LOCATION
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

AREA
151,759 GSF

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Located on the oldest active army post west of the Mississippi River, Fort Leavenworth Army Post, MacArthur Elementary is a kindergarten through sixth-grade school that is designed to provide the best education and experience for the military families at Fort Leavenworth.

The five-unit school turns each grade level classroom into a “pod,” that is surrounded by exterior courtyards. Bright colors were used throughout the building to create a positive and energized learning environment for students, which can be seen in the large atrium that is located off of the entryway. This space houses 40 grade-level classrooms, two computer labs, an auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium, library, art center, and science rooms.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• LEED Gold Certification
• Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system consists of ground source heat pumps utilizing a vertical geothermal heat exchanger. Outdoor air is introduced through energy recovery ventilators.
• Electrical systems are designed to provide power, lighting, fire alarm, communications systems, and security and audiovisual rough-ins for the occupancy and use of all components of the facility.
• Plumbing system utilizes domestic water supplied from the main in 5th Artillery. Natural gas-fired water heaters generates domestic hot water.
• Fire protection system is a wet sprinkler system throughout the building designed for light hazard, utilizing a fire pump to provide adequate pressure.
• Provided design of VoIP loudspeaker public address solution (in lieu of traditional analog solution).
• Produced a design of digital Power-Over-Ethernet IP clock system.
• Designed collaboration spaces with projectors at strategic locations within classroom corridors for student interaction.

Photography credit: Kessler Photography