Cary Academy Campus Plan

The campus plan for Cary Academy shall provide a physical setting that enhances the school's mission of a learning community committed to discovery, innovation, collaboration, and excellence. The grounds shall be harmonious with the classical design elements of the campus and create an environment that serves as a place of study and socializing.

These are our guiding principles:

• Campus design shall be guided by the architectural heritage of the school, with the quadrangle serving as the core of the campus.

• Cary Academy shall be a walking campus that provides clear orientation and a sense of place. Spaces shall be identified for most appropriate use.

• Physical development of the campus shall preserve, enhance, and restore the built and natural environment and minimize environmental impact.

• Cary Academy shall develop its grounds and borders so they are respectful of and complementary to its neighbors.

• The master plan and building design processes shall engage the school community in meaningful discourse.

• Physical development shall be mission-driven, cost-effective, and sustainable.

• Formulate and implement architectural standards and guidelines for all structures, landscaping, hardscaping, and signage.
• Enhance the quad as the heart of the school.

• Designate future building sites and identify areas for gathering, sports, and natural/wild preservation.
• Identify areas of campus as outdoor rooms or areas and name them, e.g., the quad.
• Identify specific locations that will draw students to gather and/or study. Include benches, other seating, shade, walls, eating areas, and places for reflection and reading.
• Study pedestrian and vehicular traffic patterns and make recommendations to accommodate flow and clear orientation.
• Evaluate building entrances/exits and make the transitions between interiors and exteriors friendlier.
• Identify areas for outside classroom use, either for outdoor classrooms or areas of study and research, e.g., biology labs, wetlands, and experimental gardens.
• Consider the developmental age of the predominant users of a space to insure safety and maximum benefit when proposing new site and building designs.

• Preserve and enhance open areas and woods, including attracting wildlife and planting indigenous plant species, especially flowering and berry-bearing plants and wildflowers.
• Explore uses of the wetlands and pond.
• Restore soil conditions as possible by augmentation with mulches and other means, and consider drainage problems as design opportunities.
• Identify service projects for the school community.

• Provide distinctive entrances and maintain attractive streetscapes.

• Establish a decision-making process for developing the campus that remains consistent with the principles of the school.
• Survey the parents, students, faculty, and alumni and use school-wide meetings to encourage all members of the community to contribute.
• Consult with local resources, e.g., parents, the Museum of Natural History, NCSU, and other professionals.

• All expenditures must be supported by the school’s mission.
• Make prudent financial decisions based on life cycle cost analysis.
• Conduct periodic studies to determine the adequacy of the existing campus size to accommodate the mission and long-range plans of the school