Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Franklin High School Project Recognized for 2015 Starnet Commercial Flooring Grand Prize & Gold Award

  • 06/04/15

Milwaukee, Wis. – Franklin High School was awarded the Gold Award in the Education category for Starnet’s 2015 Worldwide Commercial Flooring Design Awards. Additionally, the project captured the prestigious 2015 Grand Prize project award, recognized as the best project of all the submissions. As a result, Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) was awarded $5,000 to donate to a charity of choice. EUA has chosen to donate the prize money back to the Franklin Educational Foundation to support the high education standards of the district.

Franklin High School’s primary goal was to create transparent spaces that encouraged active learning separate from academic areas. A strong emphasis was placed upon designing a sense of flow and movement within the space to form a fluid environment for students. Throughout the school, each department had the opportunity to communicate their unique ideas, while contributing to the comprehensive brand and identity of the school. Incorporating the district’s idea of “learning anytime, anywhere,” classrooms were designed with advanced acoustics and the ability to support many flexible furniture arrangements.

The school is centered around a common hub for students that demonstrates the environments of higher education institutions and future workplaces. Carpet is used throughout the seating areas to cleanly integrate with the tile flooring and provide continuity in these open spaces. To break up the length of the long hallways, the design team integrated form and color to enhance the flooring visually and aesthetically. To display the strong school pride, the project was completed using an array of yellows, golds and the school colors.

“We are excited to be recognized for this National award, and it is made all better because we can give back to the district to help excel program initiatives” said Bob Vajgrt, Director of the Education Market for EUA. “I’d also like to commend Emily Thomas, for her high quality efforts with developing functional but innovative carpet patterns to excel the environment of this school, I believe that this aesthetic improvement will improve the student perception of the high school’s spaces.”

Featured

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • TCU Marks Campus Expansion Milestone

    Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark progress on a major campus expansion effort including four new residential facilities and a five-story parking garage, according to a news release.

  • Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

    Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance.