Cases:

Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School / FAX ARCHITECTS

Browns Point Elementary School / TCF Architecture

Concept:

The Browns Point neighborhood is a place where the birth of modern-day Tacoma was witnessed
from across the waters of Commencement Bay,  the Browns Point lighthouse serves as an unofficial
symbol of the waterfront community.

 1. supplement learning and strengthen social connections within the schools, and

2. promote public utilization of buildings beyond school hours. 

Site consideration:

The school’s 10+ acre parcel sat adjacent to 8 additional acres containing public ballfields and a
walking trail 

The popular use of these amenities informed the design team’s move to locate the gymnasium front
and center. An expansive canopy that shelters outdoor activities at the front of the gym introduces a
linear series of public spaces that open onto each other and offer visual transparency across the
building and site.

Plan / space :

 the floor plan overlaps public/private and indoor/outdoor learning environments to achieve a sense
of spaciousness within an efficient design.

 two-story floor plan minimizes “in-between” areas to enhance connectedness and intimacy among
learning neighborhoods.

The design team looked for every opportunity to use “extra” space to spark a learning moment.
Students are offered nooks, alcoves, and risers as places to stretch out, lay back, or curl up , diverse
array of spaces supports many supplemental programs and inspires project-based work, display of
visual art, the opportunity for performance, and engagement with the neighborhood. 

Circulation / lighting :

An exercise of community asset mapping revealed the reliance of residents in utilizing the building
and site for organized sports, as a neighbourhood playground and spot for event gathering. This
informed the floor plan’s big move to promote the gymnasium, typically placed toward the back of the
building, to the front and center. This location allows easy access and celebrates, rather than
hides, the exciting activity within through ground-level windows. 
 Primary entrance for students and visitors during the school day, and secondary entrance for
those accessing the building from the direction of the ballfields after hours, are offered through
dual entries that flank the gym.

Problem: Most school floor plans are based on a series of wings connected by lengthy, double-loaded
corridors. This traditional configuration offers direct access, acoustic separation and ample wall area
to use as display surface. The downside: long corridors take time to navigate, a negative impact to
valuable instructional time.

Solution: reducing the amount of space dedicated to circulation shortens transition time, compacts
the building footprint (reducing construction costs), and preserves space for dedicated instruction.

In an effort to decrease building area while protecting daylight and views, the floor plan of Browns
Point reallocates circulation square footage as shared learning space. As a result, shared learning
spaces are larger and more functional. Their placement between classrooms and outdoor courtyard
gives nearly every classroom daylight from both the north and south.
Lighting:

The building envelope and plan maximize transparency, bringing sunlight deep into the interior and
providing views from nearly every occupiable space. 

 like the revered lighthouse, a soft glow emanates from the school’s high clerestory to signal history,
familiarity, and welcome.

Materials:

. A neutral, natural palette of wood, cork, gypsum, and linoleum is punctuated by bold color,
representative of sailing ships and weathered cargo containers – vessels regularly occupying the Bay.

In response to these criteria, Browns Point Elementary School relies on two primary strategies: first,
circulation is considered a multifunctional “zone” intertwined with learning space, daylight and views.
Second, outdoor space is carefully planned to invite engagement, performance opportunity and project-
based work outside of the classroom.

Covered area :

provide shelter before and after school and during recess on gray, wet days.
 providing covered areas for these activities, as well as for other community events, was
identified as a top priority.
, parents can congregate under cover during pick up and drop off time. The canopy also serves
after hours, for the community to share in the benefit of paved covered area as well as access to
the building’s activity zone.
Music room:
 the music room is located between the performance platform and the end of the courtyard. This
fulfills the adjacency requirement for complementary use with the multipurpose room as well as
provides the ability to hold performances outside.