LEVERETTE MIDDLE SCHOOL
TOLEDO, OHIO
2007
TOLEDO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2008 AIA Toledo Citation Award
2009 NSBA Exhibition of School Architecture
Leverette Middle School is a new 6-8 school for 542 students located along one of Toledo’s urban boulevards. The 82,318 SF building is designed on a deep linear site providing a side East facing entrance way.
The central entry lobby is a tall wedge shaped space which links the two story classroom wings to an interior street of common spaces such as the student dining, gymnasium, administration, media center, art room, and music rooms.
The school is designed with a splayed courtyard concept linked by a linear loop circulation spine. Where the building elements are connected and wedged by open courtyards and corridors, the interstitial space allows for views out and abundant natural light at the edges and corners.
The color theory of the building employs the strong use of Leverette Blue in the corridors and circulation spaces, which symbolize movement toward knowledge and fluidity of movement and learning. The expression is influenced by the principles of the school’s namesake - Emory Leverette – who was a strong educator and administrator, a progressive and well respected leader in the community, and who strove for education and learning.
Green playfields planned for the back of the site will create a neighborhood park and a front lawn provides a civic presence facing the boulevard. Sustainable initiatives include incorporation of natural day-lighting in the spaces and storm water management through the use of Rain Gardens and bio-retention islands within the paved areas of the site.
