McKissick Associates to Build New Manoa Elementary School near Philadelphia

McKissick Associates will build the new Manoa Elementary School following completion of the new Chestnutwold Elementary School in Havertown, PA.

July 24, 2006

McKissick Associates PC has been selected to provide the educational planning and architectural design services on the new Manoa Elementary School for the School District of Haverford Township, located just out-side of Philadelphia in Delaware County. This new facility, the firm's second new school for the District, will accommodate 650 Elementary pupils. Located on a tight urban site, this $21.3m (total project cost), three-story building will replace the older Manoa Elementary School, which will be repurposed for new uses. This is the fourth project undertaken by McKissick Associates for the School District of Haverford Township under its 2001 facilities study.

This commission follows the completion of an extensive master planning process. In the summer of 2005, the district selected McKissick Associates, of Harrisburg, PA, to reevaluate the needs of the Manoa School community and analyze options for renovation or replacement of the current structure. Construction documents are scheduled to be complete in December 2006 for bidding and Construction is to be complete by June 2008.

The building as envisioned, is an 86,000 SF structure with a three-story masonry bearing classroom wing. The building plan is L-shaped, where the classroom wing forms the bottom of the L and the common spaces (school office, library, art, music, gym, combined stage/large group instruction/cafeteria, kitchen, and mechanical room) form the top of the L. A 3 1/2-story tower that contains a secure entry lobby connects the community and educational wings, a central PTO room and stair tower that accesses all floors.