Christian Brothers School

New Orleans, Louisiana

The design for the 15,000SF expansion and renovation of the Christian Brothers School, located in the heart of New Orleans’ famous City Park, presented opportunities and challenges. Critical to the success of the design were the key components of scale, materials, color, and transition. Due to Christian Brothers School’s prominent location in City Park, the new addition had to aesthetically complement the Santa Barbara Mission style of the existing school. The scale of the new multi-purpose facility was diminished visually by the design of a balanced transition echoing the roof eave lines of the original structure. 

The existing school building, a former vacation mansion converted into an educational facility in 1960, received a new science lab, a technology lab, and library, derived through a creative repurposing of the mansion’s second floor ballroom that had served as a non-regulation gym for 50 years. The new addition provided a multi-purpose hall, four new classrooms, offices, restrooms, and general storage. The new addition had to fit within a strictly allotted site adjacent to the existing school, and City Park mandated protection and preservation of all trees on site including historic live oaks. 

South Plaquemines Elementary School

Port Sulpher, Louisiana

VergesRome Architects designed the South Plaquemines Elementary School in Port Sulphur, for the comprehensive hurricane recovery and mitigation plan developed by the Plaquemines Parish School Board and funded by FEMA. Designed to comply with FEMA’s strict mitigation requirements, the new $30.9 Million, 105,054 SF school, serving 870 students in Pre-Kindergarten through Sixth Grade, is a two-level structure raised 18’ above grade to mitigate future flooding. The ground level, with no occupied space, provides access to the zones above via stairways, ramps, and elevator. 

The school’s ‘public’ side has the student drop-off area for autos, and ramp for visitor access to sports events in the Gym, school events, and meetings in the adjacent Cafeteria, Library/Media Center or Faculty Offices. The opposite side has the school bus loading zone, with entry to the school by stairs for older students, and by ramp for younger students. Columned arcades along Ground Level on both sides of the building visually lessen the huge void created by the building’s high elevation above grade. 

Four activity zones comprise the floor plan: Classrooms; Cafeteria and Gymnasium Administrative/Faculty; and Library/Media Center/Conference space. Students in Pre-K – Second Grade attend classes on the second level while students in Grades 3 – 6 attend class on the third level. Strategically placed stairwells direct student traffic flow away from classrooms to reduce noise infiltration. 

The placement of public areas in the Cafeteria/Gym and Library zones allows classrooms and offices to remain secured during after-school events. A partitioned stage between Gymnasium and Cafeteria allows simultaneous events in both spaces, and can be opened to provide a single, large performance stage. The cafeteria is an open 2-story space with clerestory windows bringing natural light deep into the interior, and its glass interior façade opens to a compact 2-story Commons Area with light well to allow more natural daylighting into Commons and Classroom corridors. 

The school opened its doors to students and their families, faculty and staff, in time for the 2014-2015 school year. 

Judge Lionel R. Collins Elementary School Major Replacement and Renovation

Marrero, Louisiana

The $13 Million Judge Lionel R. Collins Elementary School Major Replacement and Renovation project included both renovations and additions to the historic Westbank school. 

The renovation of the late 1920’s, original one-story 11,700 SF existing brick school building, formerly Ames Elementary School, yielded four multipurpose classrooms, two special education classrooms, one computer lab, and one Physical Education classroom. 

The renovation also provided a new Media center, a new kitchen and new Cafeteria/Auditorium that can accommodate 300 people in an auditorium setting. To enhance student safety, the school bus delivery and departure area functions are separated from pedestrian and automobile traffic. A new bus canopy was constructed in front of the original building. 

Also included was the 48,660 SF addition of a new Administration building and three classroom pods designed to respect the scale of the surrounding Marrero residential neighborhood. The design provides 14 classrooms designed to support principles of Montessori teaching. Each classroom is provided with a Smart Board and an adjacent yard to supplement Montessori teaching methods. 

The school’s main entrance was relocated to Ames Boulevard, with site improvements providing common lawn and physical education spaces. 

VergesRome Architects delivered the project in Joint Venture with Imre Hegedus & Associated Architects. 

St. Paul’s School Academic Building Renovation and Addition

Covington, Louisiana

At the heart of the campus in Covington, Louisiana, the Academic Building at St. Paul’s School received a new look and layout in this progressive renovation and addition. 

Taking cues from the existing driveway entrance, the new addition set up a formal entrance for the building, strengthens the master plan, becoming a focal point for the campus. The large brick wall, pierced by an open crucifix, served to both unite the older edifice with the new addition and to provide a dramatic entry statement as it extends toward Founders’ Circle, symbolizing the mission of the Christian Brothers: faith and zeal. 

Modernization and improvement of the Academic Building, first dedicated in 1950, into a state-of-the-art educational environment required upgrades not only to the physical structure of the facility, but also to all mechanical, electrical, lighting and plumbing systems. 

Within the existing building footprint, the original chemistry lab was refurbished and joined by four new science laboratories and space for three additional classrooms. 

To accommodate Academic Department needs and growing enrollment, the new addition provided new reception facilities, administrative offices, conference area and lobby, as well as an elevator and new staircases for improved student traffic flow.