Poquoson Elementary

Design Patterns

Interior and Exterior Vistas: Every classroom has north- or south-facing ribbon windows commanding a view outside. Likewise, every grade-level group gathering area has a double-height wall of storefront glass offering broad views of the landscape. Also, the building is elevated six feet above grade enhancing views from the second story windows of Bennet Creek and the Bay beyond. As it relates to security, the circulation pattern is a simple ‘T’ allowing one individual to stand at the intersection and command a view of the school.

Indoor-Outdoor Connection: The learning environment extends beyond the building. The large-group gathering areas of each of the three grade-level houses open onto outdoor classrooms with the playgrounds and educational landscape beyond. The boardwalk extending from the school leads to a wetland lab in the midst of the constructed wetlands. The northern half of the campus contains nature trails with educational signage describing indigenous flora and fauna. The paint scheme for the school borrows from colors on site, and each of the grade-level houses is depicted as a different type of wetland – estuary, tidal flat or scrub shrub.

Flexible Spaces: Large-group gathering areas are the focal point of each of the three grade-level houses. These two-story, double-height spaces afford a visual connection between classrooms and provide a space for two or three classes to gather for instruction. The spaces are equipped with smart boards and video displays to facilitate instruction. Cantilevered balconies provide space for ten to twelve students to gather with their teachers in a more relaxed setting. In the L-shaped classrooms an area for individual and small group study is set apart from the whole-group instruction area.

Watering Hole Space:

Cave Space: Recognizing that learning styles vary, L-shaped classrooms were designed to provide an alternative to the traditional lecture format. An extension in each room provides space for individual or small group instruction apart from the area for whole-group instruction. Beyond the classroom break-out areas for ten to twelve students were designed to create places for students to gather with teachers in more relaxed settinsg. In keeping with the school’s nautical theme, these spaces are cantilevered balconies resembling lifeboats.

Daylight and Solar Energy: The building is oriented to maximize potential for harvesting and controlling natural light. South-facing windows are equipped with light-shelves to reflect light and deflect passive solar heat gain. Clerestories bring light into interior spaces such as the double-height group gathering areas. Daylight sensors regulate artificial lighting to conserve energy. East- and west-facing openings are limited.

Sustainable Elements and Building as 3-D Text: Educational best practices and sustainable technologies intersect to provide an optimal environment for learning. Natural light is carefully harvested to control glare and heat gain. Non-toxic, low VOC materials are specified to promote better indoor air quality. Operable windows provide fresh air and offer spectacular views of the wetlands and Chesapeake Bay beyond. The building models good stewardship and conservation by harvesting water and utilizing ground-source heating and cooling. Shed roofs on the classroom bar direct rainwater to one of six above-ground holding tanks that, in turn, serve the adjacent bathroom clusters. The proximity of the tanks to the bathroom clusters is both practical and intentional; students make the connection between the water used, the visible tanks and the Bay beyond. The project is LEED registered and pursuing Gold certification.

Local Signature:

Connected to the Community: The City of Poquoson is surrounded by natural resources with very little planned public access to them. The new school is located on the main street, Poquoson Avenue, at the city’s midpoint. Accordingly, the site was conceived as a public park with recreational fields and access to wetlands via nature paths and a boardwalk. This boardwalk is part of a pedestrian path extending to Poquoson Avenue. On this path the visitor experiences the transition from land to water, local to global, man to nature. As the line passes through the school it divides public and private spaces. This clear demarcation allows the gymnasium, cafeteria and library to remain open to the public in the evenings and on weekends independent of the private classrooms.

Small Learning Community: The school is broken down into three grade-level houses each containing ten classrooms for 225 students. The classrooms are further divided into two groups – five classrooms on each of two levels – organized around a double-height large-group gathering area. The gathering area is the central “living room” of the house and provides a visual connection between the two floors.