JOHN SAWYER of Sawyer Sherwood & Associate
VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE Sunday, January 10
“Academics are very important to our family, but what is
even more important is that my children are well-rounded.
I value that about CFA.” Cape Fear Academy Parent
A HEALTHY
START:
MORE THAN
CAVITIES +
CLEANINGS
56
WBM january 2021
Architecture was a student himself at Wrightsville
Beach Elementary. Back then, in the early 1960s, there
were only three classrooms. Sawyer remembers playing
flag football at recess and exploring the marshes.
While walking the campus before designing his alma mater’s
renovation, Sawyer noticed that, despite having borne the brunt
of major hurricanes including Hazel, Fran and Florence, the
school still had good bones. The roof overhangs, for example,
were deeper on the south face than on the north, making good
use of natural light and ventilation. Plus, its mid-century modern
design was back in style.
“Building design has come full circle and now we are again
concerned about daylight, energy conservation, and designing
with locally sourced materials,” Sawyer says. “Very little renova-tion
had been done since it was built in the ’50s. We found we
could preserve the basics of the plan. We tend to, in our design,
try to keep things fairly simple in appearance and kind of lean
and that’s consistent with mid-century modern architecture.”
Rotating the second floor to step across the existing building
was done to alleviate impact on the original one-story struc-ture.
It also maximized light and the sun’s solar energy. Roof
overhangs, exterior sunshades and specialized glass were used to
accomplish daylight without heat gain. The second-floor corridor
is open and airy with exposed roof structure and clerestory
windows bringing in sunlight. Structural steel beams elevate the
second floor, creating an outdoor covered instructional area.
EXCELLENCE
From regional science fairs
and national exams to arts
and athletic championships,
students of all ages excel
CHARACTER & RESILIENCE
All students embracing
on-campus health and safety
measures like daily health
screenings, wearing masks
and social distancing
COMMUNITY
Upper School students
required to be involved in
community engagement
and outreach
OPPORTUNITY
CFA faculty and staff have
the training, techniques and
technology to create effective
learning environments for our
students wherever they are
PK3-12 | info@capefearacademy.org | 910-791-0287 | capefearacademy.org
3900 S. College Road, Wilmington NC
Sarah E. Pless, DDS | Christian G. Cook, DMD
GENERAL DENTISTRY
7205 Wrightsville Ave | Suite 105
Under Grand View Luxury Apartments
910.726.9888 | info@PlessDDS.com | www.PlessDDS.com
ALLISON POTTER