Socastee Elementary School

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Firm

SFL+A Architects

Client

Horry County Public Schools

Area

120,401 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$35,566,116

Completion Date

08/2017

Associated firm:
Firstfloor Energy Positive (Design-Builder), SfL+a Architects (Architect of Record), Stantec (Educational Planning/Interiors), and Mozingo + Wallace (Exterior Architect)

Socastee Elementary School is the first new elementary school prototype completed as part of a design-build. Discussions with the school system and tours of other facilities across the nation led to an appreciation of highly flexible and engaging learning environments for young students.
The resulting design promotes visibility and interconnectedness between spaces and provides many opportunities for passive supervision. Flexible furnishings enable areas, or combinations of areas, to be configured and deployed differently each day. Students are intrigued by the adaptable environment and the ability to see what their peers are investigating and presenting.
Visual connectivity between spaces also encourages daily interaction among varying age groups, both planned and unplanned. This helps forge a strong community of learners and promotes benefits of multi-age learning such as empathy development. Chock full of tools—from low tech to high tech—the school promotes collaboration among occupants of all ages and groups of all sizes.