Harvie Elementary School - Merit Award Winner
Owner: Henrico County Public Schools
General Contractor: Gulf Seaboard General Contractors, Inc.
Photographer: Chris Cunningham Phtography
Project Narrative:
Harvie Elementary School is located in the East End of Henrico County. This rapidly growing area has tended to be more economically deprived and culturally diverse than other areas of the county. Henrico
County Public Schools wanted to create a strong presence and image with the design of this new school. They wanted the community to know their children and their children’s education were highly valued.
Harvie was to be a bold new school the East End could be proud of. To help make this statement, the Design Committee was receptive to a dynamic contemporary aesthetic, bold forms and profiles in the design and big splashes of color throughout the school’s interior to express their excitement and enthusiasm for education.
There was an intentional effort during the planning of Harvie to thoroughly understand the unique needs of this community. Taken into consideration were the educational experiences of committee members, site conditions, the HCPS architectural program, and an extensive exploration of how teaching and learning will be accommodated within the new facility.
Jury Comments:
-
Presentation demonstrated excellent interaction between design team and end-user, demonstrates how the design evolved.
-
Architect and client developed a well narrated design parti.
-
Photography expresses the children’s’ joy in attending this school.
-
Avoids a monolithic solution to the design challenges through good massing, scale and use of color.
