Elementary School No. 42

Natural daylight is provided throughout this compact school design: windows are provided for every room on an exterior wall; solatubes provided for interior classrooms, solar-tracking skylights in the gymnasium provide consistent, even daylight, and a large skylight over the media center and main corridor flooding the core of the building with natural daylight. Solar tracking skylights in the gymnasium which provide consistent, even daylight into the occupied space.

Terrazzo flooring is installed in all corridors and the cafetorium. This flooring is quite durable and will not need to be replaced. In addition, it does not need to be waxed and will save the Owner in cost of energy, labor and materials for the life of the building.

Connectivity was important in this walking community. This school was built adjacent to an existing middle school and everyone wanted to make sure there was a connection between the two schools allowing older siblings to easily walk over to pick up their siblings or for students to move from school to school for educational experiences. The design team created a distinct brick path that connects the two schools with a Gazebo located in the middle. This gazebo was designed such that it could be used both as a meeting place or as an outdoor learning classroom for teachers as it overlooks a large bioretention area.

The design team also created an outdoor amphitheater with a trellis which is located in a central location for the neighborhood, directly in front of the main entrance. This structure creates a place where parents can wait for their children after school, teachers can bring the students outside for instruction or the staff could bring the students to for an outdoor concert performance.