VMDO Architects

The City of Manassas Park, Virginia has ambitiously expanded their existing lower elementary school campus. A new 10,500 gsf Pre-Kindergarten serves 70 students, including special-needs individuals. The 121,200 gsf Upper School houses up to 875 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. Instructional spaces are tailored for programs in academics, fitness, and visual & musical arts.

This project unites the existing lower school and historic Camp Carondelet via two new buildings that weave together existing resources. The Pre-K spaces are sized for 4 & 5 year olds, including a 4 foot high ‘entrance door’ and window reading nooks oriented to the adjacent Camp. The Camp is fully woven into the Upper School’s architectural layout, maximizing the educational and recreational opportunities.

Each room name is themed after a local animal or plant. The three academic ‘houses’ are articulated as Summer, Fall or Spring via room signage, wayfinding techniques and color schemes. The hallways of each academic house are lined with a random pattern of clear finished Poplar, Cherry, Ash, Maple, Red Oak and White Oak vertical planks mixed with full length mirrors – giving the student the effect of walking in the woods.

Innovative teaching techniques combine with a sustainable building to provide opportunities not found in traditional school construction. Spaces are tailored to accommodate the innovative ‘parallel block’ academic system used by Manassas Park. All students receive large and small group instruction in language, arts and math, while full time specialists teach science and social studies. Instead of separating the 3rd, 4th & 5th graders into the three ‘houses’ of the building, each student is assigned to a house for the full three years. This allows a smaller number of teachers to build a multi-year relationship with a smaller number of students.

Teaching extends outdoors with two courtyards. Ramp access allows the top of the cistern to double as an outdoor classroom - equipped with a colorful rain gauge and large scale graphics explaining the hydrologic system and the impact of rainwater harvesting.