Scottsdale Christian Academy - Phoenix, Arizona

Scottsdale Christian Academy is a private, Christian school located in North Phoenix , Arizona , that serves approximately 1,200 students in preschool through 12th grade. The existing campus was a single-story, split-face masonry construction, almost completely filling a 15-acre site. In building an addition to the school, leaders wanted something that would present an attractive “face” to the community.

“The recreation of the image and identity of the school was developed by the strategic placement of a building used by parents or the public on a prominent corner using iconic graphics,” said Paul Winslow, partner at the Ocutt/Winslow Partnership, the Phoenix-area architectural firm involved in the project's design.

In keeping with the split-face masonry used on the rest of the school, this new, two-story addition features smooth concrete block for areas school children pass regularly. Split-face block is used in areas not frequented by students. This decision was based on a recommendation by the school nurse, who had seen numerous scraped arms and elbows on children who got too close to the split-face concrete on the original building.

The school has a particularly strong fine arts program and is noted for putting on a wide variety of creative, high-quality events, incorporating fine arts. In considering expansion, the school wanted an instructional facility for arts and academics that would also maximize its ability to present fine arts performances on campus. Before, the school used its cafetorium for most events, with mixed results.

“Because of the limited space, they needed lots of flexibility,” noted Timothy Scolaro, project manager and architect with The Orcutt/Winslow Partnership. “What they have are rooms with multiple options for seating, for different levels and locations of performances. There can be many different configurations in this space. It really gets out of the mold of a black box theater. The sum of this space is more than its parts.”

In order to add more functional space, an open courtyard was placed in the middle of the new facility. This serves as an informal gathering space for the school on a daily basis, and it is set up in special configurations for outdoor performances. The art room overlooks this courtyard, so young artists can move to balcony areas and look out over the attractive space for inspiration. The drama room opens to the courtyard as well. A flat, maple floor in the drama room also can be used for dance. A pipe grid above and a computerized dimming system allow for an infinite variety of lighting options. Lighting for the outdoor courtyard also is controlled from the drama room.

While the main portion of the courtyard is flat, there are tiered, oversized steps along the sides that can be used for informal seating and to allow for raised seating when the focal point is away from the building or to extend the space for performance when the focal point is toward the building. An area behind operable glass walls located at the fulcrum of the courtyard can be set up as a stage or to allow the drama room to be opened up to this space for special functions. Rows of draperies on the interior side of the operable wall allow this area to be used in a variety of ways for both displays when the doors are closed or as a stage when they are open. The second-story walkway also can be used for performances.

A bronze sculpture in the courtyard takes advantage of multiple campus circulation axes that converge at that point. Planters around the sculpture serve as informal seating as well.

Three sides of the drama room include operable draperies that take the combined space from a reverberation time of 2.4 seconds with drapes exposed in the room to 0.7 seconds when all drapes are retracted, so that the space can be tuned as best suited to serve the function.

A control room above one side of the drama room with a draped-off space below can be opened up to allow this area below the control room to serve as a stage for the exterior courtyard. Drapes exposed across the back of the drama room have hidden openings at each end to allow access from the drama room to the green room. When all drapes are retracted, the drama room has plenty of natural light, with a great view of the courtyard, making it a pleasant space to visit, even if no performance is underway.

Between the drama and choir rooms is an operable wall, which can be moved if needed. The configuration allows the room to be set up in multiple ways with the observers and performers in different positions, depending upon what type of event is planned.

The choir room has integral carpeted risers that are large enough for the school band to set up on them. A suite of practice rooms off the side of the space can serve as a green room if performers come in from the end of the main space.

The space has been used for choir performances and musicals, as well as serving as a chapel and event space. In almost all cases, with the operable wall opened or closed, walls, floors and ceilings are at least 10 degrees off parallel to avoid standing reverberation waves.

Orcutt | Winslow, www.owp.com , specializes in designing people-oriented architecture. Architectural planning and design services have resulted in a portfolio of work valued at more than $3 billion in construction. Orcutt | Winslow's design focus is centered around three specialties: healthcare, education and senior living.

Fast Facts

School: Scottsdale Christian Academy

Location: Phoenix , Arizona

Student Body: 1,200

Grades Served: Pre-K through 12

Project Goal: Design a new instructional facility for arts and academics

Size: 20,000 square feet

Cost: $5.1 million

Challenge: Meet many different needs and functions in a limited space

Solution: Adding an open courtyard, surrounded by classrooms and arts spaces on the perimeter, adds indoor/outdoor flexibility to the space