HMK architects receive honors for facility design by national magazine

by Charli Engelhorn staff writer Moab Times Independent

Students at Helen M. Knight Elementary School participate in a lesson in the schools library. The architectural firm that designed the school recently received an honorable mention award from Learning by Design magazine for outstanding educational facility design. Photo by Scott Zimmerman

The accolades continue to come in for the Grand County School Districts Helen M. Knight Elementary school building and MHTN Architects, the Salt Lake City-based company that designed the facility. MHTN Architects recently received an honorable mention award from Learning by Design magazine for outstanding educational facility design for HMK .

The firm received one of five honorable mentions out of 30 K-12 facility designs submitted to the magazine, with three other facilities taking the grand prizes, according the a news release issued this week by MHTN.

This award is a great honor for our firm and Grand County School District and its patrons, said Peggy McDonough, president of MHTN Architects. The design of Helen M. Knight was created through collaboration with the district, its teachers and students, which resulted in an extraordinary learning environment connected to the culture of Moab.

The judges said the school resembles a contemporary cliff dwelling and has a nice visual connection to the environment. They noted that the connection goes beyond aesthetics and serves as a landscape for learning, with aspects such as an interior rock garden that allows students to study local plant life.

With just the right moves, what could easily be a simple double-loaded corridor creates little found space that makes all the difference, judges said, according to the news release.

MHTN was also recognized for their use of sustainable local materials.

MHTN and the district were previously recognized for the facility and community design process in August 2011 by the Council of Educational Facility Planners International. HMK was one of four schools in the country named as finalists for the prestigious James D. MacConnell Award, given for the level of community engagement and design standards for the construction of a learning facility. Although HMK and MHTN did not win the award, the architects and district officials did attend the awards ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., where their accomplishments were acknowledged.

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HMK architects receive honors for facility design by national magazine