Arlington Elementary School's design team, Mahlum Architects, earned a Design Concept Award for projects in the design phase by the Association for Learning Environments in September. Mahlum describes the new Arlington as an exploration of what possibilities emerge for schools when a community sets out to build a culture that wraps around kids so they are learning all day, every day.

The design for Arlington reflects the reality that 77 percent of the time, learning ideally occurs in groups of 15 students or fewer and that traditional lecture-style instruction time is decreasing. With that in mind, the learning spaces are divided into zones that can be reconfigured to expand and contract for core instruction space, a project lab, a small group room, larger shared learning space, and an even larger outdoor learning space that allows for greater collaboration and for teachers to adjust depending on need.

A large part of the design also centers around the desire to incorporate views of green spaces and sky throughout the building, acknowledging both student and staff desires to "learn outdoors." With that in mind, every group will have access to a secure outdoor courtyard area. Also, the building's sawtooth roof is designed to flood natural light and views of the sky into the school's interior space.

Learn more about what went into creating the new Arlington (links to PDF), scheduled to open for classes in Fall 2017. 

Learn more about Tacoma Public Schools' Vision for the Elementary Learning Environment

(link to PDF).