Florida Prototype Campus to Include Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area
By Fay Harvey
ST LUCIE, Fla. —The design process is now underway on the new Western Grove K-8 School in St. Lucie, Fla. The 217,500-square-foot prototype campus will serve approximately 2,000 students when it opens in August 2026. In addition to teaching, learning, support and recreation spaces, the project will serve as a refuge during natural disasters.
Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., a full-service architectural, interior and design firm headquartered in Hamilton, N.J., with offices in Maitland, Fla., and Vero Beach, Fla.” was selected to provide design services for the project. The firm will work in conjunction with Sanford, Fla.-based construction management firm Wharton-Smith.
“Spiezle’s design for Western Grove K-8 builds on the extensive history shared between us and the school district, as we continue to evolve and modernize our prototypes, while creating a model that is easily replicable at other future school sites throughout the district,” said Anthony Donadio, principal of Spiezle, in a statement.
Mentioned in the plans are six different facilities, including two-story academic buildings and a two-story administration building alongside a gymnasium. Each floor of the academic-focused buildings will house four classroom pods surrounded by interior extended learning areas. Laboratories, classrooms and areas specifically designed for science demonstrations are sprinkled throughout the common core facility and classroom buildings. Separate bathrooms for students and faculty are located on each floor within the school grade pods, and a chiller plant for environmentally sustainable thermal regulation will be integrated on the campus grounds.
Doubling as a cafeteria and auditorium, an innovative 33,569-square-foot “auditoria” will serve as a hub for performing arts classes, dining and custodial spaces. In addition to a cafeteria area, a stage, and separate classrooms for band, art and vocal lessons, the auditoria will double as an Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA), a critical addition due to the school’s location on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. The last hurricane to sweep through St. Lucie was Hurricane Milton in October 2024, which claimed at least six lives across St. Lucie County.
The outside amenities at Western Grove will include several playgrounds, a multipurpose field and a hard court as well as a drop-off/pick-up area for both bus transportation and guardian pick-ups.
“This new school will provide students in St. Lucie with a safe, clean, and forward-thinking facility that will suit their needs for many years to come,” said Steven G. Siegel, AIA, LEED AP, principal at Spiezle Architectural Group.