Core Design Team

Firm: DLR Group – Architecture, Planning, Interior Design, FF&E Design, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Structural Engineering

Consultants/Collaborators

Civil Engineering: AHBL
Landscape Architecture: Weisman Design Group
Acoustics: SSA Acoustics, LLP
Food Service: JLR Design Group
Environmental Graphics: Osborne Marsh Design & Consulting
Geotechnical Engineering: GeoEngineers
Wetland Biologist: Raedeke Associates
FF&E: Saxton Bradley
Contractor: BNCC, Inc.
Electrical Contractor: Ewing Electric
Mechanical Contractor: Ramsett Mechanical
Commissioning: McKinstry
Photography: Chris J. Roberts

Project Narrative

What would it look like if you designed a school specifically for kindergarteners?

Following a state-mandated shift to all-day kindergarten, Mukilteo School District faced an imminent need for instructional space across the district. In lieu of adding kindergarten classrooms to multiple elementary schools, the leadership identified an opportunity to create a centralized resource by constructing a kindergarten-only school to serve approximately 600 students.

The students would be bused in from all across the district, meaning a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural differences. Within the Mukilteo School District alone, over 90 languages are spoken, including a large population of English Language Learners. Navigating these distinct community differences while designing a school that accommodated, yet unified, proved to a be a challenging feat.

Initially, the district desired that the design of the new facility would allow for later conversion into a traditional K-5 school. After exploring this idea further, it was decided that this mindset would limit the age-specific design which could better serve the exact needs of a kindergarten student.

The final result creates spaces to support early learning, while maximizing the synergy provided by age-specific students. In an effort to maximize learning, the school program was redefined to reduce time lost to transitions. Teachers and specialists push into the classrooms, allowing the students to stay in their respective pods. Larger programs that require more space (e.g. dining and project areas) are broken down into smaller spaces and dispersed into the pods. In addition, the indoor environmental quality (temperature, air quality, daylighting, and acoustics) required diligent attention given its significant effect on learning. Experiential connections to nature and outdoor learning are established through secure adjacent play areas, daylight, operable windows, and building features.