Fernbank  Elementary  School:  School  in  a  Ditch  

Fernbank:  School  in  a  Ditch  

•  Looking  down  on  the  school  •  A  pedestrian  walking  on  Heaton  Park  will  look  down  onto  the  school  roof  

•  42  days  of  dump  trucks  to  dump  25,000  cubic  yards  of  fill  dirt    •  every  6  minutes  8  hours  of  days  

•  36  1/3  square  feet  of  play  area  per  child  •  District  requires  2  acres  of  play  area,  but  only  1  acre  for  Fernbank  •  May  eventually  have  1,200  students  

•  Unsafe  in  many  areas  •  Retaining  walls  up  to  23  feet  •  1/4  acre  detenMon  pond  

•  No  green  planning  •  Acres  of  tree  removal  •  Open  detenMon  pond  aka  mosquito  breeding  area  

Looking  down  on  the  school  

1-­‐story  roof  level  with  

Heaton  park  

3-­‐story  

2-­‐story  

20  foot  drop  (bank)  

•  From  Heaton  Park,  I  see:  •  White  roofing  •  HVAC  units  •  Part  of  2-­‐story  •  End  and  far  side  of  3-­‐story  

“Cutting  in”  Fernbank  to  create  a  level  site  (conceptual)  

Fernbank  Elementary  

Add  fill  dirt:  3,400  truck  loads  

Remove  land  

ExisMng  hill  

Retaining  walls  (from  8  to  23  feet)  

Windows  look  onto  retaining  walls  

30  feet  drop  from  Heaton  Park  Drive  to  the  current  Play  Area  

25,000  Cubic  yards  of  Gill  dirt  to  level  

•  42.5  days  of  con.nuous  dump  trucks  •  3,400  truck  loads  •  Every  6  minutes  •  10  per  hour  •  8  hours  per  day  

•  Fill  dirt  =  delay  •  Fill  dirt  costs  $  •  Rain  delays  usage  

•  Fill  is  about  •  2.5  acres  •  8  feet  high    •  Maximum  is  19  feet  

Retaining  walls  around  three  sides  

•  Some  windows  view  retaining  walls  8  to  23  feet  

8  feet  2  to  5  feet  

14  foot  drop  

20  foot  drop  

AA  

EE  

Retaining  wall  scale  

• Windows  look  at  15  foot  retaining  wall  • North  West,  facing  Dyson  

•  Land  drops  19  feet  near  cafeteria  •  South  East,  facing  railroad  track  

AA  

EE  

36  square  feet  of  play  area  per  child  

•  Design  reduces  the  play  area  by  half  •  Only  1  acre  of  play  for  Fernbank  •  1  acre  =  0.75  football  fields  •  District  requires  2  acres  of  play  area  •  May  eventually  have  1,200  students  

•  43,560  /  1,200  =  36.3  •  Same  size  as  prison  cell  

•  43,560  /  900  =  48.4  •  ReducMon  from  exisMng  by  •  Buildings  moved  out  to  exisMng  gazebo  •  DetenMon  pond  (1/4  acre,  fenced)  

Redesign  to  improving  the  site  layout…  

•  Goals  •  Use  current  building  design  (with  new  orientaMon)  •  Increase  play  space  •  Increase  green  space  •  Increase  safety  •  Reduce  fill  dirt  •  Costly,  delay  inducing,  unsafe  drops,  ugly  retaining  wall  views  

•  Redesign  result  •  SaMsfies  all  goals  •  Also,  increases  parking  capacity  for  Fernbank  Science  Center  

1-­‐story  

3-­‐story  

2-­‐story  

Redesign  site  layout  

•  Configure  builds  to  minimize  need  for  cuts  and  fill-­‐dirt  •  3-­‐story  building  in  low  spot  •  1-­‐story  building  in  high  spot  •  Buildings  moved  closer  to  road  

•  Bus  turnaround  extends  exisMng  roadbed  

•  Share  parking  with  Science  Center  •  Licle  overlap  in  Mmes  of  use  •  Traffic  calming  on  Heaton  Park  

•  Increased  play  space  &  forest  

Less  Gill  dirt  means    less  cost,  delays,  drop-­‐off  dangers  •  61%  reducMon  in  fill  dirt  •  1,337  rather  than  3,400  dump  truck  loads  

More  green  space  &  play  space  

•  More  play  space  •  1  more  acre  •  Increased  by    •  Rework  of  detenMon  pond  

•  Building  reconfiguraMon  •  More  forest  •  3/4  acre  more  

Improve  trafGic  and  parking  

•  Shared  parking  with  Science  Center  •  Night:  Science  center  usage  •  Morning:  Parent  drop-­‐off  •  88  spaces  @  center  •  76  spaces  @  school  

•  Traffic  calming  on  Heaton  Park  •  No  head-­‐in  parking  on  Heaton  Park  

•  Raised  crosswalk  (like  those  at  Emory  Pointe)  

•  Large  side  walks  •  Increased  green  space  

Redesign  Fernbank:  School  in  the  green  

•  Less  .me,  less  money,  more  value  •  Street  view  of  school  becomes  “normal”  •  View  buildings  façade  not  roomop  

•  Heaton  Park  becomes    •  Pedestrian  friendly,  with  some  green  space  •  Becer  parking  for  both  Science  Center  and  Fernbank  

•  ConstrucMon  cheaper  &  simpler  with  less  fill  dirt    •  Increased  green  space  and  play  space  •  Increased  safety  •  Fewer  drop-­‐offs,  stairs,  retaining  walls  •  Traffic  calming