Mountain States & SouthwestBest Projects2012

Award of Merit, K-12 Education: Madison Traditional Academy

By Scott Blair, Editor-in-Chief

Madison Academy Design Inspired By Passion for Books

Photo by Shaun Kurry

The design resembles a book on its side, with the pages represented by the horizontal bands.

Photo by Shaun Kurry

Classrooms open up to a central courtyard.

The design of this $8-million academy was inspired by the school's book-centric curriculum and reflects the form of an open book. A butterfly roof represents the book's cover, while metal panels and the linear painted bands of the building skin symbolize the pages beneath the cover. The linear window openings signify the way light illuminates the pages of a book as it is opened. Built in less than seven months, the core building includes classrooms on two levels that open to an exterior courtyard, providing students with ample natural light and a safe place to play. A second building includes a cafeteria, music room and a professional-style gymnasium. Durable polished concrete runs throughout most of the interior.

Key Players

Contractor: McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., Tempe, Ariz.

Owner: Madison Elementary School District, Phoenix

Lead Design: Orcutt | Winslow, Phoenix

Structural Engineer: Caruso Turley Scott, Tempe, Ariz.

Civil Engineer: Hess-Rountree Inc., Phoenix

MEP: Kraemer Consulting Engineers PLLC, Phoenix

Electrical Engineer: Zee Engineering, Mesa, Ariz.

Landscape Architect: Arcore Group, Phoenix

Submitted by Orcutt | Winslow

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.