Tomoka Elementary School

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

The recently completed rebuild of Tomoka Elementary School located at 999 Old Tomoka Road in Ormond Beach, Florida, represents a modern transformation for Volusia County Schools. Designed by architectural firm BRPH and constructed by WELBRO Building Corporation, the approximately $44M to $48M project completely replaced the original 1968 campus. The new 107,024 -square-foot facility accommodates 836 student stations for children in Pre-K through fifth grade.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

The architecture and layout draw heavy design inspiration from the surrounding natural landscapes of the Tomoka River and Tomoka State Park.

• Nature-Infused Design: The aesthetic incorporates a vivid blue and green color palette representing the river and local forestry. A winding exterior sidewalk leading to the playground mirrors an aerial view of the Tomoka River.
• The "Tree of Knowledge": The central interior focal point of the media center is a massive 15.5 -foot-tall artificial tree structure stretching into a vibrant 40-foot-wide canopy over the main circulation desk.
• Instructional Enhancements: The two-story building houses 45 classrooms, each structurally equipped with individual restrooms to minimize time spent out of the classroom. Centrally located collaboration nodes and resource rooms are positioned on each floor to assist with small-group and specialized learning.
• Legacy Artifacts: Historical elements from the original school were actively preserved and reinstalled, including a beloved 1979 clay totem pole artwork in the main office and historically adjusted representations of the school's mascot.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

Environmental Preservation: Designers successfully preserved 59 mature, century-old oak trees on-site, integrating them seamlessly into protected outdoor learning and courtyard spaces.

Traffic Management: To eliminate daily school traffic backups onto the busy adjacent highway, engineers developed an expanded parent drop-off loop equipped to handle 130 double-stacked cars alongside a separate loop for 10 buses.