Gudy Gaskill Elementary School

Design Team
Hord Coplan Macht (Architect)

Previously known as Franklin Elementary, Gudy Gaskill Elementary School is named for famed Coloradan mountaineer Gudy Gaskill. Littleton Public Schools wanted an innovative and inspiring campus that was architecturally safe for students, modernized and technologically advanced, yet one that would reflect the uniqueness of Colorado. The campus and surrounding grounds fully incorporate the four-season, active Colorado lifestyle. The featured “learning trail” design element is inspired by the Highline Canal Trail that aligns with the school’s property. It is one of the longest trails in urban Colorado, stretching 71 miles and crossing through 11 governmental jurisdictions. Curved ceiling and flooring patterns create a trail-like feel throughout the campus. Earthy colors and materials, such as boulders for flexible seating, enhance the rugged mountain motif. These design elements flow through the entire campus and connect classroom pods with outdoor flexible areas.

The building was designed with student safety as the topmost priority and for this, the design team intentionally spread the educational and administration wings around a long-curved corridor with heavy-duty security doors at each intersection. Each educational wing has classrooms with electric garage doors that open to an outdoor breakout area for interactive group sessions. The library features a large curtain wall that overlooks the expansive campus and provides natural light inside the building. Such large windows have been placed at regular intervals throughout the campus for better human-to-nature connectivity. A dynamic performance platform connects the cafetorium and the music room, showcasing creative, adaptive, and multifunctional space utilization. The school district and the surrounding community had concerns regarding the history of surface water runoff from the site. Factoring in the lot size, its surrounding, landscape and the jurisdiction requirements, the design team engineered an integrated detention pond to address those concerns.

Additional Information

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