Jacob Manch Phased Replacement Exterior Views

The exterior of the building is built of SIPS.  SIPs are "Structural insulated panels".  They are made of foam insulation and plywood for quick installation and energy conservation.  For student safety the walls around the school are constructed of concrete filled concrete block.

Statement of Design Approach

J. E. Manch Elementary School is an at risk school located in a lower income neighborhood in North Las Vegas.  The original school was built in the 1940s with subsequent buildings added over the years.  The design team evaluated this facility recommending which buildings to keep, renovate, or demolish.  The main design approach was to develop a design that would help inspire children to learn.  The designers wanted to design a school where children would be excited to go and learn. The school building itself would become a teaching tool for students to learn about building design, construction, and systems. View windows are scattered throughout the school allowing children to see how the building was constructed and what systems operate the building.  Nearby Nellis Air Force Base has influenced the design of the school with the theme of flight throughout.  The theme of flight has taken many shapes and ranged from insects, to birds, to kites, to manned flight.  The design approach for the campus was a school within a school. The front entry is designed with a security vestibule requiring you to go through the office for entry into the school. The school has been designed around interior and exterior courtyards. This design provides for continued school operation during a security lock down.  This concept includes five house-learning pods. The kindergarten pod contains four classrooms that surround an open-air teaching courtyard. The other four house learning pods each contain grades 1 thru 5 with windows that view the central interior common space. This provides supervision and a house that is more like a family.  The multipurpose/lunchroom room opens to an enclosed courtyard for play and for outdoor eating. There are several other enclosed learning and play courtyards located throughout the campus.

 This design process included input from the educators and community, 3D computer modeling of the campus with existing and new buildings with various design solutions. Using this tool, our client was effectively able to visualize our design solutions without the need for built models.