k-12 education image

LONE TREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Antioch, CA | Complete

A simple, yet elegant spiral covered walkway unifies this campus and gives it clarity. It connects the classrooms to the library/media center, and defines and encompasses a central courtyard. Despite the fact that this is a large (920 student) elementary school, the courtyard enclosed by the spiral walkway is comfortably scaled, and creates an elegant 'sweep' that widens toward the playground. At the center of the courtyard is the library/media center.

The project began with an intensive programming process involving TLCD Architecture and various representatives from the school district. The resulting educational specification focused on the concept of clustering groups of six classrooms around central multi-use instructional/resource spaces. This concept of clustering was repeated in the site design by grouping the individual classroom buildings around a central courtyard.

The design of the multi-purpose room is simple, yet the careful selection of materials and a gracefully curved soffit creates a very sophisticated space. A glass wall in the multi-purpose room opens the space towards the courtyard, making the room feel more like a community center than a typical school multi-purpose room.