Washington Elementary ECFE

The Washington School ECFE project is a 38,770 sq. ft. addition to the existing PK-3 elementary school in Hibbing, MN. The addition featured 10 innovative classrooms for children aged birth to five years old, a new administrative office suite, conference space, parent observation/sibling rooms, a large commons area, and an indoor gym space.

The addition plan provides for separate wings for Head Start and Early Childhood classrooms and shared facilities in the form of a central commons and kitchen area. To further bolster the fundamental co-location aspect of the project, the playroom and commons are also available to the public for events and after-hours and weekend recreational use.

An important goal from an interior design standpoint was to bring the outside in through nature-based elements and to foster indoor activity during the colder months while providing additional community space for larger events in any season. Keeping with a fairly neutral color palette, interior finish selections ranging in color and pattern were provided in specific, focal areas to insight excitement, creativity, movement and play. In addition, the building itself features a highly thermally efficient, low-maintenance exterior envelope, as well as similarly efficient HVAC systems to provide comfortable interior conditions to offer the best learning environment for staff and students.

The addition initiates an early sense of school spirit through the use of color, logos and language displayed in materials and key features specific to the school and local area throughout.

The Washington School ECFE project represents the best of what can be achieved when different public and private entities unite to serve the greater community.