Crest Haven Elementary School

The challenge in the design of the new Cresthaven Elementary School was in satisfying the client’s requirements for a 500 students program solidly based in environmental education and technology on an irregular, steeply sloping, 9.82 acre wooded site.

The resulting 74,000 sf building steps up from the edge of the slope, incorporating green building design into the sitting of the school facility and maximizing program efficiency. This made the challenging site an asset to the school rather than allowing it to become a barrier.

The site plan creates increased natural light in the interior spaces, outdoor circulation and heightened visibility of public areas for security purposes. The building orientation is optimal for shading of solar gain throughout the year, while providing indirect natural day lighting into the classrooms. The improved learning environment in a natural setting maximizes sustainable design goals for the project and delivers an innovative school facility for 500 students. The new Cresthaven Elementary School is LEED Gold.

Principal Kafi Berry was quoted in The Gazette stating, “We have a drop-dead gorgeous, magnificent, state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar school that tops anything anyone else has in the county. We couldn’t be happier.”

AWARDS
Brick in Architecture Award
American School + University, Outstanding Designs: Elementary Schools