LEARNING BY DESIGN magazine - Minerva France Elementary School

Minerva France Elementary - Site Plan
Minerva France Elementary - First Floor Plan
Minerva France Elementary - Second Floor Plan
Minerva France Elementary - Enlarged Cafeteria Plan
Minerva France Elementary - Enlarged Media Center Plan
Front entry. The Victorian tower helps identify the entry of the building while being a symbol of the past history of the site.
Rear building of the playground access doors from the classrooms.
Front Playground area that is directly connected to the kindergarten classrooms
The building shape frames the rear playground which allow the buildings colors to playfully influence the play space.
The building interior is intended to be lively and colorful – a space where children are excited, inspired and engaged.
Design inspiration was derived from the rich history of the project site, previously the Minerva Park Amusement Park that was built in the early 1900’s.
Sound absorbing wall panels keep this tall corridor quiet, yet beautiful with a bold geometric design.
Prominent gathering spaces in the building focus heavily on floor-to-ceiling relationships. The spaces include swooping curves with wood paneling, painted exposed ceilings, and historic murals.
In a space full of light, the long, curved glazing gives way to views of the surrounding wooded area and playground outside.
To facilitate interaction, classrooms are equipped with touchscreen televisions, flanked by large markerboards and tackboards on either side.
The school’s Green Line Learning Station is designed to feel like a treehouse nested in the canopy, providing an inspired view.
The branching light fixtures, green exposed ceiling, and winding, wood paneling, mirror the surrounding forest.
Kate Horgan
Kate Horgan
Kate Horgan
Kate Horgan
Kate Horgan
Kate Horgan

The Minerva France Elementary School project is a LEED Silver Certified, 70,000-square-foot, a new building that serves 600 students (K-5) and 40 staff members for Westerville Local Schools. The work began in 2020 and was completed in the summer of 2022.

The school is named after one of the district’s former students, Minerva J. France, an American American woman who set a precedent in librarianship and higher education in Central Ohio in the 1920s and 1930s.

Design inspiration was derived from the rich history of the project site, previously the Minerva Park Amusement Park which was built in the early 1900’s.

It was important for the architecture to blend in with the surrounding houses, so that the school was a continuation of the community, but also that it had its own special identity that was meaningful for the students. The façade takes material and color cues from the neighbors while the rear of the building is bright and colorful to create a playful backdrop to the playground.

The Scenic Railway, the park’s original wooden roller coaster, influenced the building’s materials, curvy design elements, and is the namesake for the school’s café.

Similarly, the library, named the Green Line Learning Station, pays homage to the Green Mile Trolley Car that transported patrons from the park grounds to the city center.

Minerva France Elementary School

Description

Project Location:
Minerva Park, OH

Architecture Firm
TRIAD Architects
Columbus, OH
wearetriad.com

https://www.facebook.com/TriadArchitects

https://www.linkedin.com/company/triad-architects/

Photography By:
Kate Horgan

Minerva France Elementary School

Category

Description