Forest Hill Elementary School

Germantown, Tennessee

Firm

A2H

Client

Germantown Municipal School District

Area

110,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$22,148,500

Completion Date

07/2019

Creation Studios; R. Spencer Johnson Photography

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Design Team
Stewart Smith, AIA; Chris Herring, AIA; Adam White, Lisa Starzynski; Kat Gates; Robert Taylor; Michael Howell, PE; Chet Winstead, ASLA; Sherry Hoover, PE; Nathan Stewart, PE; Cody Rumburg, EI

Initiated by a strong pre-design engagement with the community, the design provides clarity in response to complex demands, site characteristics, available resources, educational equity and an esprit de corps among policy makers, funding bodies, and the neighborhood…all committed to educational excellence.

After identification and analysis of multiple sites, the architect assisted Germantown Municipal School District in choosing a picturesque 36-acre site that exudes a true “campus” persona.

Embraced by a canopy of mature trees, the campus provides views to the north of a pond shadowed by a 300-year-old tree. The site serves as an extension of the classroom, transitioning into nature while providing safety for students and the neighborhood in a heavily trafficked area.

Tasteful materials and emergent technology create dramatic, transparent, daylighted geometries integral to the curriculum. Transparent academic spaces are oriented around an external tree bosque that provides daylighting and access to outdoor classrooms and playground.

Classrooms are linked to multipurpose and administrative spaces via double-loaded corridors adorned in bright, contrasting colors that promote both external views and internal security.