Westwood Elementary

Stillwater Public Schools

Westwood Elementary School has been an integral part of the surrounding neighborhood since 1950. Understanding its importance to the community, Stillwater Public Schools chose to build a new, 600-student replacement school at the same site.

This project had 3 priorities:
(1) Reflect the scale and residential language of the adjacent neighborhood;
(2) Engage the community in the design process;
(3) Create intentional spaces where students and teachers can thrive and grow together.

These priorities guided a design that reflects the neighborhood itself and is truly a school designed by the community, for the community. The new Westwood Elementary is a high-performing, healthy, and safe environment for the neighborhood and the children who live there.

The Neighborhood Context

The context of “neighborhood” was articulated in the residential forms as well as the choice of materials. These design decisions helped create a school that is responsive to and respectful of place. Large old trees were preserved to provide shade for outdoor learning and play areas. Shingle-covered gable roof forms, punched-window fenestration, brick masonry, and white board-and-batten style cladding reflect the neighborhood vocabulary while giving an important sense of residential scale to the 2-story home-away-from-home.

CREATED BY COMMUNITY

Engaging the community in the design process was critical to the success of the project. A collaborative programming process that included design input and buy-in from an array of stakeholder groups ensured the design reflected their collective goals and needs.

Programming and design included community meetings that engaged groups ranging from District Administration, members of the School Board, Facilities Management, PTA, neighborhood residents, students, and teachers.

Room to Thrive and Grow

The space planning of Westwood is intentional and purposeful. High-volume common spaces (cafeteria, performance stage, gymnasium, and media center) provide flexible-use areas and are centrally located for easy access from all classrooms.

Classrooms wrap around the perimeter edges and are articulated to reflect the scale and formal vocabulary of the surrounding neighborhood. All classrooms are given important access to natural light and views.

A stage is accessible from both the gym and the cafeteria, allowing basketball practice and play practice to coincide while creating two multi-purpose community spaces of varying capacities.

Classrooms are designed in groups of four and include a flexible, multi-purpose “pod” outside of each classroom group. Teachers requested this space to bring students together and encourage collaboration outside of the individual classrooms.

Selected classrooms were designed as hardened areas of refuge equipped with weather shutters and tornado doors. These traditionally dark windowless spaces now serve as light-filled classrooms ready to protect children from severe weather at the touch of a button.

The school creates an environment that allows students and teachers alike to thrive and grow together.