BACK TO SCHOOL
FROM CLOSED LANDFILL TO RECREATION COMPLEX
A LOOK AHEAD
Here is a quick glimpse into projects in the works across the country . Watch for more on them in our blog ( AyresAssociates . com / blog /) and in future TRENDS issues .
BACK TO SCHOOL
When the first bell rings after the holiday next January , students at the Ellsworth Elementary School in Wisconsin may hardly recognize their old school . Ayres Associates ’ architects collaborated with consultant Ted Rozeboom and Healy | Bender on the design of a new 108,000-square-foot , five-section elementary school for 750 students . The design for the Ellsworth School District ’ s new elementary school is based on a collaborative teaching model , with large common learning areas in each classroom wing to provide a variety of teaching and learning configurations . The cafeteria , media center , and gym are in the core of the building , well-suited for after-hours use by the school and community . State-of-the-art building technologies were also planned for , including LED lighting , a displacement ventilation system , and a multi-level security system .
Ayres ’ interior design team introduced a neutral color palette with several pops of bright colors throughout the common circulation area . Materials were reviewed and assessed with the environmental staff to provide lowmaintenance , highly durable , quality products to ensure the longevity of the building ’ s interior . Coordination and selection of furniture was an essential part of the design to maximize the use of each space and provide flexible learning environments intended to grow with the students .
Ayres also provided site / civil and landscape architecture services . Improvements include two new playgrounds to separate the older and younger students , a full-size practice football field , and an event plaza with an outdoor classroom .
Two new parking lots will provide ample parking . Site circulation has been designed to improve student movement and ensure that all students will be safe as they arrive at and depart from school .
FROM CLOSED LANDFILL TO RECREATION COMPLEX
Communities are coming up with creative ways to reuse once-undesirable sites , and the City of Glendale , Wisconsin , is proud of its latest endeavor – creating a large recreational complex on top of its closed landfill .
The City just finished Phases 2 and 3 of construction for the complex , which included a parking lot , playground , memorial amphitheater , and recreation / community center . Earlier construction phases included a new road and sewer / water lines , gas venting system , and a vapor venting system for buildings . A fourth phase , which the City is coordinating
with the Glendale-River Hills School District , will include baseball and softball diamonds .
Ayres Associates has been working with the City on the project since 2015 , providing two years of groundwater and methane gas monitoring for the closed 15-acre Bender Road Landfill . The municipal waste landfill ceased operations in 1976 and was capped with at least 5 feet of soil . Ayres provided plan modifications to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the landfill ’ s design for each phase to accommodate the proposed development and provided construction oversight in coordination with the City and contractor . This contract followed three years of previous monitoring Ayres provided for the landfill .
Rettler Corporation of Stevens Point , Wisconsin , is providing the planning and design for the development .
18│TRENDS