AIA Kansas City: The American Institute of Architects

2008 Citation Awards

South Junior High School
  • Gould Evans
  • Lawrence, Kansas

A series of loosely connected boxes, similar to vertebrae, are resultant of 4 wood slices through an otherwise monolithic and autonomous brick object. These slices, creating a natural light-filled commons adjacent all programmatic components, provide the only circulation required of the building, and act as a flexible learning laboratory for the school. Large garage-like glass doors allow for an entire wall of each classroom to connect to this laboratory, enabling a teaching methodology based on collaboration between core classes, among teams, and even among entire grade levels. Both experiential and visual overlap of programmed spaces create a unique, safe, and sustainable solution for South Junior High School.