Oklahoma’s Francis Tuttle Technology Center, which provides career-specific training to adults and high school students, has completed its Francis Tuttle Danforth Campus—a two-story, 155,000-sf academic building. The project aims to fill the growing community’s rising demand for affordable education and training.
Designed by Bockus Payne, the project provides space for core classes and student support areas. Classes at Francis Tuttle Danforth Campus will cover subjects such as entrepreneurship, engineering, biosciences and medicine, computer science, pre-nursing, cosmetology, automotive service technology, and interactive media. The building also houses a business incubator, seminar and training spaces for conferences, continuing education, and corporate training.
The exterior materials include a mix of wood, concrete, and stone that flow into the building’s interior. Set back from the main road, the split-level building is located on a site that drops 55 feet between the northwest and southwest corners. This reduces the impact of the building’s height on the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Oklahoma-centered landscaping complements the building design.
Students and visitors enter the building under a glass canopy. A glass-railed bridge, overlooking the light-filled rotunda, offers views of the front landscape and ponds. The rotunda provides a space to work, connect, and enjoy the abundant natural light. It also encourages instructors to come out of their classrooms and use the grand stair for student seating and learning. The corridors’ glass exterior walls filter light into the classrooms and labs.
With its new building, Francis Tuttle wants to facilitate the design thinking process, which centers empathy, expansive thinking, and experimentation. To achieve this, the highly flexible design includes classrooms with several furniture layouts, fostering small group collaboration and individual learning.
Glass entries in all classrooms and labs reveal the activities inside. Classrooms are open to corresponding labs, so concepts can be quickly demonstrated. And nooks in the corridor provide space for small group discussion.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Francis Tuttle Technology Center
Design architect: Bockus Payne
Architect of record: Bockus Payne
MEP engineer: Allen Consulting
Structural engineer: KFC Engineering
General contractor/construction manager: T. Scott Construction
Related Stories
| Jan 13, 2014
AEC professionals weigh in on school security
An exclusive survey reveals that Building Teams are doing their part to make the nation’s schools safer in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy.
| Jan 11, 2014
Getting to net-zero energy with brick masonry construction [AIA course]
When targeting net-zero energy performance, AEC professionals are advised to tackle energy demand first. This AIA course covers brick masonry's role in reducing energy consumption in buildings.
| Jan 10, 2014
What the states should do to prevent more school shootings
To tell the truth, I didn’t want to write about the terrible events of December 14, 2012, when 20 children and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. I figured other media would provide ample coverage, and anything we did would look cheap or inappropriate. But two things turned me around.
| Jan 10, 2014
Special Report: K-12 school security in the wake of Sandy Hook
BD+C's exclusive five-part report on K-12 school security offers proven design advice, technology recommendations, and thoughtful commentary on how Building Teams can help school districts prevent, or at least mitigate, a Sandy Hook on their turf.
| Jan 9, 2014
How security in schools applies to other building types
Many of the principles and concepts described in our Special Report on K-12 security also apply to other building types and markets.
| Jan 9, 2014
16 recommendations on security technology to take to your K-12 clients
From facial recognition cameras to IP-based door hardware, here are key technology-related considerations you should discuss with your school district clients.
| Jan 9, 2014
Special report: Can design prevent another Sandy Hook?
Our experts say no, but it could save lives. In this report, they offer recommendations on security design you can bring to your K-12 clients to prevent, or at least mitigate, a Sandy Hook on their turf.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2014
9 mega redevelopments poised to transform the urban landscape
Slowed by the recession—and often by protracted negotiations—some big redevelopment plans are now moving ahead. Here’s a sampling of nine major mixed-use projects throughout the country.
| Dec 27, 2013
$1 billion 'city within a city' development approved by Coachella, Calif., city council
The mega development includes 7,800 homes, a retail center, office space, and nearly 350 acres of open space.
| Dec 17, 2013
Nation's largest net-zero K-12 school among winners of 2013 Best of Green Schools award
The Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, was named a winner of USGBC's annual award, along with nine other schools, individuals and communities working toward the common goal of healthy, high-performing learning places.
