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Sarasota News Leader February 22, 2013 THE CHARRETTE The planning for the rebuilding of the Sarasota High campus has been going on for a number of years. A charrette the district administrative staff hosted in June 2012 about how best to incorporate the historic buildings into a 21st century learning environment drew numerous members of the SAF as well as parents and students. All the participants signed off on the plans at the conclusion of the twoday event. On Tuesday, when Brown queried Scott Lempe, the district���s chief operating officer, about whether the Building 4 interior was discussed at the charrette, he conceded the focus was on the exterior issues. ���In terms of the architecture, we only talked about the outside, and ��� only the specific items that drove the need for the charrette,��� he said, noting the primary concern was ���over the [proposed] glassing in of the breezeway and the demolition of the west gym. Most of the charrette focused on the appropriate rehabilitation of the west side of the campus,��� Lempe pointed out. Building 4 is showing evidence of significant settling, a point School Board Chairwoman Jane Goodwin mentioned during the Convocation of Governments and a fact brought up again Feb. 19. Page 49 Changes to the Harvard Jolly design for the new interior, which would make it possible to preserve the Rudolph architectural features, would severely limit the amount of space available for a variety of uses, Lempe pointed out. ���It would have a domino effect,��� he said. ���If we were to leave the interior as it is, we would have to leave Administration where it is. Then we leave Media where it is. Then where does Food Service go?��� ���I think [moving forward with the interior renovations] will make the majority of the people of this community happy,��� Brown said. Kovach was more direct. ���I do know the ramifications are about $6.5 million more, and significantly less usable square footage,��� with changes at this point to save the interior features of import to the preservationists. Kovach continued, ���If the SAF has issues, then we should sell this building to the [county commissioners], because they never have enough space, and they can work with [the SAF] and properly rehabilitate the building.��� Building 4 is directly east of the original Sarasota High School, which is situated on U.S. 41. The 1928 high school structure is being transformed into the Sarasota Museum of Art. ���Is it structurally sound?��� Brown asked. ���Are Rudolph served as dean of the Yale School of we still going to have sinking hallways?��� Architecture for six years, beginning in 1958. ���I hope this goes without saying,��� Lempe re- With landmark buildings in Hong Kong, Sinplied, ���but we are not going to move kids into gapore and the Northeast as well as Florida, a building that is not safe and does not comply he is an architect with worldwide following. with building codes. The west side is settling He is known as a principal in what is called and the plan is to go down with micro-pilings the Sarasota School of Architecture because of its design features. % and support the structure,��� he noted.