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Academy Renovations Recognized for Outstanding Architecture and Design
Posted: August 11, 2008Last year at this time, The Grosse Pointe Academy was getting ready to open the doors of its renovated school building for students and faculty members to enjoy during the 2007-08 school year. This fall the school will open its doors once again, but this time to a building that has received a number of accolades and awards for outstanding architecture and design that focused on historic preservation as well as creating the best possible learning environment for students.
Most recently, the Academy was selected by School Planning & Management magazine as a winner of the 2008 Impact on Learning Awards. Scores of entries were received showcasing schools from all across North America.
Says Jerry Enderle, Editor-in-Chief of School Planning & Management magazine: “This year’s winners represent a cross section of the best new construction and renovation projects in the U.S. The Grosse Pointe Academy project was among those recognized for solving real-world problems through innovative design, engineering, and technology solutions.”
All winning institutions will be honored at the 2008 Awards Banquet that will take place during the Council of Educational Facility Planners International’s (CEFPI) 85th Annual International Conference this fall in San Diego. The GPA project will also be published in the August 2008 issue of School Planning & Management magazine and included in a special “Impact on Learning” Award Supplement. Receiving recognition in the historic preservation category, the Academy’s renovations will appear on the magazine’s cover.
“The vision of The Grosse Pointe Academy was to bring a modern learning environment to its historic Moran building, and to do so without impacting the school’s striking Gothic exterior,” explained project architect Theo Pappas, AIA, of Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc. in Novi. “A phased renovations program ‘unlocked’ the building by rearranging program areas and reclaiming space for education.”
Classrooms are now 200 to 250 square feet larger and can support modern educational programs for grades 1-8. New computers and plasma televisions in each classroom, and a new computer lab on the second floor, create a technology-rich environment. Teachers enjoy ample storage space, and new lighting systems reduce energy costs. Preservation efforts brought new life to the 78-year-old building by restoring windows and doors as well as the original Welsh tile in the main lobby.
The Grosse Pointe Academy was also recognized for outstanding architecture and design in education and appeared as a “Project of Distinction” in the June 2008 issue of School Planning & Management’s Education Design Showcase. Said Thomas P. McGinley, Special Projects Manager for the Education Design Showcase: “Good designs don’t just happen. They are created due to the hard work of the district, the architect and the community. Each project may be unique, yet they all share one common goal: to provide the best possible learning environment for all students at all levels of education. The Grosse Pointe Academy’s project has achieved this goal.”
Finally, The Grosse Pointe Academy library was featured in the April 2008 issue of American Libraries magazine. The 2,800 square foot library renovation retained the original wood arches, historic pendant and sconce lighting, windows and wainscoting, while adding supplemental and task lighting and converting a former stage into a young children’s reading area.
Educational planning and interior design were led by Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc., with Frank Rewold & Sons serving as construction/project managers and Grissim Metz Andriese Associates leading the landscape architecture project. Lighting design was by Peter Basso Associates, Inc. and the historic preservation portion of the project was overseen by Gunn Levine Architects.