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MORRIS JEFF COMMUNITY SCHOOLA FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL FACILITY PLANNING

A Project Of

THE TULANE CITY CENTER andMORRIS JEFF COMMUNITY SCHOOL

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROJECT OVERVIEW

FRAMEWORK

PROGRAM

SITE

PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION

PRECEDENTS / PRACTICES

NEXT STEPS

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6

8

10

14

16

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INTRODUCTIONABOUT MORRIS JEFF COMMUNITY SCHOOLIn Fall 2010, Morris Jeff Community School opened its doors as one of the most racially and economically diverse open-access public schools in the history of New Orleans. Morris Jeff Community School currently serves children in grades Pre-K to 3rd, with a heavy focus on languages, the arts and the development of the whole child. The school will grow over the next few years to serve children in all elementary grades (Pre-K to 8th). This flagship school for the city of New Orleans would not exist had it not been for the grassroots efforts and shared vision of parents, educators and community leaders in the Mid-City and St. John neighborhoods. Their vision was to create a school that reflects the diversity of the city both in the children that will attend and in the education they will receive; a school that is child-centered and focused on more than just test scores. In October 2009, this vision was realized when the school’s Type 5 charter application was approved by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) called Morris Jeff’s application “one of the strongest applications they have ever reviewed”.

Despite these successes, the school community has continually been forced into action on three primary issues: the school’s future site, the school’s future size, and the timeline for the design and construction of the school’s new facility. The school community now feels confident that its relationship with the RSD and project architect is collaborative and shares an overall common vision for the process.

PROJECT OVERVIEWThe purpose of this project is to provide Morris Jeff Community School (MJCS) and its constituents with the necessary framework to effectively engage the Recovery School District (RSD), project architect, and Mid-City community in the school facility planning process for the Fisk-Howard site. It is important to state that this is not a design proposal, nor a substitute for the important work of the School Facilities Master Plan (SFMP) or RSD. Rather, this document simply presents background information critical to the design process to the Morris Jeff community. This pre-design information falls into three principle categories: the proposed school’s size, site, and program. Each of these areas of consideration will have major architectural implications that any design proposal for the facility must address. By encouraging a common understanding of these fundamental criteria, it is hoped that the school community will not only be able to effectively engage in the planning process, but will also be seen as a valuable partner in that process. The ultimate goal for all parties involved is to produce the best school facility possible; one that not only meets basic requirements, but takes full advantage of this historic opportunity by creating an excellent learning environment for the children of the Mid-City neighborhood and the New Orleans community in general.

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PROJECT: PROVIDE MORRIS JEFF COMMUNITY SCHOOL AND ITS CONSTITUENTS WITH THE NECESSARY FRAMEWORK TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE IN THE SCHOOL FACILITY PLANNING PROCESS

LOCATION: MID-CITY, NEW ORLEANS (THE FORMER FISK-HOWARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE)

PARTNERS: TULANE CITY CENTER AND MORRIS JEFF COMMUNITY SCHOOL

GOAL: FACILITATE THE BEST FACILITY DESIGN POSSIBLE BY MAXIMIZING THE POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MORRIS JEFF COMMUNITY SCHOOL, RECOVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT, NEIGHBORHOOD, AND PROJECT ARCHITECT

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FRAMEWORKThe diagram below shows the principal factors

that will influence the design process and their

relationships to one another. Each will have

major architectural implications. The success of

any design proposal can, in part, be measured

by its ability to resolve these sets of baseline

criteria into a cohesive, functional, healthy, and

spatially rich environment for learning.

MORRIS JEFFCOMMUNITY

SCHOOL

RSD PROGRAMREQUIREMENTS

NEWSCHOOLFACILITY

school mission & visi

on

Mid

-City neighborhood community

DESIGN AND

CONSTRUCTION

CURRENT PRACTICES IN EDUCATION PROGRAMING

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE CURRICULUM

CODEREQUIREMENTS

EXISTINGSITE CONDITIONS

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MORRIS JEFF COMMUNITY SCHOOL MISSION AND VISION : As stated in Morris Jeff’s Vision, a community-centered, grassroots approach to education reform has helped to transform the school into “one of the most racially and economically diverse public schools in the history of New Orleans.” The curriculum at Morris Jeff is inquiry-based, encouraging the natural curiosity of children.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE CURRICULUM :Morris Jeff Community School is a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The school is pursuing verification as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education. The IB curriculum focuses on “the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.” (www.ibo.org) RSD PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS :As part of the recent master-planning process, the Recovery School District created a set of standards regarding educational programming and space planning. These standards specify a school model which embraces team teaching, thematic instruction and departmental organization. Space requirements regarding size and use for various program elements are also specified.

CURRENT PRACTICES : Though not specifically required by code, any new school facility should reflect current standards and best practices for school facility design. Factors include: standards for day lighting, class room acoustics, and the integration of technology throughout the building. These elements generally contribute to spaces which promote student engagement and learning while creating responsible, effective building systems.

EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS : The future site of the Morris Jeff Community School is located in the Mid-City neighborhood within the block bounded by Cleveland Ave., S. Rendon St., Palmyra St. and S. Lopez St. The approximately 2.27 acre site is the former site of Fisk-Howard Elementary School (now demolished). The site occupies a RD-3 zoning district with a larger scale institution to the north-east, intact residential fabric to the south-east / south-west, and the possibility of acquiring vacant property to the north-west.

CODE REQUIREMENTS :As with all buildings, educational facilities are required to comply with relevant building and civic codes to ensure the safety and well-being of all occupants. Because of their critical function of providing a safe learning environment for the children, schools are subject to specific requirements. In combination with the available site area, these requirements have major implications on the locations of spaces within the building.

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The School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans

Parish (SFMP) lays out standards for educational

programing. The plan’s ‘Educational Program

Requirements’ document calls for nine general

programmatic elements and specifies ideal

adjacencies between those elements. Total

square footages are listed for each space type

along with detailed breakdowns for individual

spaces within each category. (Refer to the SFMP

‘Educational Program Requirements’ for more

specific information on each of these general

categories. An updated version will be available

for download at: http://rebuildingnolaschools.

wordpress.com/technical-info/).

SFMP Building Capacity Values for the Fisk-Howared Site:Student / Program Capacity 788 students

Gross Floor Area Per Student 135 sq.ft.

Overall Building Capacity 986 occupants

Building Square Footage Total 106,757 sq.ft.

CoreAcademics

PerformingArts

PhysicalEducation

CafeteriaSpecialNeeds

Library/Media Center

Tech.

VisualArts

Admin.

adjacency perferred

secure access required

outdoor access

main entrance

PROGRAM

CoreAcademics

PerformingArts

PhysicalEducation

CafeteriaSpecialNeeds

Library/Media Center

Tech.

VisualArts

Admin.

adjacency perferred

secure access required

outdoor access

main entrance

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SQ.FT.

30,300

12,765

7,450

4,760

4,375

3,430

2,485

1,565

1,450

1,270

850

70,700

36,057

106,757

RS

D P

RO

GR

AM

FO

R 7

88

ST

UD

EN

TS

SPACE TYPE

Core Academics

Physical Education

Food Service

Library/Media Center

Special Needs

Music/Performing Arts

Welcome/Administration

Student Services

Visual Arts

Custodial/Maintenance

Exploratories (Flexible Classroom)

Program Net Subtotal

Support Spaces (Services/Restrooms/Circulation, 51% of net)

Total

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SITE

Je

f fe

r so

n D

av

i s P

k wy .

C a n a l S t .

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S. Rendon St. (Possible Opportunity For Expansion / Incorporation)

Cleveland Ave. (Larger Scale, Three Story Institution)

S. Lopez St. (Intact Residential Fabric)

Palmyra St. (Intact Residential Fabric)

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SITEZONING REQUIREMENTS / OPPORTUNITIES

WORKING VALUES: Total Site Area 98,881 sq.ft. or 2.27 acres

RD-3 ZONING REQUIREMENTS: Set Back: 20’ front and rear; 10’ sides (New Orleans Comprehensive Zoning Ordinances (NOCZO) Sec.4.6, See table 4.F This would require a variance. Section 13.10 of the code calls for setbacks of 25 feet. Section 4 setbacks are more in line with neighborhood.)

Area of Setback: 18,200 sq.ft.

(usable for site circulation, play space, green space etc.)

Buildable Area: 80,681 sq.ft.

(area of setback minus site area)

Height Restriction: 40’ (NOCZO table 4.F and 15.5.5.2)

Parking Requirement: ~53 spaces (~13,780 sq.ft.) (in accordance with NOCZO Sec.15 table 15.A)

SITE / EXISTING CONDITIONS

98,881 sq. ft. (2.27 acres)

3 0 8 ’

3 2 1 ’S . R

e nd

on

St .

S . L o

pe z S

t .

P a l m y r a S t .

C l e v e l a n d A v e .

existing curb cuts

existing drop-o�

N

0’ 50’ 100’ 200’

Larger Scale

Three Story Institution

Intact

Residential Fabric

Intact

Residential Fabric

Vacant

Gym

Building

Vacant

Lot

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BUILDABLE AREA POSSIBLE 1ST FLOOR PROGRAM DIAGRAM

2 0 ’

2 0 ’

10’

10’

80,681 sq. ft.total buildable area

N

0’ 50’ 100’ 200’

S . R

e nd

on

St .

S . L o

pe z S

t .

P a l m y r a S t .

C l e v e l a n d A v e .

curb cuts

existing

existing

drop-o�

S.

Re

nd

on

St .

S.

Lo

pe

z S

t .

P a l my r a S t .

C l e v e l a n d Av e .

N

0’ 50’ 100’ 200’

drop off/entry

services

shade

pre-

k,k,

& 1

st

play

spa

ce

pr

e-k,

k,&

1st

admin.

gym

cafeteria

performingarts

parking ?

outdoor / playspace

com

mun

ity

gard

en ?

?

pref

erab

ly n

ot

park

ing

Larger Scale

Three Story Institution

Larger Scale

Three Story Institution

Intact

Residential Fabric

Intact

Residential Fabric

Intact

Residential Fabric

Intact

Residential Fabric

Vacant

Gym

Building

Vacant

Lot

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PROGRAM DISTRIBUTIONOne of the most significant factors determining the

distribution of program in a school facility is the

requirements of the Life Safety Code. For example,

spaces for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade

are essentially required to be on the first floor. Second

grade classrooms are required to occupy the first or

second floor. Though not required by code, some other

program elements, such as the gym and cafeteria, have

characteristics making the first floor the most logical

location for them. In combination, the specific space

needs, site constraints, and code requirements have major

implications for the location of spaces within the building.

Furthermore, the relationship between the size of the site

and estimated total square footage of the building suggests

that the new building will need to be at least three stories

tall. The diagram at right illustrates a possible distribution

of programmatic elements across the floors of the building

as well as the relationships between the available site area

and the building’s footprint. This analysis suggests that

maintaining enough contiguous free site area for outdoor

play and green space will be an important consideration in

the design process.

MJCS, ESTIMATED 3 STORY BUILDING AREA:

Built Area Estimate: 50,501 sq.ft.

Built Area + Parking 63,885 sq.ft.

Un-built Site Area 34,996 sq.ft. (area available for site circulation, green space, play spaces, etc)

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20,000

20,000

0

40,000

40,000

60,000

SQUARE FEET

80,000 100,000 110,000

1 ST

FLO

OR

2

ND

FLO

OR

3

RD F

LOO

R

10,000

10,000

30,000

30,000

50,000

50,000

70,000 90,000

SITE AREA___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________98,881

ESTIMATED GROSS BUILDING SQUARE FOOTAGE__________________________________________________________________________________________________106,757

BUILDABLE AREA____________________________________________________________________________________________80,681

ESTIMATED 3 STORY BUILDING FOOTPRINT __________________________50,105 PARKING_____13,780

LIBRARY4,760

FOOD SERVICE7,450

MUSICPERF. ARTS

3,430

PRE-K, K, & 1st8,510

6th - 8th GRADES10,370

2nd-5th GRADES11,420

PHYSICAL ED.12,765

SUPPORT SPACES (Services/Restrooms/Circulation)

12,442 sq.ft. per �oor

SITE CIRC.10,000

SET BACK__________18,200

OUTDOOR / GREEN SPACE_____24,996

SPEC

IAL

NEE

DS

4,3

75

V. A

RT 1

,450

ST.

SER

V. 1

,565

AD

MIN

. 2,4

85

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In addition to guidelines for program adjacencies and

square footage, the SFMP program requirements and

specifications provide direction for creating optimum

learning environments. The interior configuration of the

school shapes the daily routine of students and informs the

culture of the school. As such, every opportunity to enrich

the spacial and functional qualities of the school interior

should be seriously considered.

CURRENT PRACTICE | inside

disbursing technology and

offices amongst core academic spaces

maximizes access and promotes

interaction

variation in classrooms

avoids a sense of

mass production

flexible spaces

provide break out areas

adaptable for group

meetings or performances

hallways can act as

collaboration spaces and

encourage social engagement

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Flex

ible

Sp

aces

Kindergarten Sighartstein | Kadawittfeldarchitektur

Th

ou

gh

tfu

l Pro

gra

m D

istr

ibu

tio

n

Heritage Heights School | Marshall Tittemore

Hal

lway

s as

Co

llab

ora

tive

Zo

nes

Poquoson Elementary School | VMDO

Perc

h a

nd

Cav

e-lik

e A

reas

Knokke-Heist School Building | NL Architects

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Morris Jeff Community School’s new facility will be new

construction on a site that is situated within an existing

neighborhood fabric. This provides an opportunity and

obligation for the school to connect to its surroundings and

implement choices that serve to engage the community

within which it exists.

CURRENT PRACTICES | exterior

environmental stewardship can be

expressed both as a teaching tool and an

effective site planning strategy

building close to the street edge marks

a relationship to the neighborhood and

reduces need for fences and mowing

circulation visible from the school

exterior connects students and the

surrounding community

a main entry point, large lobby and

language of way-finding prevent

confusion for students and guests

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Env

iro

nm

enta

l Ste

war

dsh

ip

Sidwell Friends School | Kieran Timberlake

En

gag

emen

t o

f S

tree

t

The Wheeler School | Ann Beha Architects

Lan

gu

age

of

Way

Fin

din

g

Brokaw Early Learning Center | DLR Group

Dis

pla

y o

f M

ovem

ent

Evelyn Grace Academy | Zaha Hadid Architects

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CURRENT PRACTICES | systemsPassive and mechanical systems present in the school

building have a huge effect on student learning and health.

As such, designers consider environmental impact, indoor

air quality, acoustics, energy efficiency, and material

sourcing as part of the design process. (Note: All new

schools built under the SFMP are required to be LEED

silver.) interior lighting conditions are most

comfortable when there are various levels

that can be adjusted within the classroom

maximizing day lighting while reducing

glare provides good natural light for

learning

non-toxic materials should be strived

for both inside and outside the school

building

in addition to energy efficiency, utilizing

systems such as low velocity ventilation

can improve health and acoustics

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Day

Lig

hti

ng

Fossalunga Nursery School | Studiomas Architetti Associati

No

n-T

oxic

Mat

eria

ls

Tartu Kesklinna School Extension | Salto AB

En

erg

y E

ffici

ent

Sys

tem

s

Fossil Ridge High School | RB+B Architects

Co

ntr

ol o

f Li

gh

tin

g

Trevvett Elementary School | BCWH Architects

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TIMELINE / NEXT STEPS01.23.2012 architect begins work

02.09.2012 community meeting #1 . schematic design kick-off, information & community input 02.13.2012 community meeting #2 . schematic design preliminary site layouts, vehicle access, orientation & massing

spring.2012 community meeting #3 . design development site layout, floor plans & exterior concepts

summer.2012 community meeting #4 . design development developed floor plans & exterior elevations

fall.2012 community meeting #5 . contract documents final review of project before going out for bids

12.04.2012 advertise for bids

01.04.2013 bid date

02.04.2013 contractor begins work

07.13.2013 completion date