Yarışmalar-Competitions

Type: Open, two-stage
Registration Deadline: October 29, 2004
Submission Deadline: December 10, 2004 [stage 1]
Open to: Licensed Architects
Entry Fee: US$100 Total
Awards: Design commission
Jury: Dana Cuff, Monica Ponce de Leon, Jesse Reiser, Nasrine Seraji, Hon. Douglas H. Palmer
Mayor, James Lytle and Bernard Piaia, Jr.

The Robbins School will be renovated and expanded with New Jersey state funds as part of the $8.6 billion school construction program authorized by the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act on 18 July 2000. As one of the 30 “special needs” districts designated by the State Supreme Court in its historic rulings in the Abbott v. Burke school finance litigation, the Trenton Board of Education has embarked on a multi-year project that will result in the construction of new school buildings as well as the re-design, renovation and expansion of many existing schools. This Competition provides a framework for investigation of both the design challenges entailed, and educational philosophies.

The Robbins School will demonstrate that it is possible to do comprehensive planning, with substantial community input, and encourage innovative thinking from designers nationwide without adding unnecessary time or cost to the entire process. This Competition is based on a model recently tested in the design of a large new high school in Perth Amboy New Jersey, and is intended to demonstrate how that model can be adapted for replication in other New Jersey cities and towns, as well as in other states undertaking similar school construction programs. Here the model is being adapted for the renovation and expansion of a hundred year old school in a historic residential neighborhood, now occupied primarily by immigrants from Latin America.

Thus, the broad goal of this Competition as a model is not only to enhance the quality of the design of the modernized Robbins School, but more generally, to improve the quality of the planning and design process for the next generation of public schools.

Generally, this Competition seeks to stimulate creative thinking for schools in the 21st century; to build a school that is an inspiring, challenging, and flexible learning environment; to connect the school to the community both local and global; and to improve the educational environment by using the school planning and design process as a tool for positive change.

In addition to these general goals, this Competition has two particular objectives. The first is to seek solutions for creative ways of expanding and modernizing an historic school on a tight urban site while maximizing outdoor space for active learning and recreation. To this end, the design of the school campus as a whole should create an environment that promotes safe and enjoyable routine physical activity. The second is to design this relatively large (600 student) elementary school as a system of small learning communities, supportive of substantial parental involvement.

The design challenge is to resist preconceived ideas about elementary school design; to discard cookie cutter “one-size-fits-all” plans; and to truly think “out-ofthe-box” while accepting budget challenges.

For more information or to register, contact:
The Robbins School Design Competition
c/o Ralph Lerner Architect PC
306 Alexander Street
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Phone: 609.683.1001
Fax: 609.683.1008
Email: [email protected] 
Website: http://www.trenton.k12.nj.us/comp