LEARNING BY DESIGN magazine - Dessie Evans Elementary School

Site Plan
Floor 1
Floor 2
Dessie Evans is named after a local educator to recognize her transformational, inclusive approach to learning.
The building is situated specifically to prioritize safety and eliminate congestion in its residential neighborhood.
The design separates the gym, commons, and stage, with their noisier public activities, from the quieter classroom wings.
Operable walls can be opened to connect the Gym, Commons, and Stage for school and community events.
Each academic wing has a nature-related theme, represented in colors, murals, and textures, providing intuitive wayfinding for young students.
Durable tackable walls in the classroom hallways can display a constantly changing gallery of student work.
Wall graphics echo the angle of sunlight in the space, creating an immersive sense of being in nature.
Filled with natural light and enveloped in views of nature, the library offers a variety of shared learning opportunities.
Classroom pairs share a project room and a connecting double-door for teacher communication and team teaching.
Colorful blocks that can be stored in wall nooks provide fun, flexible seating.
The intersection of classroom hallways and the nooks underneath stairs facilitate small project work, mentoring opportunities, and individual study.
Studies have shown that outdoor learning activities increase student engagement. Each classroom wing has an outdoor learning area nearby.
Copyright 2020 Benjamin Benschneider
Copyright 2020 Benjamin Benschneider
Copyright 2020 Benjamin Benschneider
Copyright 2020 Benjamin Benschneider
Copyright 2020 Benjamin Benschneider
Copyright 2020 Benjamin Benschneider

Nestled into the woods, the new Dessie Evans Elementary School welcomes 1,000 students and staff with 110,000 square feet of learning opportunities to promote inclusivity and outstanding experiences for all. The design scheme, "Weaving through Nature," uses a zigzag pattern of interlocking classroom wings to bring outdoor access to every part of the school. The result breaks down the building’s scale and creates views to the landscape on alternating sides of the main corridor. Open shared learning areas throughout the school invite both planned and unstructured activities. The intersection of classroom hallways with under-stairs nooks are suited to small project work, mentoring, and individual study. Inside and out, the building's aesthetic picks up elements found in nature to make the large interior easy to navigate for even the youngest learners. Each academic wing has a nature-related theme, represented by an accent color, graphic mural, and textured wainscoting. The pattern of vertical joints and accent strips refers to the trunks of trees. Each classroom wing also has an outdoor learning area with reclaimed logs and boulders for seating. These large circular areas give kids a hands-on way to explore the larger world and impromptu occasions to let off steam.

Dessie Evans Elementary School

Description

Project Location:
Puyallup, WA

Architecture Firm
NAC Architecture
Seattle,Washington
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Dessie Evans Elementary School

Category

Description