CREJ

/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / SEPTEMBER 2017

Inside & Out(side)

TreanorHL

Weld Re-3J R School District officials, commu-

nity members and a team of architects from Tre-

anorHL recently gathered at the site of the dis-

trict’s soon-to-be new elementary school for the

project’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Nestled in the Silver Peaks subdivision near

the intersection of Jewel and Fletcher streets, the

school’s site is an undeveloped open space that

will be transformed into a 59,500-square-foot el-

ementary school. Meadow Ridge Elementary will

initially serve students in grades PK-2, with the

ability to transition into a 500-student traditional

PK-5 school as enrollment demand increases.

The state-of-the art facility will feature an in-

tegrated early childhood education center with

three classrooms, while the remainder of the

classrooms will be arranged in three separate

pods around a team center collaboration space.

Other features include a 3,800-sf gym, dedicated

music and art space, a STEM lab and a central,

open media center complete with overhead doors

and glass partitions to visually connect the space

to the nearby cafeteria and classrooms. Two sep-

arate outdoor learning areas are also featured in

the site design, created in response to the build-

ing’s geometry.

The school’s design drew inspiration from the

surrounding landscape, with a variety of natural

materials, shades, textures and light punctuating

the school’s collaboration centers, presentation ar-

eas and flexible spaces.

The school’s design is the product of several

Design Advisory Group meetings held at the be-

ginning of the year, with parents, community

members, town leaders, teachers, support staff,

and administrators coming together to develop

a shared vision for the new school. The school’s

schematic design and programming elements

were shared with the larger community at a pub-

lic meeting in March, while community outreach

newsletters have continued to keep the commu-

nity informed about the project’s progress.

Superintendent Greg Rabenhorst, who was on

hand to help with the groundbreaking, said he

was looking forward to seeing the project take

shape. “We appreciate all of the stakeholders who

participated in the planning and design of what

will be an innovative learning environment for

our students and a source of pride for this com-

munity.”

Construction of the new school was financed

with proceeds from a $61 million bond that vot-

ers approved in 2016. Meadow Ridge Elementary is

scheduled to open in August.

Meadow Ridge Elementary School | TreanorHL