McGranahan Architects is delighted and honored to accept the 2023 AIA Southwest Washington Merit Award for our work with Federal Way Public Schools on Star Lake Elementary and Evergreen Middle School.
Our team is extremely proud of the innovative design solutions we created to meet the needs of the community, school district and the scholars.
Planned initially as separate replacement projects on the existing adjoining sites, the design team explored many solutions and gathered input from four advisory groups. Once the information was gathered, the team concluded that integrating the two schools within one shared building provided multiple opportunities to achieve the identified project goals including cultivating connections and collaboration, enhancing safety and traffic, and creating efficiencies in education and operations.
The communal learning spaces are a key feature of the design. They create opportunities for the two schools to collaborate and cultivate relationships that would otherwise be difficult in two separate buildings.
Colorful highlights are a tool used to give distinction to each school. The design creates three zones on the site that offer choices between autonomy and collaboration. Each school independently runs the north and south areas and includes parking, administration, gyms, classrooms, and playground areas. The central zone includes shared resources and programs that allow collaboration and building relationships between staff, students, and families.
We look forward to continuing to provide high-quality design solutions that make a difference in our community and beyond. Congratulations to the team for their commitment to excellence and for achieving this notable honor!
Learn more about Star Lake Elementary and Evergreen Middle School here.