Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,158
- Reaction score
- 7
Columbus Local News: > Archives > Region > News > Architects unveil plans for new schools for deaf, blind
"We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Ohio School for the Deaf Superintendent Ed Corbett said via an interpreter, Thursday, Feb. 5.
The light is the pending renovations -- after 32 months of planning, designing and redesigning -- for the New School for the Deaf and New School for the Blind.
"It is just a tiny speck of light," Corbett said, "but that light will light up the lives of our students for years to come."
Local residents, alumni and community representatives attended a public meeting held last week at the Ohio State School for the Blind, 5220 N. High St., to showcase building designs for the two schools.
The anticipated timeline includes asbestos abatement of the existing residences, now through March. Demolition to accommodate new construction is scheduled to take place April through June.
Site work construction is scheduled to begin in June, with construction of new academic buildings and residential units scheduled to begin in October, according to information from the state's school facilities commission.
Residential units are scheduled to be completed in July 2010 and academic buildings are scheduled to be complete in December 2010, with contractor close-out activities scheduled for March 2011.
Construction on a proposed bridge connector between the two schools is on the timeline to begin in October. However, the bridge is a part of the project that remains a work in progress, OSFC Executive Director Mike Shoemaker said.
"We are working with the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District regarding this easement," Shoemaker said.
"There is a construction easement for the stream and that easement has restrictions on structures," said District Assistant Director Emily Weber said.
A bridge would need to be approved by the district's board members, and their next meeting is Feb. 19.
If approved, the bridge would facilitate an economy of resources and staff, and link the two schools in terms of possibilities, Shoemaker said.
"We are not pushing schools together, and this is not a forced merger. But how can our resources be shared?" he said.
Officials hope that, if the bridge moves forward, cut-through traffic will be eased.
"Both of these designs were derived from the unique curriculum of each school," said Andrew Maletz, project lead architect with SHP Leading Design.
"The common thread is that these are both living and learning campuses, and we worked to capitalize on the commonalities," he said, while providing security, safety and ease of movement to students.
"On the deaf school campus, it is important to have clear lines of visibility, in order to be respectful and mindful of the high level of visible communication," he said.
There, the academic building will tie into the gym, he said, with student housing located a nice, comfortable distance from the academic building.
"You go to school, then you go home," Maletz said.
With the blind school students, "The emphasis on mobility is so important," he said. This led the design team to create more of a quadrangle, with housing more tightly packed and student dining areas closer to the housing area.
"It's a different site with different constraints, with a neighborhood to the north," he said. "We thought it would be more considerate to put more neighborly housing instead of a two-story building."
Elements of the deaf school campus include 22 new classrooms for grades K-12, a new TV studio, a multipurpose room with tiered seating, a full-service kitchen and dining area and a new media center.
The blind school campus will include 28 new classrooms for grades K-12, a new music center, multipurpose room and new media center, according to information from the commission.
"Our goal is to really accentuate the differences of each campus, yet share similarities and resources," Maletz said, such as a common palette of brick, steel and glass in construction materials, with prominent entries for both campuses.
"It is a prominent school in the state and it deserves a prominent entry," Maletz said, regarding the deaf school campus.
On the blind school campus, "We couldn't help but notice, as architects, the bell tower, so we're hoping we can bring that forward," he said, perhaps with a small water feature for an audible feature.
"We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Ohio School for the Deaf Superintendent Ed Corbett said via an interpreter, Thursday, Feb. 5.
The light is the pending renovations -- after 32 months of planning, designing and redesigning -- for the New School for the Deaf and New School for the Blind.
"It is just a tiny speck of light," Corbett said, "but that light will light up the lives of our students for years to come."
Local residents, alumni and community representatives attended a public meeting held last week at the Ohio State School for the Blind, 5220 N. High St., to showcase building designs for the two schools.
The anticipated timeline includes asbestos abatement of the existing residences, now through March. Demolition to accommodate new construction is scheduled to take place April through June.
Site work construction is scheduled to begin in June, with construction of new academic buildings and residential units scheduled to begin in October, according to information from the state's school facilities commission.
Residential units are scheduled to be completed in July 2010 and academic buildings are scheduled to be complete in December 2010, with contractor close-out activities scheduled for March 2011.
Construction on a proposed bridge connector between the two schools is on the timeline to begin in October. However, the bridge is a part of the project that remains a work in progress, OSFC Executive Director Mike Shoemaker said.
"We are working with the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District regarding this easement," Shoemaker said.
"There is a construction easement for the stream and that easement has restrictions on structures," said District Assistant Director Emily Weber said.
A bridge would need to be approved by the district's board members, and their next meeting is Feb. 19.
If approved, the bridge would facilitate an economy of resources and staff, and link the two schools in terms of possibilities, Shoemaker said.
"We are not pushing schools together, and this is not a forced merger. But how can our resources be shared?" he said.
Officials hope that, if the bridge moves forward, cut-through traffic will be eased.
"Both of these designs were derived from the unique curriculum of each school," said Andrew Maletz, project lead architect with SHP Leading Design.
"The common thread is that these are both living and learning campuses, and we worked to capitalize on the commonalities," he said, while providing security, safety and ease of movement to students.
"On the deaf school campus, it is important to have clear lines of visibility, in order to be respectful and mindful of the high level of visible communication," he said.
There, the academic building will tie into the gym, he said, with student housing located a nice, comfortable distance from the academic building.
"You go to school, then you go home," Maletz said.
With the blind school students, "The emphasis on mobility is so important," he said. This led the design team to create more of a quadrangle, with housing more tightly packed and student dining areas closer to the housing area.
"It's a different site with different constraints, with a neighborhood to the north," he said. "We thought it would be more considerate to put more neighborly housing instead of a two-story building."
Elements of the deaf school campus include 22 new classrooms for grades K-12, a new TV studio, a multipurpose room with tiered seating, a full-service kitchen and dining area and a new media center.
The blind school campus will include 28 new classrooms for grades K-12, a new music center, multipurpose room and new media center, according to information from the commission.
"Our goal is to really accentuate the differences of each campus, yet share similarities and resources," Maletz said, such as a common palette of brick, steel and glass in construction materials, with prominent entries for both campuses.
"It is a prominent school in the state and it deserves a prominent entry," Maletz said, regarding the deaf school campus.
On the blind school campus, "We couldn't help but notice, as architects, the bell tower, so we're hoping we can bring that forward," he said, perhaps with a small water feature for an audible feature.