Albuquerque Public Schools and Baker Architecture + Design are working together again, this time on a middle school classroom building in the south valley. Ernie Pyle Middle School's current 6th grade building is in disrepair and out-dated, not at all a suitable learning facility for middle schoolers. The new building, however, will meet LEED for Schools Silver standards, at minimum, and improve the flow and quality of the campus.

One of the key driving forces behind the design was to connect two outdoor spaces: the campus basketball courts and their large grassy play-field. To achieve this, much of the program will be placed on the second floor above a field of columns. In the space beneath the second floor we have designed an outdoor teaching area, with bleachers that can be a gathering space for students outside of class time as well. There are large light monitors throughout the building to incorporate natural light, and the use of solar power is even being discussed as a possibility.

This project provides a lot of exciting opportunities for Baker A+D. Not only is it our first middle school, but also our first two-story school building. We have just entered the design development phase and look forward to working with APS to give the students of Ernie Pyle Middle School a great new building in which to learn.

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Baker Architecture + Design 505 CENTRAL AVE NW, SUITE E, ALBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO, 87102 | USA | 505.254.4697
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