2003 James D. MacConnell Award

The James D. MacConnell Award was created by CEFPI to recognize the significant contributions made to the profession of planning educational facilities and to CEFPI by Dr. MacConnell. This prestigious award recognizes educational facility planning excellence-from determination of the need for the facility through occupancy-and all segments in between. The project(s) being recognized best demonstrate the comprehensive effectiveness of planning, design and construction.

2003 Winner:

Reece High School
Tasmania, Australia
Submitting Firm: Department of Education, Tasmania
Architect: Glenn Smith Associates
Planner: Prakash Nair Consultants
Project Type: Rebuild
Grades: 7-10
Occupancy Date: February 2003
Capacity: 600

View the Reece High School video clip 42.1 MB (requires Windows Media Player)
Read the Press Release

A fire set by an arsonist substantially destroyed Reece High school in December 2000 and created a great sense of loss among the residents of this community that have experienced difficult economic times with relatively high levels of unemployment. The redesigned Reece High School that is strongly committed to the whole community represents an outstanding example of how a lost asset can be replaced while still creating an effective 21st century learning environment. Today, the project has become a powerful national role model for civic engagement. It enhances educational opportunities for every resident while serving as a symbol of what can be achieved when communities work together to realize a shared vision.

That vision driven by the research about how students learn is now materializing within the very modest original budget of $10M(Aus) and a compressed timetable that has resulted in students back at their new school only two years after the fire. This new school is demonstrating that good ideas and good schools need not be expensive or time consuming.

Finalists

Noble High School
North Berwick, ME
Submitting Firm: Harriman Associates
Project Type: New
Grades: 9-12
Occupancy Date: September 2001
Capacity: 1,500

Every element in the design of Noble High School was based on determining what was best for students. The new facility was designed around five basic principles:

• Abolish anonymity by creating schools within schools;
• Reflect the concept of teacher as coach, student as worker;
• Accommodate a curriculum that is collaboratively designed, interdisciplinary and project-based;
• Be a community center that integrates community with educational functions; and
• Be flexible in design, material and function.

West Woods Upper Elementary
Farmington, CT
Submitting Firm: Jeter, Cook & Jepson Architects, Inc.
Project Type: New
Grades: 5-6
Occupancy Date: August 2002
Capacity: 700

The idea of small learning communities directly affected the overall layout of West Woods Upper Elementary School. Although the harsh New England climate made a campus-plan undesirable, the school is designed as a series of individual buildings connected by transparent connectors. This approach supports the learning program on many levels: It allows students to identify a smaller home within the larger community of the school. It mirrors the village-like character of the town itself. It allowed the school to be built along a ridge with minimal clearing of land, preserving native trees and vegetation- students are never out of view of the preserved woodland and the experience of walking through the school is like walking outdoors between separate buildings.

The site and building have been designed as an integrated learning environment. The village-like nature of the building has allowed a variety of distinct outdoor space to be developed that directly support the learning program. Aside from the usual ball fields and paved play areas, the school has outdoor classroom areas adjacent to a preserved 10-acre wetlands.

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