Award of MERIT
Kisimgiugtuq School
Architect: Burkhart Croft Architects | Category: New Construction
The new 36,800 sf K-12 Kisimgiugtuq School is the story of the lnupiaq community of Kivalina: forced by rising sea levels to relocate eight miles inland from their coastal village while maintaining traditional ties to the water, land, and culture.
The first building in the relocation effort at the end of the newly-constructed evacuation road, the school looks forward to the future but is grounded in the place and people of Kivalina. The entry faces southeast, maintaining visual connection to the village and Chukchi Sea while maximizing natural sunlight. Exterior forms reflect the surroundings and root the building among the inland hills, including adjacent Kisimgiugtug Hill, after which the school is named.
Linear splashes of interior light are reminiscent of sunlight reflecting on the sea and pooled water on the tundra. Curved and undulating ceiling panels recall the movement of the ocean, tundra grasses, and northern lights. The vivid colors of the landscape throughout the seasons are displayed throughout the school – a response to the unanimous student request for “all the colors.”
The center of the school, with the Commons, Cultural Classroom, Library, Kitchen, and, of course, the Gymnasium, serves the educational needs of students during the day and supports community events in the evenings and during emergencies. Photos of Kivalina elders are brightly displayed in light boxes nestled in bands of wood panels in the Commons and a collage of historic photographs line the Gymnasium, acknowledgement that people make the place.
The school is built to last. Steel piles are grouted into bedrock, raising the school to preserve the permafrost below. Structural insulated panels, low-slope roof assemblies, fiberglass doors, and triple-paned windows provide an efficient thermal envelope.
Project design includes high-efficiency mechanical equipment, LED lighting, wastewater-treatment facility and a 390,000-gallon water storage tank to support school and community self-sufficiency.
Gallery
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Jury Comments
“The project has thoughtful phased construction, energizing elevations through color, and playful design elements which all the jury appreciated.”
“They also acknowledged the amount of complexity that comes with a multi-phase design while keeping a project functional. However, some projects are critiqued the lack of a unified theme which everyone can look to for community.”
“Overall, the jury highlighted strengths in community engagement and technical execution.”
