 2014 Chief of Engineers Awards of Excellence Program.

Both honors, the Design Honor Award and the Building of the Future Award, recognize the design of the Barkley Elementary School in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, one of the first schools developed under the 21st Century Education Initiative set forth through the Department of Defense Education Activities (DoDEA) program.

DoDEA aims to replace aging primary and secondary schools – some as old as 50 years – serving the students of U.S. military families worldwide. The department’s goal is to ensure that its 181 schools, located around the world, provide an environment that supports 21st Century teaching practices and high educational standards while meeting resiliency and sustainability objectives.

Established in 1965, the USACE award program promotes excellence in design achievements by USACE and its professional contracting partners. The Barkley School design team included DoDEA, the USACE Norfolk District, the USACE Louisville District and Woolpert.  The firm has been continuously working with DoDEA since 2004.

“We’re pleased to bring our expertise in 21st Century school design to the partnership with the USACE Norfolk District, USACE Louisville District, and DoDEA,” said Doug Brown, Woolpert’s project director. “Our work has been a true collaboration to develop innovate design solutions that will help to shape the future of education for children from U.S. military families.”

The Chief of Engineers Design Honor Award recognizes the school’s innovative design, which incorporates open and flexible spaces to accommodate multiple learning and teaching styles. The building features a rooftop learning garden, and an inviting, dynamic information center that encourages students to learn and explore.

The Building of the Future Award showcases design innovations that significantly reduce energy requirements and their associated costs. In this regard, the Barkley structure represents a compact, ICF building envelope with a geothermal HVAC system to maximize energy efficiency and savings.

In 2013, Woolpert’s design of the Barkley Elementary School was recognized with the Learning by Design Outstanding Project Award and the American School and University Work in Progress Citation Award.

Featured

  • golden trophies with falling confetti

    Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 New Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning is happy to announce that we’re now accepting entries for the 2026 New Product Awards! The awards program recognizes the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products or services are considered particularly noteworthy.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • AAADM Announces Building Safety Month Initiatives

    The American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers (AAADM) recently announced its support of Building Safety Month as declared by the International Code Council (ICC), according to a news release.