Architect Antoine Predock is responsible for some buildings I wouldn't personally call attractive (like, for instance, this one), but the Indian Community School in Franklin is simply outstanding.
See also Whitney Gould's 2004 article about the school's planning.
From Franklinnow.com:
Eye-catching Indian school nears completion
Officials view facility as a source of pride for local communityBy John Neville
Staff Writer
Posted: July 25, 2007A state-of-the-art school designed by an internationally renowned architect has set its sites on a Sept. 1 opening, even as the city of Franklin works out some final details concerning the campus.
On July 19, the Franklin Plan Commission approved a site plan amendment for Indian Community School of Wisconsin to add 12,773 square feet of playground for the soon-to-be-open school in the 10400 block of West St. Martins Road.
The pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade facility cost about $35 million to build.
Architectural wonder
The school, designed by New Mexico-based architect Antoine Predock, features four white pine trees from the Menominee Indian reservation as pillars. The 165,000-square-foot facility will also boast unique features such as metal beams in the ceiling near a main doorway to represent migratory paths of birds. There also will be a drum-shaped, 200-seat theater. A breakout classroom overlooks nearby wetlands.
Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor described the building as an architectural showpiece.
"We had the number one architect in the world design this building. For those of you that haven't been in the building yet, you will be utterly amazed and have a great sense of pride … in what has been built," he said.
A cornerstone-placing ceremony took place last September and was attended by Wisconsin First Lady Jessica Doyle. A time capsule with various artifacts and gifts was also sealed and installed at the now nearly complete school.
Preparing to move in
The old school, which has a student population of about 375 students and more than 30 teachers, is in its final days of operation in Milwaukee at 3121 W. State St.
Taylor said a coordination team has been assembled to inspect the new building before it opens.
"There's hundreds of items that need to be checked off a list, from fire suppression to building inspection things. Because it's a school, we really put it under a microscope," he said before the meeting.
City Building Inspector Frederick Baumgart said school administrators have targeted Wednesday, Aug. 1, as move-in day for the school's teaching staff.
The school will open about a month later.
Space to play withFranklin Planning Manager Joel Dietl said school officials recently requested additional playground space as one final detail that differed from earlier plans for the campus.
"The area where (the school is) planning the playground would have been a parking lot so there would have been no impact on natural resources," Dietl said prior to the July 19 commission meeting. "It would have been resurfaced anyway."
Timothy Hayes, an engineering consultant who represented the school at the meeting, said school officials decided recently to request a second playground, which would include two basketball hoops.
The first playground was approved with the project's site plan in 2006.
John Neville can be reached at [email protected] or (262) 446-6609.
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