Noelani Elementary School, I.D.E.A. Center

The I.D.E.A. Center (Innovate, Discover, Explore, Achieve) is a multipurpose building featuring a modern school library facility and makerspace. The main library space is designed to foster a love of books and learning among young readers. Clerestory windows in the large, high-ceilinged room provide daylight as well as views of the green ridges surrounding the school. Noelani’s large-print book collection is featured in built-in bookshelves, which flank reading nook window seats. A cozy story area with a colorful rug and movable shelving, and a technology classroom support the library’s current needs and future flexibility.

Floor plan efficiencies and the use of outdoor walkways and generous lanai spaces for student circulation enabled the center’s required program to include a makerspace, an open, flexible space for gatherings and project-based learning. Climate-sensitive design features include a naturally ventilated space, open to the outdoors. The I.D.E.A. Center’s distinctive sawtooth roof was designed to accommodate a photovoltaic system. The roof also highlights the building’s sustainable water management strategies, which include cisterns, bioswales, and a rain garden (infiltration basin).

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