Fort Rucker Elementary School

Department of Defense for Education Activity, Fort Rucker, Ala.

Fort Rucker Elementary SchoolThe new Fort Rucker Elementary School, located on an active military installation, is designed as a modern learning environment filled with features and technology to meet the needs of today’s 21st-century student. The academic spaces are housed in seven learning neighborhoods that include learning studios and staff collaboration areas that open to larger learning hubs. Located at each entry is a unique Learning Wall that gives each neighborhood its own identity and promotes “way-finding”. The learnings studios embrace 21st-century educational tools with writeable desks, flexible furniture and operable walls between studios that allow the educational environment to adapt to the needs of the changing curriculum. The Commons, a two-story social gathering space, serves as the transition between the learning neighborhoods and the dining/multipurpose space, gymnasium, music and art suites.

The elementary school building serves as a teaching tool incorporating elements that support sustainability and educational opportunities for the students. These features include: bio gardens, learning terrace, a history walk, a demonstration photovoltaic panel and wind turbine. Another hands-on learning feature is the energy dashboard with real-time data on the school’s energy usage.

Fort Rucker Elementary SchoolARCHITECT

SchenkelShultz Architecture
J. DAVID TORBERT, AIA
BROOK K. SHERRARD
AIA, LEED-AP
407.872.3322

PROJECT INFORMATION

CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR
Mikey Smiley

COMPLETION DATE
Estimated May 2018

GROSS AREA
133,542 sq. ft.

PER STUDENT
166 sq. ft.

SITE SIZE
13 acres

CURRENT ENROLLMENT
707 students

CAPACITY
800 students

COST PER STUDENT
$58,483

COST PER SQ. FT.
$350

TOTAL COST
$46,787,000

COMPANY PROFILE

SchenkelShultz has been a leader in the design of 21stcentury learning environments for the past 20 years. The firm’s experience totals over 50 million square feet of educational projects, including more than 5.3 million square feet of 21st-century schools.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Tennessee Tech Starts Construction on New ACME Building

    Tennessee Tech University recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Advanced Construction and Manufacturing Engineering (ACME) Building on its campus in Cookeville, Tenn., according to university news. The $89.6-million facility is the second in a recent expansion of the College of Engineering’s buildings on campus. It’s currently scheduled to open at the end of 2028.

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • Image credit: O

    Strategic Campus Assessment: Moving Beyond Reactive Maintenance in Educational Facilities

    While campuses may appear stable on the surface, building systems naturally evolve over time, and proactive assessment can identify developing issues before they become expensive emergencies. The question isn't whether aging educational facilities need attention. It's how institutions can transition from costly reactive maintenance to strategic asset management in a way that protects both budgets and communities.

  • Extron, CENTEGIX Partner for Comprehensive School Security Solution

    Professional audiovisual solutions provider Extron recently announced a partnership with CENTEGIX, which provides rapid incident response technology, to integrate two of their top products in the name of school safety.

Digital Edition