Phillis Wheatley Elementary

Location

New Orleans, Louisiana

Owner

New Orleans Recovery School District

This FEMA funded building will be an improved replacement of the existing school and will have cutting edge technology related to education. The design and construction is planned to integrate within the Treme neighborhood. The $19.5 M project is anticipated to be LEED Silver and will include a 90,000 SF facility on the existing site. The elementary school will provide multiple educational delivery systems including self contained instruction, team teaching, thematic instruction, and departmental organization. The building will be organized to support team teaching in order to address year to year changes in educational approaches. The Pre-K through 8th grade will be organized in zones to define schools-within -schools and small learning facilities.

The new school will include a 9500 SF gymnasium on the second floor with seating for 450 people. The seating will be retractable bleacher seating sections on both sides of the multi-purpose gym sports floor, which will fold up against the walls when not in use. The sports floor will be set-up for basketball and volleyball configurations with folding basketball goals, storable volleyball equipment, a scoreboard, and PA system. Adjacent support spaces will include Boys’ and Girls’ Locker rooms, Team Locker rooms, Public restrooms, Concessions, and Equipment Storage.

The Second Floor of the new school will also incorporate a Music/Performance room of approximately 2400 sf. The room will have operable walls which will allow the space to provide a Music classroom and a Choir classroom in one configuration, and a ‘Black Box’ Theater in another configuration. Operable wall panels will allow for the space to have the multiple configurations. When the operable wall panels are stacked to the side walls for the theater configuration, the platform stage panels will be brought out from an adjacent storage room and set up. A pipe grid for stage lighting will be provided, along with a sound system for live performances and recitals.