Greene County Public Schools’ Stanardsville Campus houses four schools on a tight site that more resembles a community college. At any time of day, you will find community members exercising and enjoying the campus’ pathways and green spaces. A Long-Range Strategic Visioning Study by VMDO identified the capacity of core program areas (dining, kitchen, media center) as first priorities in a long list of potential improvements to the middle and high school facilities that unite the site together to benefit the entire campus.

The design of the additions empowers individual school identities while reflecting a unified campus aesthetic. Design solutions for both projects centered around the need for more flexible, scalable public spaces that maximize usability and promote the idea that learning can happen anywhere. Widened circulation areas can be utilized by different school programs at different times of day. Former dining and library spaces are transformed into flexible learning suites that allow teachers to customize the spaces for project-based activities. All new spaces are designed to maximize daylight and increase opportunities for views to the site and nature.

The renovations and additions at both schools are rooted in an understanding of the realities of phased construction, as the existing kitchens and dining facilities had to remain operational until the new facilities were up and running. In addition to the integration of learning spaces in the cafeteria, the former kitchen was also converted into a dedicated Maker Terrace.