Murphy Education Center
Phoenix, AZ
The Education and Health Center for the Murphy Elementary School District includes administrative offices, a conference center, cafeteria / kitchen, classrooms with integral testing areas, and a health center with waiting and exam rooms. This 16,000 SF facility will provide functionality for a number of purposes for the district, including evaluation of incoming students, staff training, medical evaluations, and day care, and will also share use with the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department.
The design incorporates many sustainable strategies such as optimized building orientation, overhangs, and desert planting. We are exploring the possibility for these strategies to culminate into LEED certification for the project.
Opportunities for public art are designed into the facility, and we are working with both the district and a local artist to obtain external funding to implement these opportunities with the involvement of the local community and artists. The integration of cultural opportunities into the facility by the people who will use it is crucial to the district’s goal of connecting to the community.