GOOD THINKING
10
Back to School Edition 2016
BlueRibbonNews.com
A couple of summers from now, Rockwall
ISD could see the completion of two
highly-anticipated projects within its voter-
approved 2015 Bond Referendum.
As the demolition process of the old Dobbs
Elementary School building – which began
in early June – comes to a close, folks
can look forward to the construction of a
brand new Dobbs Elementary building,
anticipated to begin in Feb. 2017. During
its June meeting, the Rockwall ISD
School Board welcomed VLK Architects
representatives, who presented the design
plans for the new Dobbs building.
Schematics for the facility indicate a strong
sense of community within the design and
layout of the floor plans, a concept VLK
Principal Richard Jaynes said was very
important to the teachers and staff of the
school. The new layout has a similar look to
that of the old Dobbs building and will even
incorporate some of the salvaged material
from the old school building into the new
design. Jaynes said they made the decision
to save some of the old gym floor and
exterior brick to re-purpose in the
new building.
“We have it in the specifications for the
contractor to salvage about 50 percent of
the gym floor, and also about 300 square
feet of brick,” Jaynes said.
Jan. 2017 will also see the anticipated
start of construction for the Rockwall
ISD College and Career Academy
by Huckabee Architects.
“The concepts that came out of our
discussions in the planning and
programming phase were very forward-
thinking, with the idea that this needs to be
a highly collaborative, flexible and highly
interactive project and plan,” said Konrad
Judd with Huckabee Architects. “The heart
of the building was centered around the
multipurpose collaboration space, where
Robotics and all the other programs in
this facility will have access.”
In conjunction with the flexible and
collaborative spaces, Judd said they also
wanted to incorporate the idea of visual
transparency. Schematics show a lot of
tempered glass walls within the facility,
allowing folks to see students learning and
working while also quickly getting an idea
of the types of career programs offered
at the academy.
Judd said they also designated several
display areas for the students in Fashion
and other programs to exhibit the work
they’re doing. Both the first and second
floors will also have flexible classroom
spaces incorporating moveable walls, which
can open up to allow any of the labs or
departments to use as collaborative space.
One of the more uniquely-designed spaces
of the facility actually resides on the
outside, in full view of those coming down
John King Blvd. The outdoor assembly
space will utilize a projection screen on
the exterior of the building to serve as a
billboard advertising events taking place
within the academy, and will also be used
as an instructional space for classes.
“We worked really closely with your
team and they were excellent in terms
of suggesting this type of collaborative
environment and the types of spaces in our
designs,” Judd told the school board at its
June meeting. “We believe collectively that
this will be a very successful solution for
your students and will be fun to advertise to
young students as they look to make their
way through this campus.”
Construction of both schools is expected
to be completed in June 2018, with both
campuses opening for students at the start
of the 2018-2019 school year.
Story by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News
editor. Renderings courtesy Rockwall ISD.
NEW DOBBS ELEMENTARY, CAREER ACADEMY
PROJECTS COMING SUMMER 2018
A Family Law Practice On
The Historic Downtown
Square of Rockwall, Texas
Voted BEST
ATTORNEY
2016