Yeates Mancil Architects is currently providing full A/E services (design through completion of construction) for the new Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School for the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board. The previous school at this location was damaged by flood waters from Hurricane Isaac. Once the decision to build a new school was made, a separate “demolition” bid package apart from the new replacement school was developed to expedite the demolition of the old school. Detailed programming and project scoping reports were developed and presented to the School Board. These reports assisted in defining the particular needs of Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School and the Parish’s school system as a whole. The A/E Design Team made a detailed presentation of the reports’ conclusions which included several illustrated preliminary design schemes with Site Plans, Floor Plans, Exterior Elevations and 3D models.
The final design for the new school was divided into several wings in an East-West orientation so direct daylighting and the associated external heat gain could be controlled from the southern exposure. The wings were then organized by grade level to minimize the interaction between the younger and older students, with a central administrative and assembly wing located at the central core. Construction for the new 109,000 square foot building is currently underway.
