THE ARCHITECTURAL VISION
by Arjun Khatti ’23
Published in The ReMarker (Oct. 2022)
As a design principal for CannonDesign, Roland Lemke has been a vital contributor in bringing the school’s goals for the Athletic Complex Project to life.
Finding the right design architect for this project began when the school sent an RFP (request for proposal) to a select number of architecture firms. After being shortlisted and interviewed, CannonDesign was ultimately selected for the job. According to Lemke, any large construction project like the Athletic Complex can be broken down into five major stages.
“The first part is programming — understanding what’ll be in the building,” Lemke said. “Then you do schematic design, which is developing specific ideas — how big it’ll be, how it’ll sit, etc. The third step is design development — getting into the nitty gritty of figuring out every single detail of the building. Next is making construction documents — very detailed drawings. The final part is building.”
Initial conversations during the programming phase introduced several key visions that the Project Planning Team wanted to develop.
Published in The ReMarker (Oct. 2022)
As a design principal for CannonDesign, Roland Lemke has been a vital contributor in bringing the school’s goals for the Athletic Complex Project to life.
Finding the right design architect for this project began when the school sent an RFP (request for proposal) to a select number of architecture firms. After being shortlisted and interviewed, CannonDesign was ultimately selected for the job. According to Lemke, any large construction project like the Athletic Complex can be broken down into five major stages.
“The first part is programming — understanding what’ll be in the building,” Lemke said. “Then you do schematic design, which is developing specific ideas — how big it’ll be, how it’ll sit, etc. The third step is design development — getting into the nitty gritty of figuring out every single detail of the building. Next is making construction documents — very detailed drawings. The final part is building.”
Initial conversations during the programming phase introduced several key visions that the Project Planning Team wanted to develop.
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Lemke presents early renderings to the Board in April 2022.
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"Mr. Dini is very focused on making sure the building is timeless," Lemke said. "He wants it to reflect school pride — learning to win and understanding that you don’t always win."
“We came up with a sort of vision statement as well as some guiding design principles,” Lemke said. “For example, [Headmaster] David Dini is very focused on making sure the building is timeless. He wants it to reflect school pride — learning to win and understanding that you don’t always win. All those kinds of words came out, which helped us understand how they wanted the building to feel.”
Lemke worked with the team to translate certain words and themes into details within the building.
“There’s going to be a long lobby running down the building,” he said. “When you walk in, people can see the gym on one side and the pool on the other. We’re also using the same brick, wood and floor materials that are used across campus. I think all of those things will give it that timeless, enduring feel. There will also be oak boards that highlight accomplishments. That displays tradition, which is timeless.”
Overall, Lemke is pleased with how smoothly the project is running.
“It’s been a really great process,” he said, “and I’m not just saying that. The committee’s leadership has been deliberate and thoughtful. We’ve moved forward pretty methodically and in a very consensus-driven, collaborative way.”
Lemke worked with the team to translate certain words and themes into details within the building.
“There’s going to be a long lobby running down the building,” he said. “When you walk in, people can see the gym on one side and the pool on the other. We’re also using the same brick, wood and floor materials that are used across campus. I think all of those things will give it that timeless, enduring feel. There will also be oak boards that highlight accomplishments. That displays tradition, which is timeless.”
Overall, Lemke is pleased with how smoothly the project is running.
“It’s been a really great process,” he said, “and I’m not just saying that. The committee’s leadership has been deliberate and thoughtful. We’ve moved forward pretty methodically and in a very consensus-driven, collaborative way.”
