1. Catherine Kolnaski Elementary School
2008 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture
Catherine Kolnaski Elementary School
Groton, Connecticut
New Construction
Project of Distinction
JCJ Architecture

2. Cafetorium Community Environment:
The Catherine Kolnaski Elementary School is one of three school projects resulting from an extensive Master Planning effort undertaken by the town of Groton. JCJ directed the planning process that brought consensus among town and school administrators, as well as the public, whose feedback was actively solicited several times in open forums throughout the planning effort.

3. Cafetorium Community Environment: Continued…
JCJ assessed the feasibility of renovation and/or expansion of existing facilities compared to the cost of land acquisition and new construction. This PreK-5 school serves 550 students and is the first elementary school built in the town since It’s core spaces are multi-functional and can be secured from the classroom areas yet accessed for after hours events and activities.

4. Classroom Learning Environment:
Through both the Master Planning and Building Planning process, flexibility of the learning environment emerged as being most important to stakeholders and designers alike. The L-shaped classroom configuration provided the most adaptable solution for diverse learning. This configuration facilitates both passive, teacher directed learning and active, student directed learning by allowing for a specialist to work individually with one or two students, or students to work on projects with each other without disrupting their classmates.

5. Media Center Learning Environment: Continued
The physical environment is scaled to the student. The one-story wing houses grades PK-1. The two-story wing houses grades 2-5. The media center is centrally located between them.

6. Exterior Back Physical Environment
We view our school buildings as teaching tools that are as important to learning as the resources they contain. Learning is spontaneous and occurs in every setting for children. Outside, students learn physically through playscape activities and passively by observation and investigation.

7. Classroom Site Plan Physical Environment - Continued Planning Process:
Inside, the L-shaped classrooms adapt to age groups and activities providing opportunities for diverse learning zones. By creating activity settings, the classroom may be arranged and viewed as supporting formal, informal, and creative skills.
Planning Process:
JCJ believes in a design process that focuses on consensus building and engages all segments of the community. Town administrators, school administrators, teachers, parents, students, and members of the general public participated in workshops. The information gathered was used to develop goals for the building and objective criteria for evaluating design solutions. JCJ presented multiple solutions at each design phase for committee review and discussion. Solutions were presented with associated materials and costs, providing the information necessary for efficient decision-making that kept the project on schedule.

8. Exterior Back Planning Process: Continued
Our commitment to the countless generations of children who will use our schools is to provide them with safe, nurturing, and joyful environments for exploration and discovery.

9. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Data
Submitting Firm :
JCJ Architecture
Project Role
Architect, Project Management
Project Contact
Greg Smolley, AIA, AICP, LEED AP
Title
Principal | Education Practice
Address
38 Prospect Street
City, State or Province, Country
Hartford, CT 06103
Phone
Joint Partner Firm:
N/A
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Other Firms:
CES, Inc.
Project Role
MEP Engineer
Project Contact
Douglas LaJoie, PE
Title
Principal
Address
811 Middle Street
City, State or Province, Country
Middletown, CT 06457
Phone
(continued on supplemental slide)
Construction Firm:
Gilbane Building Company
Project Role
Construction Manager
Project Contact
Peter Manning
Title
Project Executive
Address
99 Groton Long Point Road
City, State or Province, Country
Groton, CT 06340
Phone

10. Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Details
Project Name
Catherine Kolnaski Elementary School 
City
Groton 
State
Connecticut 
District Name
  Groton
Supt/President
James E. Mitchell, PhD 
Occupancy Date
January 2008 
Grades Housed
Pre K-5 
Capacity(Students)
  550
Site Size (acres)
  18 acres
Gross Area (sq. ft.)
76,000 sq ft
Per Occupant(pupil)
99.5 sq ft 
gross/net please indicate
72% 
Design and Build?
  N/A
If yes, Total Cost:
Includes:
If no,
Site Development:
  $6,099,241
Building Construction:
  $15,115,268
Fixed Equipment:
$1,121,000 
Other:
  $3,764,491
Total:
  $26,100,000

11. Supporting/Supplemental Files/Images
Other Firms:
PARE Engineering Corporation
Project Role
Site/Civil Engineer
Project Contact
Kenneth DeCosta, PE
Title
Senior Vice President
Address
8 Blackstone Valley Place
City, State or Province, Country
Lincoln, RI 02865
Phone
Other Firms:
MACCHI Engineers, LLC
Project Role
Structural Engineer
Project Contact
Michael Plickys, PE
Title
Project Manager
Address
44 Gillett Street
City, State or Province, Country
Hartford, CT 06105
Phone
Other Firms:
Ducibella, Ventor, & Santore
Project Role
Security Consultant
Project Contact
Robert Ducibella
Title
Principal
Address
250 State Street
City, State or Province, Country
New Haven, CT 06473
Phone
Other Firms:
Ferrero Hixon Associates, LLC
Project Role
Landscape Architect
Project Contact
Christopher Ferrero
Title
Principal
Address
736 Hopmeadow Street
City, State or Province, Country
Simsbury, CT 06070
Phone
Other Firms:
CCR Pyramid
Project Role
Technology Consultant
Project Contact
Michael Kerwin
Title
President | Technical Director
Address
460 Totten Pond Road
City, State or Province, Country
Waltham, MA 02451
Phone