Connolly-Curry Rebuild

Project Background

Connolly Middle School and Curry Elementary School are located on adjacent sites at 2002 E Concorda Dr, Tempe, AZ, and 1974 E Meadow Drive, Tempe, AZ, respectively.

With District facility assessments and DLR Group’s facility analysis, the District and their Board approved the resultant recommendation of demolishing the existing campuses and re-building the two schools. The District determined the best value to the schools, students, and the bond funding would be to keep both schools operational during construction. As a result, both schools will be constructed in the current field locations, transfer to the new buildings, and then demo the existing buildings and construct the fields in their location.

The new Curry Elementary School is designed for 600 students and the new Connolly Middle School is designed for 1,500 students.

Project Timeline

The project is planned to be a phased, occupied campus with the following overall milestone goals:

June 2025 - Remove Old Gym at Connolly to provide more outside space for students during the build.
October/November 2025 - Site construction on the fields for the new buildings
June 2027 - Relocate existing schools into the new buildings.
July 2027 - Construction of schools complete. Start school in new facilities.
February 2027 - Finalize construction on the new fields with removal of old buildings.
January 2028 - Construction complete with removal of all construction equipment.

Connolly Middle School

Curry Elementary

Project Goals

During this visioning, the District identified three primary goals for the rebuild of these two schools: 1) Safefy and Security, 2) Dynamic and Flexible Learning Space, and 3) Movement Focus. These goals will be the north star for the progression of this project, providing direction and setting the measures of success.

Safety & Security

Dynamic and Flexible Learning Space

Education looks different today than it did when either school was fi rst envisioned and it will change repeatedly in the next 50 years. Flexibility means providing a design that will adapt to the needs of the school. It inherently means innovation as flexible learning environments will be able to accommodate different modes of learning, different grade configurations, and different operational configurations as they evolve over time.

Movement Focus

Located on adjacent sites, the District has a vision to unite Connolly Middle School and Curry Elementary as a movement focused location with shared sports and activities amenities that can serve both schools, its community, and the larger District. While the two schools will operate separately, the vision is to have a cohesive design to unite these two schools across their central fields.

Details for the New Schools

Connolly Middle School
Curry Elementary

Connolly Middle School

Six 2-story buildings and +/- 167,000 square feet
Designed for safety and security
- Optimal visibility considerations
- Extended drive lines for drop-off and pick-up
- Administrative areas dispersed throughout campus
- State-of-the-art, integrated security and notification system
- Secure and welcoming perimeters and controlled access points
Flexible, student-centered design
- Flexible classrooms and labs with adjacent flex space areas
- Deliberate planning for optimal climate and lighting
- Cafeteria with interior and exterior dining options
- Outdoor courtyards and walkways
- Outdoor learning spaces
Dynamic arts and electives spaces
- Visual arts room with art patio and kiln access
- Learning commons with an outdoor learning terrace
- Performing arts wing adjacent to performance platform
- Future-forward flex spaces with high-intensity infrastructure
Movement focus
- Interior gymnasium featuring options for a full, competition court with spectator seating or three full courts and one auxiliary court
- Interior, raised running track circulating the main court
- Interior movement weight training/lab spaces
- Regulation exterior sports fields
  - Football/soccer/lacrosse field
  - Baseball and softball fields
  - Exterior track and field
- Outdoor basketball courts

Curry Elementary

Four 2-story buildings and approximately +/- 72,000 square feet
Designed for safety and security
- Optimal visibility considerations
- More efficient and direct KidZone access
- Extended drive lines for drop-off and pick-up
- Administrative areas dispersed throughout campus
- State-of-the-art, integrated security and notification system
- Secure and welcoming perimeters and controlled access points
Flexible, student-centered design
- Flexible classrooms with adjacent flex space areas
- Cafeteria with interior and exterior dining options
- Planning for optimal climate and lighting
- Outdoor courtyards and walkways
- Outdoor learning spaces
- Outdoor amphitheater
Dynamic special area spaces and movement focus
- Regulation-sized gymnasium
- Large play areas and green spaces
- Learning commons overlooking outdoor spaces
- Cafeteria with performance platform and exterior dining options

Connolly-Curry Rebuild Aerial Rendering

Contact Us:

Courtney Quesada
Project Manager - Facilities Management for Learners

Email Courtney Quesada
(480) 642-1542 ext 7927

Jennifer Nusbaum
Director of Innovative Environments & School Design

Email Jennifer Nusbaum
(480) 730-7263

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DLR