Live Oak Elementary

2WR worked with the Dougherty County School District in development of the project’s vision. The vision included development of an outside-the-box design with aesthetics supporting a healthy and safe learning environment. One of the challenges of the vision related to establishment of a safety-first aesthetic while integrating design principles supporting a high-performance learning environment.

Live Oak Elementary is situated on a 30-acre abandoned agricultural tract near Albany, Georgia. Challenged by the Dougherty County School System (DCSS) to design “a school like no other in the State of Georgia,” the design team sought to create a school strongly rooted in its sense of place while underscoring the DCSS motto “Pursuing Excellence” by way of careful site evaluation, program analysis, and thoughtful form-giving.

The desire to provide abundant, high-quality light to the learning units drove the school’s organization. To achieve this, three two-story rectangular classroom “houses” were oriented east-west and arranged around courtyards. Classrooms feature two oversized window openings, totaling over 90 square feet, that are oriented north or south. South-facing windows were equipped with continuous sunshades to filter glare and mitigate solar gain. Each “house” was provided a unique, bold coloration to aid wayfinding and help students identify with their “house.” The “houses” were linked with one another and with other programmatic elements by an internal street dubbed “the runway” stretching north south. The eastern edge of the runway was conceived as a four-foot-thick spine running the entire length of the school to accommodate building services such as mechanical and electrical closets and duct chases. The spine manifests itself on the exterior as a series of forty-foot-high concrete planes and is crimped to allow the building a natural, organic shape in plan while also creating a safe-school aesthetic.

My position at the time of the project was Senior Principal and Founding Partner of 2WR. My role included serving as the principal-in-charge with the direct responsibilities of program development, project management, and overall responsible control.