Lebanon, PA

The 92,912 s.f. Northwest Elementary School facility was designed with a STEAM focus, as the building and curriculum will reinforce Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math themes. Labs for life science and technology are provided among the K-5 classrooms. And, with a courtyard layout, an educational pond feature was created for valuable life science and biology lessons secured safely in the center of the building.

Relocating from an existing K-5 elementary school built in the 1970s with ongoing heating/cooling issues and a non-secure open-plan layout with acoustic difficulties, the new one-story masonry school was designed for a brownfield site a few blocks away. Reusing the former Bethlehem Steel site recaptures valuable land back into the City of Lebanon through an important community use.

With a separate secure entrance, the community will have access to the gymnasium (sized for practice with a PIAA court) and to the “cafetorium,” which features three tiered levels for cafeteria use and a raised platform stage for play and music performances.

As part of sustainable design, a key contributor to being awarded LEED gold certification was incorporating a geothermal system with a central plant in this K-5 school.