Berchmans Academy Master Plan
This master plan establishes a new boys' campus in dialogue with its historic sister campus, the Academy of the Sacred Heart, which sits across the live oak alley.
MASTER PLAN
The master plan strategy is based on an internal reading of the site and its context, including the landscape and the historic buildings that sit across the oak alley from its site. Two grids are layered to create a framwork for the campus' buildings. One, the grid from the roadway and tree lines and, the other, a nine-degree rotation of the rotation from this grid based on a mirror of the historic buildings. The buildings are placed in this framework based on the school's needed program, both interior program and outdoor program, through in-between spaces.
1-2 PRIMARY CLASSES, 3-4 PREPARATORY CLASSES, 5-6 UPPER CLASSES, 7 ART & MUSIC, 8 LIBRARY & MAKER SPACE, 9 ADMINISTRATION, 10 ART & SCIENCE, 11 CHAPEL PAVILION, 12 GYMNASIUM, 13 DINING & FLEX, 14 LOCKERS & RESTROOMS, 15 CONCESSIONS, 16 PLAY HILL, 17 PREP & PRIMARY SPORTS LAWN, 18 OUTDOOR DINING, 19 OUTDOOR COURTS, 20 LOGS, 21 FENCES PRE-K PLAYGROUND, 22 STUMPS, 23 LONG PICNIC TABLES, 24 NATURAL PLAYGROUND, 25 OUTDOOR CLASSROOM, 26 PICNIC TABLES & HAMMOCKS, 27 COASTAL ROOTS, 28 ARRIVAL QUAD/ ASSEMBLY, 29 OAK ALLEY GARDEN, 30 UPPER SPORTS LAWN
Mirroring the Historic Grid
The Sacred Heart campus is rotated slightly off axis from the primary road and tree line. We chose to mirror this angle across the oak axis to orient the organizing grid of Berchmans Academy. This creates a subtle link between the girls’ and boys’ campuses, one that reinforces relationships between them while allowing Berchmans Academy to emerge with an identity of its own.
Interweaving Grids
Establishing a Central Spine
Two overlapping geometries define the new campus plan: One follows the orthogonal orientation of the oak alley and main road. The other mirrors the angle of the historic campus grid. These interwoven grids serve as an armature for massing, movement, and light. They enable a flexible yet legible organization of spaces and introduce moments of spatial tension, notably in the angular intersections that open opportunities for dynamic forms, angled roofs, and light from above through clerestory windows.
A primary pedestrian spine runs parallel to the existing vehicular drop-off and bisects the new campus along a north-south axis. This spine serves as the organizing circulation element and forms the basis for phasing of contruction. The new gymnasium anchirs the southern end of this axis near the existing athketic field, while temporary classroom spaces (Butler buildings) are arranged allong this covered spine. This gesture offers immediate usability and clarity while establishing the foundation for future campus growth.
Phase One
Future Phases - New Buildings
Planning for Growth through Modular Strategy - As the campus evolved, the master plan allows for the strategic replacement of temporary structures with permanent buildings, as shown on the phasing plans above.
An Academic Village - We conceive these future academic buildings as economical, modular, pods that align with the historic grid but open onto the primary pedestrian spine. Their arrangement along the dual grids generates dynamic spatial relationships and allows for flexibility in construction phasing, distribution of school program elements, and future expansion.
Student Feedback
Cultivating "In-Between" Spaces
The many interstitial spaces between buildings are not merely residual. We envision these as "outdoor rooms" that form as an essential layer of the campus experience: outdoor classrooms and informal learning spaces, quiet courtyards, play zones, gardens, and gathering lawns. In an all-boys environment, these exterior spaces provide critical support for movement, exploratation, and social learning. Their careful placement helps foster community among everyone at Berchmans Academy,
Pod Modules
The campus draws inspiration from local agricultural structures and vernacular building forms to create its own simple but distinctive architectural language. The repeated pods echo the rural environs of St. Landry Parish and the region's relationship to the land. This architectural vocabulary grounds the Berchmans Academy campus in its setting and offers a sense of familiarity and identity that can enrich itself over time, growing in step with the mission of Sacred Heart.