Akiuk Memorial School Kasigluk, Alaska |
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This 22,200 sq. ft. kindergarten through twelfth grade facility for the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) replaces the existing school and out-building constructed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 1967. It was scheduled for design completion in July 1993 and construction completion in time for the fall 1995 school season. |
LKSD was concerned that, with Kasigluk being located on extremely ice-rich permafrost and the Kasigluk River nearby, the village site may at some future point subside and erode beyond usefulness. As a result of this concern Design Alaska designed a series of wood frame modules approximately 24 feet by 62 feet wide on passively refrigerated steel piling. This unique design allows for easy disassembly should relocation ever be required. At each module line the electrical and mechanical systems would be unplugged, the structural system unbolted, the metal roofing "unzipped", and the module placed on a trailer ready for relocation. The floor structure on the underside of the school is designed to accommodate a professional mover's trailer and module-by-module the school could be relocated to a new site of the village's choosing. Any move would be done during winter when roads are constructed on the frozen rivers to provide access to the many villages located along the rivers of interior Alaska. |
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The Elementary school space includes kindergarten, grade 1-2, grade 3-4, grade 5-6, and grade 7-8. The high school educational spaces include: combination science/math; electronics; combination social studies/home economics; and language arts classrooms. |
Joint use educational spaces include: Bilingual classroom; a special education/tutor area; gymnasium with a stage for plays and native dances; a library/instructional media center (also used for office occupation, computer application and entrepreneurship business operations); satellite receiver and distribution space for the Star School program; vocational education program with separate facilities for welding, carpentry, and small engine repair; and a photography room. |
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Photos: Brian Allen
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