|
 PROJECT
DESCRIPTION
Location 5610
North Maple Street
Spokane, WA 99205
Completed September
3, 2006
Purpose This structure was
designed and constructed primarily as a replacement K-6 educational
facility. A major design goal was the inclusion of several multi-use
public meeting areas for use by citizens during non-educational time of
evenings and weekends.
Context The site lies on
a busy arterial in a predominately single family residential
neighborhood. A small retail strip mall is located within several
hundred feet of the site as well.
The architect and
design team were given additional challenges by being presented from the
owner a set of educational specifications to ensure equity in spaces
across similar facilities within the district.
Design A central
feature that was embraced by the students, staff and neighborhood was
the feature of a traditional school bell to be hung within the
vestibule. This ornate feature was purchased with funds from the
parent-teacher organization and cast in the Netherlands.
The small site
footprint dictated some orientation parameters. Light shelves were used
on exterior classroom windows to maximize diffused light entering the
learning spaces. This ‘daylight harvesting’ has been shown in studies to
improve the learning environment.
Besides extensive
use of daylight, allowing for less overhead lighting (and energy) being
used, high efficiency heating, ventilation and cooling systems were
included to minimize the long-term operational costs of the facility.
Brick and
concrete were used extensively as exterior materials to maintain the
‘look and feel’ of the traditional school building that was desired by
the local community. The interior uses a mix of bright primary colors
and patterns throughout the hallways and central spaces.
Quality of Life A local school
system communicates the value a community places on its children. The
physical structure that provides an inviting and safe environment in
which to learn and grow should be a point of pride for citizens.
This building was
built only after an extensive design process that included a
community-wide workshop in which parents, teachers, administrators,
architects, students, business leaders and others were asked to name and
prioritize common elements that they foresaw in a “perfect neighborhood
school”. The designs were further refined for each individual school
with collaboration that included additional conversations with parents
and staff from the school.
The common
ingredients desired by all who took part in the development of the sites
included:
- Safe and
secure
- Unique
neighborhood character
- Look and
feel of a traditional school.
- Public
spaces for meetings
-
Sustainability
- Inviting
and ‘kid-friendly’
- Efficiency
in internal and external traffic
- Efficiency
in systems
- Flexibility
for the future
Taking a
comprehensive view of the building occupants and mission, along with the
environment the structure is integrated with, a site was developed that
will provide decades of public good and beauty to the neighborhood. |
