Healthy Learning - Primrose School of Hillsboro
Primrose School of Hillsboro - sustainable site plan
A school design orchestrated by Propel Studio intricately focuses on the interior environment, promoting healthy living and nurturing imagination for early childhood development.
In their latest design project, we are at the forefront of where architecture meets sustainable design and healthy living. They are leading the design team for a new Primrose School, a national brand of accredited early education schools committed to childhood development, on the outskirts of Portland in Hillsboro, Oregon.
The Primrose School of Hillsboro, is the first project in Oregon for the national brand, and there are plans to create a few more in the Portland metro area. Bringing years of architectural knowledge and sustainable design strategies to the project, Mira and Gray’s focus at the school has been to maintain the exterior aesthetics of the national brand, while developing a healthy and sustainable indoor environment. The mission shared between the clients and design team is to provide a healthy, environmentally friendly, and comfortable space for the teachers, staff, and students of all ages.
Specifically, great care was made on specifying materials that are healthy and not environmentally hazardous in the interior space — from ensuring that materials and finishes do not emit unhealthy gases, and using natural materials wherever possible, to sourcing local materials and products. Propel Studio and their consultant team has also made a dedicated effort to implement a highly efficient heating and cooling system, reducing energy consumption and saving the client money on utility costs. For example, Mira and Gray are incorporating radiant floor heating for optimal user comfort. This feature provides a peace of mind—it will keep students comfortable year around, particularly during the cool autumn and cold winter days, the times when parents are most concerned about keeping their children warm. It also limits the need for utilizing forced air and ducting that can often collect dust and and increase particulates in the air - a particular issue for asthma and other respiratory problems.
The sustainable lighting strategy starts by incorporating as much natural daylight as possible, supplemented with the best artificial technologies. Mira and Gray emphasize extremely energy efficient lighting and therefore have specified LED light fixtures throughout the school. Moreover, the natural and artificial lighting seamlessly balanced throughout the space, creating a mood of tranquility, allowing for maximum productivity and keeping children focused on learning. Finally, great care has been executed towards the acoustical design of the building, including the selection of finishes that are sound absorbent, further creating a soothing environment for children and allowing for a lively, even sometimes boisterous, environment without worrying about an unpleasant, discordant mixture of sounds.
In addition to the classrooms, other areas of the school that received an emphasis on healthy and sustainable environments include the kitchen and the indoor and outdoor play areas. The school’s kitchen is equipped with energy efficient appliances, once again reducing the operating costs and energy consumption. Further, the school will serve high-quality, wholesome, and nutritious food, encouraging health conscious minds for life. In order to encourage exercise, play, and imagination, the team chose play equipment suitable for each age group. In order to spark imagination and promote positive development both physically and mentally, this included giant foam blocks which can be creatively assembled to provide an infinite number of environments.
Along with sustainable materials and systems, Propel has worked with the developer of the learning curriculum to prepare for increased technology in the classroom - the future of learning. The school will utilize iPads throughout their teaching methods, and as a result, Mira and Gray have incorporated the necessary infrastructure into their design. They have designed extra outlets for charging many iPads at once, and ensured the wifi and internet systems can fully accommodate for simultaneous videos and downloads. The robustness of the integrated technology should have the school well prepared for future advances in technology as teaching tools.
In terms of the school’s design, there is no question: health, safety, comfort, and functionality were the primary focuses. Mira and Gray worked closely with their clients to develop a design that met the requirements of the franchise while incorporating sustainable strategies to create a healthy learning environment. Propel’s focus is always on balancing the needs of the clients, the project budget, and their focus on sustainable learning environments.
Project Team
Architecture:Propel StudioStructural Engineering:VLMKLandscape Architecture: Ecotone EnvironmentalMEP Engineering:InterfaceClients:Timeless Education Academy, LLC