Winding Creek Elementary School

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Firm

Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates - Architects

Client

Cumberland Valley School District

Area

142,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$22,698,005

Completion Date

08/2018

Nathan Cox Photography

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Elementary enrollment in the Cumberland Valley School District was increasing by 200 students per year, and the need for a new elementary school was apparent when Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates was contracted to design Winding Creek Elementary, the eighth elementary school within the district with a K-5 grade configuration.

The simple, yet efficient floor plan concept has a two-story, extra-wide circulation zone, “Main Street,” from which all programmatic spaces branch off. This layout provides an easily supervised building with a single line of sight across the entire building. Administrators, teachers, school security, and first responders can quickly see and respond to any level of concern.

Bold use of color along Main Street highlights the school’s “Academic Commons,” which are hubs of 21st-century learning. They open directly onto the Main Street, with fully operational glass folding partitions—blurring the line of the formal learning space.

The Academic Commons accommodate various forms of instruction, including individual, small and large group and even access to outdoor educational spaces. Infused with tech-smart, flexible and adaptable space, the Academic Commons promote collaboration, critical and creative thinking, effective communication, and the use of technology outside traditional classrooms. This enables the traditional classrooms to be maintained as well organized and effective rooms for whole and small group instruction.

The library and gymnasium also are situated along Main Street to serve all grade levels as well as provide spaces for public meetings and events. Anchoring either end of Main Street are the art and music classroom spaces, designed to admit ample daylight. The 1,050-student elementary was one of the lowest cost-per-square-foot school projects in Pennsylvania in 2018.