October 2019: The first image of "Blu Sky Observatory " was shared by James Hanis, Architect, with Mary Jo Dyre, Educator. ( I will share this image in a later blog.)
November 2019 - January 2021: James Hanis immersed himself in the design process, producing the booklet captured in this photo.
Key remarks shared from Blu Sky Observatory Facility Replacement Project:
Landmark Siting
As a facility replacement project, the proposed “Blu Sky Observatory” is a visionary Rural Charter School Model situated within the Appalachian Mountains on the western edge of Historic Downtown Murphy between a non-active rail line and a water flowing stream that defines the north-south property lines. Designed for minimum impact to ‘The Learning Center’ site, the new building project will continue to accommodate some existing year-round schooling and facility operations during an accelerated construction timeline. Some of the modular classrooms will be removed prior to the start of construction as more enrollment is moved temporarily to Campus 2 at 78 Terrace Avenue, Murphy, NC. Once the replacement project is completed, all modules will be removed. The campus area restored as a green sustainable environment, creates a new research laboratory setting to anchor the “Blu Sky Observatory” building.
Formation of an Idea
This ambitious undertaking, ‘The Learning Center Facility Replacement Project’ provides an extraordinary opportunity in reshaping the 21st century Rural Charter School Model with a new dynamic architecture paradigm as a cutting-edge technological platform that facilitates a new era of academic research, study, dedication, and contribution for the pursuit of knowledge.
The project’s slender and elegant six-story building form, “Blu Sky Observatory” is borne of a desire to create an iconic and timeless state of the art Rural Charter School as a landmark destination in the town of Murphy, North Carolina. Located at the north end of an important north-south axis on Conaheeta Street, this new architecture mediates between the commercial north district and nearby residential community as a centerpiece in creating a quality of place that revitalizes the pedestrian streetscape.