The new 30,000-sf The Macaluso Academic Collaborative (TMAC) provides a unique mix of program including 20,000-sf of educational spaces (science labs, digital fabrication, general classrooms, a multi-purpose space, offices and support spaces), and a 10,000-sf gym and fitness center for Eastside Preparatory School, a small, emerging secondary and high school. Due to significant site constraints, the gym/fitness center is situated at the top of the facility on an isolated floor system. The school occupies a 1950s office park, and the TMAC helps to evolve it into a modern campus. Pedestrian connections are enhanced, and an interior amphitheater with large slide-fold doors becomes an extension of the campus open space while creating a much-needed assembly space.
This fast-track project was designed and permitted in seven months, including design review approvals, and the building opened 18 months after the start of the design process.