RANKIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Rankin County, Mississippi

DD/A was selected to serve as the lead architect by the Rankin County School Board for an $81 million expansion of the county's educational facilities as part of a 2001/2003 bond issue. The building campaign includes two new high schools and three new elementary schools, as well as numerous additions and renovations to schools throughout the county.

In addition to strategic planning, programming and design services, the firm also developed clear profiles and size standards for typical elementary, middle and high school facilities. The success of the project required that the firm study the current and future curriculum, K-12 distribution of students, and demographic projections in combination with current educational practices and national trends.

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF THE DESIGN PROCESS
Designers work with school officials via bubble diagrams to determine the basic spaces anticipated and their relationships to other spaces within the facility.

A schematic site plan shows the components of a school complex and identifies spaces within each building that will be renovated.

Step by step throughout the planning process each building begins taking on more and more detail.