BUILT IN THE PAST. DESIGNING THE FUTURE.
PROJECT—Education
James Rutter Middle School New Science Center
Client: Elk Grove Unified School District
Size: 14,451 sq. ft.
Completion: July 2020
Location: Sacramento, CA
Service: Pre-Design, Design, Construction Documents, BIM
Principal-in-Charge: Brian Maytum
Project Coordinator: Elizabeth Hawks-McBride
Interior Designer: Yesenia Watkins
Structural Engineer: Degenkolb
Mechanical Engineer: Weston & Associates
Electrical Engineer: EDGE
Landscape: MTW Group
Civil Engineer: Warren Consulting Engineers
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The James Rutter Science Center consists of eight science labs and a large central collaboration space serving state-of-the art science facilities for 6th-8th grade students. To keep project costs down, a standardized design was established among all labs that utilizes flexible furniture and workstations in response to changing program and curriculum needs. Abundant daylighting is provided through large exterior storefront windows and the traditional abundance of casework gives way to tackable and marker wall surfaces for collaborative learning and the display of student work. The central collaboration space services the teacher’s primary work area and contains a fume hood, gas and other utilities for small group demonstrations, keeping these more dangerous utilities and materials out of the labs. The collaboration space is large enough not only for the eight science teachers, but is sized for large group and campus-wide teacher trainings.
Provide new state-of-the-art science labs to replace outdated science classrooms that do not meet current curriculum, space and safety standards.
Design a new stand-alone science building for an under-served student population at one of the school district’s most socioeconomically challenged middle schools with a history of vandalism.
The James Rutter Science Center provides a safe and secure free-standing building in a location on the campus that facilitates visibility by school staff and administrators while fostering a sense of inclusiveness. The building is located directly adjacent to the main academic core of classrooms on one side and the basketball courts and athletic playing fields on the other. The new science center is linked to the existing campus with an interactive science courtyard, designed as a place for gathering, exhibits and experimentation. Each lab opens to its own outdoor learning court with fixed seating and area to roll out movable furniture for small group collaboration. Generous roof overhangs create shade and weather protection directly outside the labs and links the building to the central science courtyard. Durable materials and a standard lab design create efficiency and promote sustainability and reduced operating costs.
