“Design an elementary school on the outset of Glen Echo Run.”
This project wrestles with dichotomies: road/ravine, recreation/education, public/private. Seemingly disparate, this aggregation of objects is strung together with narrow pathways, organized upon consistent axes which run parallel or perpendicular to key features of the site. Roads establish the arrangement of the recreational public section, which aligns parallel to High St. A focal point of this first arrangement is the north courtyard. First part a large gathering space for the community and second part a bending, narrowing path which leads to the hidden gem of the site – the ravine. This ties into the second arrangement, the educational private section. A focal point of this arrangement is the library, which straddles the stream’s shortest segment. It stares straight at the student lobby across the way, teasing anyone who meets its gaze, breaking the architectural fourth wall.
