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2004 "Good Design Means Good Schools" Awards Program

Sponsored by AIA Kentucky and the Kentucky School Boards Association

2004 marks the beginning of an exciting new relationship between the Kentucky Chapter of The American Institute of Architects and the Kentucky School Boards Association. Together, we've developed a program that demonstrates how Good Design Means Good Schools. The program is intended to showcase good school design and demonstrate how educational goals can be met through implementation of appropriate school design concepts and approaches. These educational goals include increased student achievement, improved teacher satisfaction and enhanced community support for quality school design.

The 23 Kentucky public school projects submitted in the design competition phase of this program were reviewed by a Nashville-based Jury, which selected six projects to receive Awards for Design Excellence. The jury designated two Honor Award winners, two Merit Award winners, and two Citation winners:

HONOR AWARDS

Bowling Green Junior High School – Bowling Green, KY
Architect: Ross-Tarrant Architects, Lexington
Owner: Bowling Green Independent Schools

Jury Comments: "This school is incredible." "The community, students and faculty must be thrilled with the outcome of this project." "It is a light and airy facility with excellent use of day lighting and the site development is extremely well organized." The architects noted the cost per square foot gave the owners a "lot of bang for the buck!" Complimentary adjectives are in abundance for this "WOW" project, receiving the judges' top award, the Certificate of Honor.

East Ridge High School – Lick Creek, Kentucky
Architect: Richardson Associates Architects, P.S.C., Whitesburg
Owner: Pike County Board of Education

Jury Comments: "The architects are held in high esteem for successfully managing the cost of the site development and the modern geothermal HVAC system. These are not easy costs to absorb into a budget for any municipality." "This firm proves that "Good Design Makes Good Schools." "The architects should be heralded for successfully consolidating three high schools and achieving a state of the art facility for this rural community." "This is an excellent example of when to make a facility an icon or focal point, thereby creating a community."

MERIT AWARDS

Briarwood Elementary School – Bowling Green, KY
Architect: Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects, Louisville
Owner: Warren County Board of Education

Jury Comments: "This is a wonderfully compact and efficient plan that proves good design efforts by the architectural team can successfully shorten otherwise very long and foreboding corridors." "The abundance of windows and day-lighting techniques provides both natural light for the interiors and a connection to the neighborhood outside." "This is an exciting example of good rhythms in the exterior forms." "The use of the school bell is reminiscent of the original community school house." This is a winning palette of colors and materials to stimulate the students and faculty. "All the "safety first" concerns of faculty have been met."

Dawson Orman Education Center – Louisville, KY
Architect: JRA Architects, Louisville
Owner: Jefferson County Public Schools

Jury Comments: "I compliment the delightful entry into the classrooms and acknowledge the architect's thoughtful use of playful details." "The details used in this project can be used in a preschool setting to teach a variety of skills, thereby enhancing the students' learning ability and safety." "This is an excellent solution for an urban setting." "The architects should be commended for their consideration in keeping the scale of the project within its urban context."

CITATIONS

Erpbenbeck Elementary School – Florence, KY
Architect: Robert Ehmet Hayes & Associates, Fort Mitchell
Owner: Boone County Schools

Jury Comments: The jury felt the overall scale of the project and the architect's choices of materials were good. "This is one of my highest scoring projects." "The faculty and students are really going to appreciate the courtyard." "The overall simplicity of the floor plan with the interior detailing assists this project's successful delivery of a quality school for its community."

Anne Mason Elementary School – Georgetown, KY
Architect: Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects, Lexington
Owner: Scott County Board of Education

Jury Comments: The jury appreciates the "thematic" approach to this design. After all, a school is a community within itself. "The straightforward plan of this facility creates a simple and elegant solution." "The exciting use of color and expansive windows allow ample natural light into the interior spaces." "Proportioning and massing are ideally suited for this structure." "How wonderful to have art incorporated into a public school."

THE JURY

The jurors met January 16, 2004 in Nashville, Tennessee to review the 23 entries received for this year's program. The jury was assembled with the guidance of Carol Pedigo, executive director of the AIA Middle Tennessee Chapter. The jurors were:

• Gary Askew, AIA of Bauer Askew Architects, Nashville
• Leonard Celauro, AIA, of Allard Architects LLC, Nashville
• Arnold Von Hagen, RA, of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Planning and Construction
• Stanley Yeargins, Principal of Antioch Middle School, Nashville

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