Maclay School, a Tallahassee-based college preparatory school, has unveiled three new student labs made from refurbished shipping containers. The three labs, combined with a shared courtyard and gardens designed to foster collaboration, are collectively known as the Beck Family Research Center (BFRC).
Each lab will house a different focus: Biomedical and Student Research; Art, Inspiration, and Design; and Computer Science, Robotics, and Engineering. The containers were constructed off-site and shipped to the school. The labs include similar resources to those offered by research universities such as technology, active learning furnishings, and hands-on equipment. The furniture in all three labs is flexible and mobile to help create student-centered instruction and easy collaboration.
See Also: ASU Health Futures Center combines a novel design and approach to learning
An outdoor garden features raised beds that can double as seating. The beds contain plants that were selected for their potential to be used in lesson plans across all grade levels. The garden also includes a Solar SmartFlower. The SmartFlower uses solar panels arranged like flower petals to track the sun’s position throughout the day. When bad weather rolls in or the sun goes down, the “petals” retract, opening again when the sun comes out. The SmartFlower provides data for students to monitor and study on campus as part of the curricululm.
Related Stories
| Apr 2, 2014
8 tips for avoiding thermal bridges in window applications
Aligning thermal breaks and applying air barriers are among the top design and installation tricks recommended by building enclosure experts.
| Mar 26, 2014
Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies
Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com.
| Mar 20, 2014
Common EIFS failures, and how to prevent them
Poor workmanship, impact damage, building movement, and incompatible or unsound substrate are among the major culprits of EIFS problems.
| Mar 19, 2014
Frames: the biggest value engineering tip
In every aspect of a metal building, you can tweak the cost by adjusting the finish, panel thickness, and panel profile. These changes might make a few percentage points difference in the cost. Change the framing and you have the opportunity to affect 10-20 percent savings to the metal building portion of the project.
| Mar 17, 2014
Rem Koolhaas explains China's plans for its 'ghost cities'
China's goal, according to Koolhaas, is to de-incentivize migration into already overcrowded cities.
| Mar 12, 2014
14 new ideas for doors and door hardware
From a high-tech classroom lockdown system to an impact-resistant wide-stile door line, BD+C editors present a collection of door and door hardware innovations.
| Mar 7, 2014
Thom Mayne's high-tech Emerson College LA campus opens in Hollywood [slideshow]
The $85 million, 10-story vertical campus takes the shape of a massive, shimmering aircraft hangar, housing a sculptural, glass-and-aluminum base building.
| Mar 7, 2014
Chicago's 7 most threatened buildings: Guyon Hotel, Jeffrey Theater make the list
The 2014 edition of Preservation Chicago's annual Chicago's 7 list includes an L station house, public school, theater, manufacturing district, power house, and hotel.
| Mar 4, 2014
If there’s no ‘STEM crisis,’ why build more STEM schools?
Before you get your shorts in a knot, I have nothing against science, technology, engineering, or even mathematics; to the contrary, I love all four “STEM” disciplines (I’m lying about the math). But I question whether we need to be building K-12 schools that overly emphasize or are totally devoted to STEM.
| Feb 26, 2014
Adaptive reuse project brings school into historic paper mill
The project features nontraditional classrooms for collaborative learning, an arts and music wing, and a technologically sophisticated global resource center.