Boora Architects

This joint-use facility combines an 800-student middle school and a 550-student elementary school on a constrained site.

Thoughtful site planning was paramount to the facility’s success. While early schemes (bottom right) explored separate buildings for each school, the design solution (top right) was found in a single 185,000-square-foot structure.

The result is a flexible education environment with separate, age-appropriate learning spaces and shared amenities such as the library, parking and outdoor play areas.

Transparency and daylight are hallmarks of the design of both schools with an abundance of windows and central skylit atria.

Windows into classrooms and open site lines allow for passive supervision of teaching spaces.

Large gathering spaces and quiet niches throughout the schools offer a variety of options for group and individual learning.

While classroom layouts vary depending on grade-specific needs, teaching spaces for both schools incorporate large windows and soft lighting to create a relaxing and creative learning environment.

The use of color defines zones and facilitates wayfinding throughout the schools.