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Greenman Elementary
The project is a new 700 student K-5 school, constructed to replace an existing 107 year old, 300 student school, located in the heart of an established neighborhood. The 4.1 acre site is adjacent to the existing school. The new school consists of 24 general classrooms, two kindergarten classrooms, music and art classrooms, media center, multipurpose room with stage, warming kitchen, and administrative facilities. The school also contains spaces for its community partners. Outdoor facilities include formal and informal play fields and courts, parking, separate parent and bus drop-off, and multipurpose plazas. The existing school had strong community ties, therefore it only made sense for community to be a large part of the design of the new school. The process began (and completed) with the community. The architectural design was a result of a community engagement process, which included district leaders, Board of Education, administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, community members, and business representatives. Outreach opportunities included a partnership with the local University’s School of Education. This partnership resulted in facilities for hands-on, in-classroom training of university students. In partnership with YMCA’s preschool program, the school provides preschool facilities. In addition, elementary school student workshops generated numerous ideas for the design as well as actual artwork for six large wall murals. Throughout the community engagement process a vision developed for the school of personalized learning environments, small academies or neighborhoods, and curriculum flexibility. To achieve personalized learning, the school is divided into seven classroom clusters or “neighborhoods”: one for pre-K and K, and six others that can be for grade-level groupings and/or schools-within-a-school. The cluster is a small learning community of four classrooms, two technology/resource areas, and a flexible learning corridor. The cluster can be arranged as individual rooms or as larger spaces for team teaching. The resource room and corridor serve as project areas for hands-on, project based, group learning. In addition, student learning is offered outside the classroom. The entire facility is a learning environment, where the architecture inspires learning: a “3-D textbook.” For example, looking into the mechanical room, porthole windows allow students to observe the equipment, lights, pipes, etc. Every educator demands “flexibility” in their school design. Our design results in various forms of flexibility. Within each classroom, there are “Learning Walls”: custom, flexible and adaptable millwork that can conform to each teacher and students’ needs. The pairing of classrooms around a resource room and group activity corridor allows for many variations of learning environment shapes, sizes and functions. The stage is also a flexible performing arts classroom and is double-sided, serving the multipurpose room and the lobby with staircase/amphitheater seating. We believe that a complete learning environment inspires and supports learning in all aspects: from the physical to the social to the psychological to the financial. The design’s impact on learning has social purpose, positively impacting not just the day to day teaching of students, but also the community and the environment. We impact learning by providing an environment that is student-centered and hands on. In addition, our architecture promotes curiosity, imagination and wonder, while at the same time solving real-world problems of budget, program, technology, and construction. For this school, every design decision inspires learning and positively impacts the community. Project Description:
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