The Verplanck Elementary School has been transformed with new classrooms, modernized technology, and a courtyard. A new STEAM suite locates the STEM and Art classrooms adjacent to each other with a shared project room to allow for collaboration across the disciplines. All academic spaces have access to daylight and a view of nature. There is a sensory garden, amphitheater, covered breakout area, and room for play as well as rest in the new courtyard.
The renovate-as-new design for 530 students in Kindergarten – 4th grade consisted of 51,000 sq. ft. renovation and 19,000 sq. ft. expansion, upgraded or replaced everything in the building. When walking into the school, the students are met with a welcoming daylit atrium reminiscent of walking through a forest. When the sun shines, the shade of the trees is cast upon the floor.
The school’s internal circulation was improved, code compliance was addressed, and the design created additional classrooms, small group and special education spaces, art, music, band, orchestra, and pupil services, and an expansion to the cafeteria.
Two brand-new age-appropriate playscapes are available for the students and community. The site is now ADA compliant and pedestrian-friendly with separate parent pick-up and drop-off and bus loop, and handicap ramps and crosswalks are appropriately located. The rain garden stormwater management in the center of the bus loop is panted with low-maintenance native grasses and herbaceous plantings.
High Performance Building / LEED Silver Equivalent
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