Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School’s elementary and middle school buildings have earned a Design Award of Honor from the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA). The awards are presented to SARA members whose projects are selected for meritorious design.
Nicholas Garrison, who designed the BELS facility as well as the BLIS elementary and middle schools in Ankara, is a partner in FXFOWLE, an architectural, interior design, planning and urban development firm based in New York and Washington, DC.
BELS opened in 2007 with prep-level classes, adding high school classes each successive year. In 2012 construction began on the lower school and the all-school cafeteria. In 2013, the elementary school opened with one class each of kindergarten through grade four. In 2014, the middle school started with grade five and has been adding
one grade each year. The new buildings feature sustainable design elements that include heating under the floors and double-glazed windows.
SARA was founded in 1956. As a professional society for architects working in all roles in the building and design industry, SARA places emphasis on fostering professional fellowship and enabling its members to work together for the betterment of the profession, the advancement of all humankind and the sustainability of the environment.