Two schools in the Forest Grove School District, Ore., were built simultaneously using the same design team and the same materials applied in different ways.
The $6.3 million, 52,000-square-foot, K-4 Fern Hill Elementary School features an “L” configuration and was built for 350 students. The classroom wing and main entry face the street, visitors' parking and parent dropoff. The other side of the “L” includes the gymnasium, commons and kitchen. The gymnasium has a slightly curved roof, and a combination of metal and concrete masonry siding.
The $9 million, 72,000-square-foot Tom McCall West Elementary School was built for 600 students in grades 5 and 6, and also features metal cladding and concrete masonry siding. Light wells in the second-floor corridor allow natural daylight from three large skylights to flood both levels of the two-story building.
The school includes 20 classrooms, a computer lab, four special learning classrooms, two music rooms, a gymnasium, commons and kitchen.
The architect for this project is Mahlum Architects (Seattle).
