The PreK-5 Forest Hill Elementary School supports evolutionary ways of learning with transformative activity spaces for science and art projects distributed throughout the classroom wing. The scale of the interior spaces relates to the stature of young students and how they experience space. The school features an abundance of daylight and exterior views throughout and is designed to engage the imagination.

Transformative activity spaces for science or art projects are distributed throughout the classroom wing and support evolutionary ways of learning.

The Village concept references the school as an asset for the entire community. The volumes of program are intentionally situated to create undulating eddies of space that develop in an organic system. The Village consists of a media center, dedicated art and music rooms, a gymnasium sized for use by community leagues, and a dining hall with a raised stage equipped with lighting and A/V for performances by students and the community theater.

Design options were generated in collaborative workshops with faculty, staff, and administration with the intent of gaining a deeper understanding of their vision while determining the best planning solution and architectural character. My role as the lead designer of this full-service project extended through all phases of design, documentation, and bidding.

Massing Studies

Facade Design Studies

The architecture expresses the two classroom bars intersecting and overlapping to create a cantilever protecting the students’ bus entrance.