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The aerial illustrates the full campus site plan and the Middle School prior to the addition.
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The addition replaced a smaller multipurpose wing and was positioned to create an edge to the central student quadrangle.
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The plan organization places a poche of lower height meeting and service spaces against the existing building.
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A simple U-shaped functional diagram provides an open and flexible plan.
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The new entrance elevates the experience of the existing 60’s structure and is anchored by a vertical mass concealing the exhaust for the science lab.
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The library wall offers a deep and dark gray band which is punctuated by the two openings leading to the open class/lab spaces.
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An ordered and banded ceiling plane form extends to the clerestory windows which floods the space with natural light. The hexagonal geometries found in other building forms on campus find their way into the carpet and tile patterns throughout the building.
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Full glass openings at the front and back entrance connect to two different and active outdoor spaces on campus.
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Enclosed study rooms provide space for collaboration and group study.
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A “found” corner under the stairs offers an off-the-beaten-path spot for a quiet moment and a great view of the central student quadrangle.
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Space for robotics demonstrations and competition practice just outside the library and robotics lab offers a multi-use area to gather for fun.
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The robotics lab opens to the demonstration area and also allows access to the rear patio for robotics activity outdoors as well.
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The maker space is a hub of activity and on full display from the campus in its strategic position on the corner of this addition.
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Student productions take front and center stage for everyone to see located in this prominent glass enclosed core space.
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This photo illustrates that even in the science lab there is great connectivity to the student activity out in the quadrangle.
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Morgan Nowland
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Morgan Nowland
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Morgan Nowland
Without a strict program of spaces required, McCarty Holsaple McCarty explored new educational goals and styles of learning with the faculty and administration to design this Innovation Center. The center
responds to a desire to integrate technology and hands-on making, offering students a variety of spaces to collaborate, innovate and explore together.
A new main entrance establishes a front-to-back 2-story spine alongside the existing building and puts the library on full display. The flexible space features a deep gray wall of books with sliding whiteboards to facilitate conversation wherever a group may be gathered. Penetrating the book wall, the building is organized by placing labs and maker spaces to the perimeter with a common core featuring storage, a faculty office, and a broadcast studio. Bringing the “servant” spaces to the interior achieved the school’s mandate that the innovation class/labs be featured indoors and out.
A vocabulary of materials featuring punched metal stair risers and sunshades, hexagonal castellated beams and hexangular carpet, and LVT patterns speak a common language of unique forms found on campus. The brightly colored greens are a playful twist on the school’s colors and the interiors reflect an attitude of creative whimsy, which is at the core of a facility designed for innovation and creativity for young students.
Webb School of Knoxville - Middle School Innovation Center
Category
Middle School
Description
Project Location:
Knoxville, TN
Architecture Firm
McCarty Holsaple McCarty
Knoxville, TN
https://www.mhminc.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mhminc
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mccarty-holsaple-mccarty/
Photography By:
Morgan Nowland
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