flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

A school district in Tennessee holds ceremonies for two new student facilities

K-12 Schools

A school district in Tennessee holds ceremonies for two new student facilities

A new gym and performance art center were designed and built by the same firms.


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | June 4, 2022
The new Performing Arts Center for the Franklin Special School District.
The new Performing Arts Center will serve eight schools in the Franklin Special School District. Images: Courtesy of Wold|HFR Design

Last month, the Franklin Special School District, which serves 3,200 pre-K to 8th-grade students in an area south of Nashville, held two ribbon-cutting ceremonies for a new gym and performance arts center that answer years-long needs.

The stage and orchestra of the new Performing Arts Center
The new Performing Arts Center seats nearly 500.
 

Designed by Wold|HFR Design (which is based in Brentwood, Tenn.) and built by Nabholz Construction, the 34,400-sf Franklin Special School District Performing Arts Center is available to the district’s eight schools, as well as for other events held by the community. It seats 490 people surrounding a thrust stage that extends into the audience on three sides, with a 120-sf proscenium.

The Legacy Gallery in the Performing Arts Center
Inside the PAC, a Legacy Gallery recalls the school district's history.
 

The PAC includes dressing rooms, pre-performance spaces, prop rooms, a building workshop, concession stand, and ticket booth. The facility also features a 650-sf Legacy Gallery installation that celebrates the history of the school district, which dates back to 1906. In celebration of PAC’s opening, a stone-engraved logo was revealed on the building’s façade.

According to Nabholz, the PAC, which began construction in 2020, cost $16.2 million.

The new gym for the Poplar Grove Elementary School
Poplar Grove Elementary School now has a gym it can call its own.
 

The same design-build team was involved in the 22,800-sf, $9.2 million gymnasium for the Poplar Grove Elementary School in Franklin, which previously had been sharing a gym with the Poplar Grove Middle School. The new facility, which seats 480, includes a full-size basketball court, two cross-court practice courts, a volleyball court, and four-square courts. The new gym also houses a concession stand, multiple locker rooms, teacher offices, and a multipurpose room that doubles as a storm shelter.

“We’re proud to celebrate another successful project with Franklin Special School District and look forward to seeing the positive impact of these new facilities on students, educators and the community,” said Stephen Griffin, AIA, Principal at Wold|HFR Design. “As a national firm with a 100-plus-year legacy in Middle Tennessee, we’re particularly proud of the projects we design in the communities where we live and work, and it’s one of the many reasons we’re delighted to be part of these projects and celebrations.” 

Interior of Poplar Grove Elementary School's new gym
A section of the interior of the Poplar Grove Elementary School gym.
 

 

Related Stories

K-12 Schools | Oct 28, 2017

A new elementary school in Cambridge, Mass., aims at being a pilot for that city’s NZE commitment

The building’s programming will provide more access to the community at large. 

Higher Education | Oct 26, 2017

Where campus meets corporate design

A building is much more than its appearance; it’s how the user will behave inside of it that determines its adaptability.

Giants 400 | Oct 9, 2017

Job-ready learning: The newest K-12 schools nudge students toward careers

Some long-term K-12 trends—like beefing up safety and security, and designing for more natural light and outdoor learning space—are still in vogue.

Giants 400 | Oct 9, 2017

Top 80 K-12 construction firms

Gilbane Building Co., Balfour Beatty US, and Skanska USA top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2017

Top 40 K-12 engineering firms

AECOM, IMEG/KJWW/TTG, and STV top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 sector engineering and EA firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2017

Top 90 K-12 architecture firms

Stantec, DLR Group, and PBK top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.

Education Facilities | Oct 3, 2017

The growing demand for early childhood education

When the design of early learning centers is grounded in the science of developmental psychology and education, these educational environments can address multiple domains of development that positively stimulate young children's physical and cognitive growth.

K-12 Schools | Oct 2, 2017

A Houston office park gets a new life as a private day school

Shepley Bulfinch designed the 75,000-sf campus.

K-12 Schools | Sep 20, 2017

Activating innovation: Trends in K-12 education

School structures offer a unique opportunity as they can often double as community centers and serve as shelters in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.

Architects | Sep 19, 2017

What we talk about when we talk about placemaking

What does Good Growth mean and how do we set about achieving it?

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

K-12 Schools

New K-12 STEM center hosts robotics learning, competitions in Houston suburb

A new K-12 STEM Center in a Houston suburb is the venue for robotics learning and competitions along with education about other STEM subjects. An unused storage building was transformed into a lively space for students to immerse themselves in STEM subjects. Located in Texas City, the ISD Marathon STEM and Robotics Center is the first of its kind in the district. 




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021