Designing an inspirational educational environment for a community’s youngest students, one that provides  dynamic classrooms and spaces, establishes a stimulating introduction for school district’s full K-12 curriculum.

The design for Freedom Area School District’s new Elementary School inspires the District’s youngest students with architectural themes and details that are rooted in nature.  Building components, windows, shapes and color patterns reflect a regional biosphere of a sunlit-forested pathway as an introduction to the District’s educational program that is placing a greater emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs.

A significant emphasis was placed on the defining details in each classroom to create dynamic learning and activity zones to support Freedom Area’s curriculum and teaching pedagogy.

The project was developed over a period of two years while working with the administration, staff, and communities.  A  Master Planning effort evaluated a variety of options to better utilize the District’s facilities.  Multiple presentations kept parents and stakeholders in the community informed as preliminary decisions narrowed the focus of the study, and refined the final solution that unified the District’s facilities on a single campus.