Garrett Park Elementary School

Kensington, MD

Details: Classrooms and support spaces for grades K-5; Art, music, computer, and special education classrooms; Media center, gymnasium, cafeteria, multipurpose room, administrative spaces, health suite; LEED Gold certified

Owner: Montgomery County Public Schools

Services: Site Analysis, Community Involvement, Sustainable Design, Interior Design, Full Design Services, Construction Administration, Building Information Modeling

Demolishing seventy-five percent of the outdated existing school, this project integrated a new two-story addition with the remainder of the school on the heavily developed 4.3-acre site. The new construction created a centralized main entrance for the school, responding to the bus and student drop-off loop locations. The administration suite is located between the two drop-off loops, which allows for easy supervision of the main entrance and the vehicles arriving on site. The media center is located on the second level adjacent to the upper lobby, so that it can be easily accessed from the main entrance.