JC McKenna Middle School
We teamed with the school district and the community to build a substantial addition to an honored historic building.
Need: More learning spaces and updated facilities to better serve the school district and community
Solution: Retain and renovate a part of the historic building and expand the school on the same site
Result: A like-new middle school with a neighborhood design concept to respect its residential surroundings
Fact Sheet
share projectServices Provided
Location
Evansville, WISize
100,900 sq ft (addition); 10,700 sq ft (renovation)Construction Cost
$23,100,000Client Type
Creating a Sense of Place
We worked closely with the Evansville Community School District’s staff and administration to develop a community-oriented theme for the building that includes:
- Grade levels organized into neighborhoods and anchored by a shared resource area dubbed the “backyard”
- Main corridors that mirror the main streets of the city of Evansville
- Wayfinding throughout the school that resembles street signs
- Environmental branding graphics that feature colorful maps of the community
Interior Design
The variety of housing shapes on a map of the city inspired patterns for wall decals, ceiling tiles, and placement of overhead lights.
Engaging the Community
We helped the Evansville Community School District facilitate a citizens advisory committee that led to a successful referendum for work at JC McKenna Middle School as well as Theodore Robinson Intermediate School, Levi Leonard Elementary School, and Evansville High School.
