Eastern Mennonite Elementary school is in the home stretch with finishes being installed. On my last visit the lights were being installed inside, the drywall was done, and the shape of the space was clear. I am looking forward to a return visit as the doors have been installed and I imagine the space is flooded with light. There is also a special stained glass installation happening in one of the three upper windows on the north side of the space. I have seen bits of this beautiful work being created by Zachery Nafzinger on his social media posts for ZN Stained Glass.
This space will serve as a place of gathering for the students of the Elementary school to come together and build community. This is a fundamental goal of our firm is to create spaces where this can happen. The idea of building a stronger community through design is what drives us to keep doing what we are doing.
The goal of this building and this space was to keep a connection to the outside, to make it adaptable for many uses, and to incorporate building science / sustainability. We have achieved each of those goals with the wide doors that can stay open in nice weather creating a pavilion like space. The space will be used for lunch, class gatherings, whole school functions, and even a recreation space for days when PE cannot be outside. The building science / sustainability strategies we have used throughout this project include air tight insulation, exterior continuous insulation, LED lights, and a simple form to reduce material use while making the building striking from the outside.
I cannot wait to see it finished and being used. I know the teachers will also welcome this added space for their daily functions.
