Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

The John W. Paisley International Baccalaureate School and Annie L. Lowrance Middle School project consolidated the former Lowrance Middle and Paisley IB Magnet Schools into one new replacement school on the existing, 22.5-acre, Paisley site.

Paisley IB School serves students in grades 6-10 while Lowrance Middle School serves special needs students in grades 6-8. Representatives from both schools, as well as the broader community, were engaged in the planning process in order to encourage a sense of pride and ownership of this new campus.

The new school spans three-levels and is 224,000 SF. Although the two schools’ populations have their own unique program requirements, they share common areas and amenities such as the 300-seat auditorium, a media center, and makerspace that were designed for collaboration. A football and soccer field, track, new PE fields, and a special needs playground are also included on the site.

A combination of masonry, steel, and concrete framing were utilized in the design. The new middle school contains three multi-level classroom wings that were designed as a combination of steel bar joists with interior steel girders and columns, and exterior load bearing masonry walls. One of the challenges conquered during construction of this project was building the new school on the same site as the existing school. Construction was sequenced so as to not interrupt everyday school activities. Coordination with the project team, school superintendent, and principals was a critical part of this process