Problem: 

In Panama City, Florida, the opening of the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport meant that the former airport would become an abandoned relic in the city. Instead, the space became the central element of a new community, a charter school designed on 704-acre site. The school will eventually be a true neighborhood school, surrounded by housing and a central park. SweetBay was set to become the city’s first master-planned village— a pedestrian-friendly community with restaurants, retail, and recreation.

The abandoned airport terminal was extensively remodeled and renovated to house a 68,000 square foot charter school for 500 students, pre-K through third grade. Among the challenges faced by the design team was converting the large amount of high-ceilinged interior public space into more intimate settings required by elementary education. Correspondingly, the exterior of the school also needed to be made less intimidating and rightsized to feel comfortable for children approaching the school. 

Solution: 

DAG utilized soft color tones to help reduce the scale of the building and have it seamlessly fit into the new residential setting. The dated green and pink color scheme was eliminated, the building was re-skinned with a natural white and terracotta color scheme to tie in with renewed setting. Similarly, awnings and bracketing were added on the exterior and the windows and siding were replaced. The existing roof was re-coated and lightened with a special energy-efficient coating. The original terminal parking lots in front of the building were turned into a new pond with landscaping, which also fit in with the new master stormwater plan. 

The scale of the entry was brought down to be more in line with its new use as an elementary school. Visitors enter the school through a secure vestibule. From there, the arrival opens to a dramatic two-story staircase. The once central space of the terminal had been turned into a main visual element that referenced the buildings aviation past through the use of a vertical wood wing sculpture, stainless steel rivets and edges, and star-like pin lighting. The bottom podium of the sculpture provides a bleacher-like area for students to congregate. 

The central concourse of the airport terminal was transformed into the main corridor of the school. A brightly colored, transparent dining / multipurpose area occupies the spaces once used for the ticketing area, café, and lounge. In its place is a partial glass enclosure with Mondrian-inspired panels that provide visual separation from the corridors, while maintaining the lightness and transparency of the flexible space. The former baggage areas became large gathering zones where classes can come together, or teachers can provide small groups with individual instruction. The main corridor of the prior rental car area now features large color blocks that identify special areas like the teachers’ lounge and the multi-purpose classrooms.

The classrooms were constructed with adaptability in mind: two moveable walls can be used as one large space or three smaller ones. Cork-patterned luxury vinyl tile flooring creates visual organization between student and teaching areas, while lighting and acoustical ceiling discs add to the visual interest.