SCHRADERGROUP Completes Project
for York Suburban School District
As part of a strategic plan to realign the grade structure within the District, Schradergroup worked with York Suburban School District to complete renovations and additions totaling 61,327 SF for Valley View Elementary School and to convert the facility from a K-1 to a K-2 school. The project serves as an important lesson in the role of design as a valuable tool for successful strategic planning and adaptive re-use that maximizes educational resources.
At Valley View, the design of the addition maintains the character of the existing building and features the reuse of the original cupola for the school, removed years ago. The addition and renovations focus on creating parity in both the quantity and types of rooms in relation to Valley View's sister school, Yorkshire Elementary, which services the same population capacity.
What had once been a series of disjointed additions beginning in the 1940s is replaced with a design seeking coherence in the sum of its parts. The new entry hall provides a new physical and psychological 'center' for the building, marrying the old and new portions of the facility and their functions. The entry hall was also conceived as a gallery space providing articulated and well-lit surfaces for showcasing student activities.
The renovations maintain and expand an educational campus firmly rooted in a thriving residential neighborhood context. As part of the comprehensive campus approach to site design, a new bus loop design separates school bus, automobile, and pedestrian traffic, as well as removing bus idling from the busy township roads surrounding the facility. Other practical achievements include eliminating barriers to accessibility throughout the building and the campus. New and renovated existing HVAC systems augment the efficiency of a campus-wide central energy plant strategy for both heating and cooling.
For more information about Valley View Elementary School and other similar projects, please visit www.sgarc.com.
These videos detail the SchraderGroup charrette process for the York Suburban School District:
Guerilla Educators was privileged to have played a role in this remarkable project.
Comments