Mars Area School District

IKM was asked to review potential solutions for improvements for the Mars Area Middle School. A thorough facility assessment was performed by the District’s construction management team which dealt with operational performance of all the district’s property assets. IKM’s engagement was to focus specifically on the academic relevance of the Middle School and its ability to support 21st Century educational models. Three solutions were developed to support their goals, as a result of the study IKM performed.

Option 1

Taking advantage of the original open plan concept and structural flexibility, Option 1 reor­ganizes the academic footprint into 3 learning communities. Each learning community in­cludes a shared learning commons and faculty office space. Transparency is included wher­ever possible to provide visual connections be­tween spaces and allows interior windowless Learning Studios to “borrow” daylight from common space. Corridors are also enlarged to assist student flow and provide personalized learning opportunities.

Option 3

Option 3 relocates the Middle School to va­cant, wooded property that is currently owned by the school district, north of the football and baseball complex. This site has character­istics in topography and vegetation that that should be considered in the design of a new middle school, minimizing alterations to both. The new building should be positioned along an East-West axis to maximize daylighting in academic spaces.

The concept provided in Option 3 provides SLC’s in a low-rise application. Similar SLC characteristics to those identified in Option 2 are present in this two-story solution. Setting the building softly into the natural terrain pro­vides ample opportunities for outdoor learning spaces. Additionally, science studios are incorporated into the individual SLCs.