Recommended Searches

Custom Image

Portfolio Type: Education

We are life-long learners. Whether it is a new elementary school, student housing for a university, performing arts venues, renovations to existing campuses, or master planning for future growth, we draw from years of education design excellence to shape spaces for learning.

University Academy

SweetBay, a newly developed master-planned community in Panama City, repurposes a former airport terminal as its centerpiece. The 704-acre site has been transformed into a vibrant 68,000-square-foot charter school for Pre-K through fifth grade, serving as the heart of this pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, which also features residential areas, retail spaces, restaurants, and recreational facilities like a central park.

DAG employed soft color tones to reduce the scale of the building, allowing it to seamlessly integrate into the surrounding residential environment. The terminal’s outdated green and pink color palette was replaced with natural white and terracotta hues to complement the revitalized setting. Exterior enhancements included the addition of awnings and bracketing, as well as the replacement of windows and siding. The existing roof was re-coated with an energy-efficient finish, lightening its appearance. The former terminal parking lots were reimagined as a landscaped pond, aligning with the site’s new stormwater management plan.

To better suit its new role as an elementary school, the building’s entry scale was reduced. Visitors now enter through a secure vestibule, which opens into a striking two-story staircase. The central space of the terminal was re-envisioned as a key visual feature, celebrating the building’s aviation heritage through a vertical wood wing sculpture, stainless steel rivets and edges, and star-like pin lighting. The sculpture’s base offers a bleacher-like area for students to gather.

The terminal’s central concourse was reconfigured as the school’s main corridor. A brightly colored, transparent dining and multipurpose area now occupies the spaces once designated for ticketing, a café, and a lounge. A partial glass enclosure with Mondrian-inspired panels separates this area from the corridors, maintaining the space’s openness and transparency. The former baggage claims areas have been transformed into large gathering zones for classes or small group instruction. The corridor, once home to rental car services, now features bold color blocks to designate special areas, such as the teachers’ lounge and multipurpose classrooms.

Classrooms were designed for flexibility, with movable walls that can create one large space or three smaller classes. Cork-patterned luxury vinyl tile flooring distinguishes student and teaching areas, while acoustic ceiling discs and lighting add visual interest and enhance the overall atmosphere.

Pineview K-8

Okaloosa County Schools sought to alleviate overcrowding in its northern elementary schools by constructing a Pineview K-8 school. The school’s location on a pine-covered hillside inspired its name and design, reflecting the area’s historical ties to the pine logging and turpentine industries, while also celebrating the natural beauty of the land. 

This state-of-the-art facility will accommodate 1,200 students and feature two-story classroom wings, collaborative study spaces, a media center, and outdoor courtyards. The design also incorporates modern amenities such as specialized band and chorus rooms, advanced classroom technology, a gymnasium with PE and athletic locker rooms, and a cafeteria designed as an Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area. 

With a focus on flexibility and community engagement, the spacious entry lobby serves as a dynamic hub, complete with a built-in learning stair and media projection wall. Together with the media center and administration area, the lobby offers a range of meeting spaces to cater to both the school’s and the community’s diverse needs. 

Florida A&M Residence Hall

Florida A&M University (FAMU)’s first new residence hall on the campus in over 17 years was a product of collaboration. The FAMU Village dormitory is a key element in the university’s long-term strategy to enhance student services and foster a strong sense of community. The building features 800 beds spread across six floors, along with community rooms, study areas, and computer labs. As a new gateway to the campus, the building marks the western edge and complements the university’s architectural traditions while establishing its own unique identity. A notable feature is the “Game Day Lounge” on the fourth floor, which overlooks the central plaza and the football stadium, offering a space for student gatherings and enhancing the connection between the dorm and the stadium. 

Florida A&M University Gore Education Center

Florida A&M University (FAMU) sought to modernize a three-building complex serving the College of Education, Psychology Department, and General Studies Department. Originally built in 1968 and last renovated in 1988, the complex faced numerous issues, including life safety, accessibility, security deficiencies, and outdated mechanical and electrical systems. 

 The renovation began with a comprehensive programming study to assess the needs of the affected departments. The redesign improved circulation patterns within the buildings, enhancing wayfinding and increasing natural light in previously dark public corridors. 

 Key updates included a complete renovation of classrooms, labs, conference rooms, offices, and meeting halls, as well as the remodeling and expansion of restrooms. The complex now features advanced videoconferencing rooms, computer labs, and smart classrooms designed for collaborative and technology-rich learning environments. Code deficiencies were addressed, and the building’s infrastructure was upgraded with new roofs, plumbing, air conditioning, and electrical systems. 

Chipola College Center for the Arts

A new Center for the Arts established a prominent “front door” for the Chipola College campus. Serving approximately 10,000 annual visitors, the facility caters to the cultural and artistic needs of students, residents, and community organizations. 

The center features a 655-seat performance theater equipped with a fly loft and orchestra pit, as well as a 150-seat black box theater designed for intimate performances and recitals. For the convenience of performers, there are four dressing rooms with capacity for 40-60 people. The center also includes an art gallery, a spacious green room, a dance studio, a costume shop, and a two-story set design workshop. The lobby serves as a central gathering space for informal socializing and fundraising events, enhancing the community’s engagement with the arts. 

East Bay K-8

A new K-8 school to serve 1,200 students in the Santa Rosa County School District was needed. The thoughtful design is the new standard for K-8 schools. This two-story facility features three wings on each floor, including 25 primary classrooms, 20 intermediate and middle school classrooms, and 23 exceptional student education rooms. The design incorporates sustainable practices and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, setting a standard for future K-8 schools in the county.  

 The design features a central 2-story atrium, named the Hub, which incorporates the school’s central stairs and provides a gathering space with good supervision of the students throughout the day. Supervision of students where different age groups interact was a key concern of the school’s administration. The site had a limited construction area due to existing wetlands, which helped drive the compact 2-story pinwheel design. This school is a prototype for the school district for K-8 schools, and the compact design works well on smaller sites.  

Dune Lakes Elementary School

Through design research on the long-term benefits of both immersive and kinesthetic activity as well as biophilic design on educational outcomes, “Anytime learning” became one of the key design strategies for Dune Lakes Elementary. Stepped seating, teaching walls, open outdoor areas, and interactive wall elements ensure students have unique opportunities to engage, collaborate, and study.  

 Each classroom and public circulation space incorporates natural daylighting either through large windows, clerestory windows, or large, towering skylights. Wayfinding was inspired by the county’s environmental and historical richness, allowing the buildings themselves to be part of the students’ educational experiences. The project reflects architectural elements familiar to the community, while environmentally conscious elements include interior finishes, LED lighting, and native landscaping. The school utilizes a variety of CPTED principles and safe school strategies, while still maximizing moments of creative play, whimsy, and inquisitive learning. 

Beulah Middle School

Beulah Middle School was built to accommodate Pensacola’s growing student population. This 205,000-square-foot facility is a modern educational hub featuring state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, a gymnasium, a music suite with direct access to the cafetorium stage, an innovation center, and more. It serves around 1,200 students, offering a comprehensive core curriculum and diverse vocational academies.  

The design emphasizes community integration, with a welcoming front entrance and convenient parking near the track and gym, which are accessible to the public. The school’s private areas are sheltered from the public street front, creating a secure environment where students can move freely between wings.

Living Learning Center for Phoebe Putney Health System and Albany Technical College

Among the COVID-19 related challenges faced by Phoebe Putney Hospital System was a lack of trained nurses to staff their regional facilities. The healthcare provider decided to team with Albany Technical College Nursing School to offset the high cost of hiring traveling contract nurses by creating this 40-million-dollar Living Learning Center, located on hospital property across the street from the main hospital entrance.  

The proposed facility was designed as a three-story 122,000 GSF building on the site of the abandoned Lee County High School, which had served the community for over 50 years. On the first level is a 46,000 SF state-of-the-art nursing school with ample classroom space, lecture halls, and simulation labs for future nurses to gain work experience. This education program also includes administration, student lounges, and break-out study spaces. The second and third levels are designed to house 80 market-rate nurse dormitory apartments. The offerings include studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units, in addition to communal lounge/study spaces.  

This modern building complements the architecture of the hospital campus and is highlighted by a point cloud-recorded entry portal that recalls the original Colonial Revival style of the high school façade.  

HLG Studio collaborated with DAG Architects to form the Atlanta-based design team. This project was completed as a design-build process led by Pelicano Construction. Albany Technical College is part of the state-funded TCSG program.