SUMMIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Casper, WY
SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership spearheaded a team of three firms to envision a new public school, Summit Elementary School, in Casper, Wyoming. Following visioning sessions and design charrettes with the Natrona County School District, the Wyoming School Facilities Commission, local educators, students, and community members, SKOLNICK designed this unique educational facility to excite and engage students in new ways of learning. Opened in August 2010, the school building and site includes non-traditional classrooms with moveable walls, a “Village Center,” wind turbines, and a range of other interactive opportunities to cultivate a vibrant learning community.
Services:
Site Planning
Interpretive Design
Architectural Design
Exhibit Design
Size
54,000 sf
Awards
2012 AIA Colorado North Chapter Merit Award
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Evocative of plazas and town squares, the "Village Center" provides a large, indoor space for students to use for free play in extreme weather and is connected to the music education areas with a performance stage. Three "Learning Houses," communal classrooms in which students of different age ranges have their day-to-day lessons, radiate out from the Village Center.
FLEXIBLE AND INCLUSIVE
Movable furniture transforms the classrooms into intimate spaces or presentation halls depending on the needs of the instructors and students, supporting the inclusive and student-centered curriculum in Natrona County. One of the uniquely designed forms houses a Pre-Kindergarten program, allowing the space to be scaled for very young children yet still providing a connection to the school community.
“Not only does the design enhance the quality of how students and teachers interact, but it fosters the potential for learning opportunities between and around classroom spaces.
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