Blaine Community Elementary School, Muncie, Indiana

Abstract

Believing that an educational facility can and should be more than just a school, this projects to maximize the effect upon, and the use by the entire community in which it is located. Such a facility and its associated activities can become the center of neighborhood activity and interaction, encourage physical and social stability in the community, and can enrich the lives of not only the children but every inhabitant of the community.Due to the diversity of activities, the facility desires the ability to be zoned so as to efficiently utilize the spaces and control the activities and participants.Present school policy and programs dictate the use of the open plan for the primary educational space, Systems and dimensions are such as to ensure maximum flexibility and convertability.Spaces such as the gym, multi-use areas, specialized education rooms, etc., are all spaces which can be utilized by the community and are located in such ways as to make them easily accessible and related to outside activities.The site is developed in a variety of ways depending upon vegetation, distance from the facility, and natural-aesthetic.potential. The normal recreational facilities are joined by a park and an ice-roller skating-community activity-recreation area.The scale of the surrounding neighborhood and the participant-users was a constant consideration and lead to the small scale massing and exterior expressions.