The New Albany – Plain Local School District and the Board of Education have taken the first major step in the building project by hiring an architecture firm. The School Board approved the hiring of Moody Nolan to serve the district and is on track to break ground for the new building in the summer of 2013.
“Moody Nolan demonstrated the strongest vision for the connection of this school building to the entire community,” said Superintendent April Domine. “They are the right partner to help shape the future of our campus and provide that inclusive design approach that our community is expecting.”
Moody Nolan is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and the firm specializes in sports and recreation facilities, collegiate education, PK-12 education, public assembly centers, healthcare, retail, transportation and commercial work. One of their greatest strengths is their ability to work as a collaborative team, working with the school board, community, administrators and teachers.
Public Engagement Opportunities
Thursday – Feb. 21, 2013
Staff and Community Engagement
Staff 2:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Community 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Mershad Hall
Tuesday – Feb. 26, 2013
Community Design Charette
Eco & Green technology focus
7:30 to 9:30 PM
The Jefferson Room at NAHS
Monday – March 6, 2013
Staff and Community Engagement
Staff 2:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Community 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The Jefferson Room at NAHS
Monday – March 11, 2013
Staff and Community Engagement
Staff 2:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Community 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Mershad Hall
Thursday – April 4, 2013
Staff and Community Engagement
Staff 2:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Community 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The Jefferson Room at NAHS
Selecting an Architect – The District Process
The district posted a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to invite architecture firms to submit proposals in December 2012. The district received 13 responses to the request and each was considered carefully and scored by an eight member subgroup of our Facility Advisory Committee. The pool was narrowed to three firms that were invited to campus for interviews on January 24, 2013. The subgroup is comprised of four community members, four staff and the Superintendent.
Representing the Community:
- Natalie Matt, Member – New Albany – Plain Local School Board
- Mike Klein, Member – New Albany – Plain Local School Board
- John McClelland
- Tom Rubey
Representing the District:
- Jen Denny, Principal – 2-5 Elementary
- Andy Roeth, Dean of Students – 2-5 Elementary
- Jon Stonebraker, Director of Technology
- Barry Zwick, Interim Director of Operations and Planning
During the interview process, the Facility Advisory subgroup and Superintendent Domine interviewed Moody Nolan, Fanning Howey and TRIAD. The subgroup concluded that Moody Nolan was the best fit for the job. They were impressed with their research into the districts strategic plan and mission.
Recent works by Moody Nolan include the new Reynoldsburg STEM School and the Ohio Union at The Ohio State University. Both projects feature a great deal of forward thinking in the plan and design. With the Ohio Union project as an example, Moody Nolan identified their process in the development and design of the building, which included working with a focus group of current OSU students, presenting an initial design then tailoring the final design based on student feedback to meet student expectations and perceptions of what OSU meant to them. An additional strength is the commitment to engage New Albany students, staff and community.
The district is at the beginning of the process, the selection of an architect was the first step and now the district will launch into a very aggressive timetable to include extensive community and staff involvement. Moody Nolan is best equipped to move the district forward. They understand the necessary strategies that need to be developed to fast track the process and have the first-hand experience of working in a tight workspace, while school is in session – skills the district needs to complete the project on time and on budget.