Assets School Campus
Honolulu, Hawaii
Proposal
The Urban Works design for a new school campus translates Assets’ vision and aspirations for a nurturing and sustainable learning environment for gifted and/or dyslexic students into a legible reality.
The new campus occurs on a tight 3.5 acre site on which the present school must continue to operate while the new school is constructed in phases. The design strategy is to create distinct educational precincts composed of appropriately scaled, landscaped courtyards enclosed by permeable classrooms. The Lower School includes K-4, 5-6 and 7-8 middle school clusters, while the Upper School is envisioned as a stand-alone 2-story village. The majority of the buildings are placed at the periphery of the site, reserving the interior of the campus for protected open spaces, including a central lawn and play court. This arrangement promotes wayfinding, fosters a sense of community, and allows the buildings to take advantage of the prevailing trades.
Deep roof overhangs provide protection from sun and wind-driven rain. Generous jalousie windows and glass sliding doors provide an abundance of daylighting for the classrooms, decreasing the need for artificial lights.