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n e w s
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2006
For More Information:
Chris Schroder, 404.872.7289
chris@schroderpr.com
Steve Turkes, 312.755.4570
steven.turckes@perkinswill.com
Blythewood High School Is a Finalist for "Pulitzer" of Design Awards
SC Facility Named One of Top Three School Designs in the U.S.
ATLANTA, (September 19, 2006) -- Blythewood High School, in Blythewood, South Carolina, has been named one of the top three schools in the country for its design, it was announced today. Perkins+Will, a world leader in sustainable architecture and design, announced that Blythewood High School was a finalist for the James D. MacConnell Award, the most prestigious national award for school design. The award was presented last night during the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Blythewood community is delighted by the school's designation as one of the top three in the country but not particularly surprised. Blythewood High School's design is already at the top in the hearts and minds of students and officials. "Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the positive response that this school would have generated throughout the community," said Richland County, SC, School Superintendent Stephen Hefner.
"We knew we had a great feature in the site itself with a beautiful 10-acre lake, so we had to be very careful about the placement of the building and dealing with the several wetlands on the site that we had to maintain," said lead architect, Steve Turckes.
Turckes believes the school won for its collegiate atmosphere, strategic learning environment and sustainable design. The team of architects collaborated with students and members of the Blythewood community to make sure the school met two important objectives -- being technologically sophisticated and promoting independent thinking. The existing forest and wetlands on the 140-acre site were largely preserved and provide a stunning setting for the school. "This building is designed so that it can emphasize smaller learning communities as part of a big high school," said Blythewood principal Sharon Buddin.
Blythewood High School serves 1,700 students and has the capacity to accommodate up to 2,000. Despite serving large numbers, the 294,000 square foot building is divided into academic clusters defined by four areas or "houses" to encourage learning in smaller groups. Science labs and vocational technology labs are also part of the overall academic area, all connected by a cluster of central community spaces, including a media center and cyber café.
The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) is the only professional organization whose principle purpose is improving the places where children learn. CEFPI embraces all stakeholders who are committed to building healthy, safe, high performing school facilities and stronger communities. The Council functions as the convening organization to share knowledge, experiences and best practices of planning, designing, building, renovating and maintaining learning environments that center a community and enhance student success. The members of the Council firmly believe that where children learn is as important as what they learn.
Established in 1935, Perkins+Will (www.perkinswill.com) is an integrated architecture, interiors, and planning practice recognized as the preeminent sustainable design firm in the country. Perkins+Will has the highest number of LEED® Accredited Professionals in North America (ranked by Building Design & Construction magazine), with nearly half of the firm's 1,000 professionals accredited.
Perkins+Will serves clients out of offices in Atlanta, Beijing, Boston, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Research Triangle Park, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Vancouver, Victoria and Washington, DC. The firm practices architecture, interiors, branded environments and planning + strategies with clients in corporate + commercial + civic, healthcare, higher education, K-12 education, and science + technology. Perkins+Will routinely ranks among the world's top design firms and has received hundreds of awards, including the prestigious American Institute of Architects Firm of the Year Award.
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