Projects
Loganville-Springfield Elementary School
Dallastown, PA
Refresh to Better Serve Students
Originally built in the 1950s, Loganville-Springfield Elementary School was in need of a refresh to better serve its kindergarten through third-grade students. A feasibility review was undertaken to determine the best path forward between new construction or additions and renovations to the existing school. The District determined that additions and upgrades, completed through phased construction, was the best option to meet their needs and stay within budget.
Future-Ready Students
The renovated school includes 24 future-ready classrooms and separate dedicated collaboration spaces for each grade level. The center of the building houses the learning commons with an adjacent S.T.E.A.M. classroom and maker space.
Student Safety Considerations
To help with student safety, administrative, common, and public spaces are organized around the main hallway including a new full-size gymnasium, cafeteria, and kitchen. Classroom areas are connected with an education corridor but separate from the more public part of the school. The educational corridor will allow for easy student circulation as well as breakout spaces for the many paraprofessionals and support instructors who directly serve the student population.
“The educational visioning for this campus is an excellent example of the work needed and critical for preparing future spaces where learners thrive. The design allows for active learning and offers and encourages freedom of choice in main functions.”
– Learning By Design Magazine, 2022 Design Awards Showcase Jury Comment
New Holland Elementary
New Holland, PA
This project expanded Summit Valley Elementary School to accommodate kindergarten through 3rd grade students who were previously housed in a separate facility (the former New Holland Elementary School). Renovations involved relocating and expanding the library and art room, as well as 16 new classrooms, gymnasium and administrative suite. A new mechanical room with a four-pipe mechanical system allows the systems in the new addition to operate without affecting the existing building system.
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photograph
Lititz Elementary
Lititz, PA
Building a new elementary school on the existing 2.5 acre site in downtown Lititz required extensive coordination between the design team, school board officials, the district’s buildings and grounds committee, a site research committee and a public residents’ committee as well as a number of local authorities. The design for the new, three-story K-6 school preserves the historic downtown area while blending with the surrounding neighborhood residences. Despite the site constraints, the compact design solution achieves the district’s programming objectives with modern amenities and spacious facilities, incorporating flexible, multi-purpose areas to maximize available space.
Award: Smart Growth Leadership Award; Lancaster County Planning Commission; Lancaster, PA
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
Elizabeth Martin School
Lancaster, PA
Replacement School with New K – 8 Configuration
This new school, located in a dense, working-class residential neighborhood in Lancaster city, replaces the 1950s era school for kindergarten through 5th grade students. The new K-8 configuration will help ease overcrowding at one of the middle schools and will serve as a model if the District decides to convert other schools to K-8 configurations in the future. The new school was constructed behind the old building, which was subsequently razed to allow for better traffic flow and additional parking.
Breaking Down the Scale of the Building
The new Elizabeth Martin School has three classrooms per grade including one dedicated special education classroom per grade. The new building is divided into two levels within the classroom wing, with shared commons spaces, such as the library, administration areas and nurse suite located on the upper level at the main, controlled entrance.
The kindergarten classrooms are paired to share a common area for teacher storage and student bathrooms with fixtures designed for smaller children. The 1st through 8th grade classrooms are arranged on two floors, with the younger grades on the first floor. Two music and two art classrooms are located in the main spines connecting the classroom wings.
Flexible Spaces for Multi-Use Practicality
Flexible learning spaces, furniture solutions and building-wide WiFi support continually evolving teaching practices. The cafeterias for 1st through 5th grade and 6th through 8th grade are separated by a folding partition wall. When opened, this space can function as a large group area. The main gymnasium will double as the auditorium. A second fitness area is provided to accommodate additional space needs for physical education classes.
LEED Silver Certified
The project, which earned LEED silver certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), is partly funded by federal grants promoting sustainable initiatives. Sustainable design features include motion senors for lights, low flow plumbing fixtures and daylighting in all classrooms. Throughout the building, lower window sills and larger windows were utilized to promote daylight and outdoor connections.
Award: American School & University 2015 Architectural Portfolio, Outstanding Design Combined Level School
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography
Lingle Avenue Elementary
Palmyra, PA
This new K–5 elementary school includes a kindergarten center serving the entire district. Set up as a “school within a school,” it consists of two single-story, eight-classroom pods with shared spaces connecting the pods including a multi-purpose room and kitchen serving area. The two-story primary grade wing and kindergarten center are connected with shared spaces including a library and “cafetorium.” The building has a geothermal system for heating and cooling and features bamboo flooring in the gymnasium.
Award: LEED Silver Certification
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography