Located in Albuquerque’s NE Heights, the Chelwood Elementary School Campus was conceived four decades ago as a centralized scheme of prefabricated classroom buildings. Over the years the campus has grown to include several independent additions.
In collaboration with the faculty, students, community and administration, desirable attributes were identified for preservation and a new campus master plan was developed. The Master Plan replaces the decaying prefabricated classrooms with a new permanent building, stabilizes the central campus drainage and erosion problems with a new upper plaza and amphitheater, provides connectivity amongst the various facilities and the varied finished floor elevations, improves and expands vehicular systems, provides a clear new pedestrian interface, and offers a dignified new image to the community – all while preserving two (2) mature Mulberry trees at the core.
The new 26,000 SF two-story building acknowledges the characteristics of the existing campus and acts as a unifying element forming a cohesive and iconic presence for the Chelwood ES neighborhood. The facility models environmental responsibility and energy efficiency, while the campus design maintains and improves upon the
Recipient of the 2009 AIA Albuquerque – UNM School of Architecture – Student-Faculty Shadow Jury Award.
