CREW Blue Ribbon Awards Program Book 2022

CREC Ana Grace Academy of the Arts Bloomfield, Connecticut

Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) provides cost-effective and high-quality programs to meet the needs of children and adults. Over 12,000 students attend CREC schools each year and their specialized magnet schools are praised for the innovative ways students are taught. This 156,800 square foot facility is designed to accommodate 876 students in grades Pre-K through 8. Originally planned as a new aquacultural-themed high school on a 28-acre site, the State and CREC reduced the overall construction budget after designing to 90% completion. The team was then asked to redesign from a high school to a Pre-K-8 arts academy within the same footprint. The design team quickly adapted and kept this project moving forward despite this significant change. Designed to celebrate the arts through light and spatial experience, students are invited to participate in dance, music, theater, sculpture, and painting as a foundation for their educational curriculum. Reflecting this idea, sculptural mullions and colorful translucent panels on the façade portray dancers by casting shadows that move with the sun. Students participate in the experience through the display of their artwork. Teaching and sculpture courtyards are central to the school and are extensions of the arts and media specialties. Volumes rotated about a main axis create a dynamic space surrounding the black box theater. This multi-use venue allows teachers and students to explore several types of performance. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic hit 11 months into construction, caused supply chain interruptions and material cost increases which required the entire team to work together to find appropriate material substitutes throughout the project. The site is bisected by a 24” natural gas pipeline that runs from New England to Texas. Both design and construction teams had to remain sensitive to the pipeline and in constant contact with the owner throughout the course of the project. The facility is designed as a Connecticut High Performance Building (CTHPB). Strategies employed to reduce energy and water consumption include a highly insulated building envelope, recycled materials, energy recovery, LED lighting, low flow plumbing fixtures and the inclusion of a photovoltaic solar array. . Owner : Capitol Region Education Council Size : 156,800 sf Project Team: Friar Architecture Inc, Capital Region Education Council (CREC), Department Administrative Services (DAS), Consulting Engineering Services, Freeman Companies, Santo Domingo Engineering, LLC, RJS & Associates, Architex, Bartlett Brainard Escott, Inc., Colliers

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