Clark Nexsen K-12 Design

21st Century Learning

Today’s students need both basic knowledge and applied skills to be prepared for the jobs of the future. With the focus on developing 21st century workforce skills, our efforts strive to provide today’s youth with more than basic knowledge content. In addition to information gain, students must acquire critical thinking and communication skills, be able to work collaboratively with others, and be able to solve problems with creativity and innovation.

Delivering K-12 design solutions for more than 20 years, our architects and engineers collaborate with our clients to create school environments that foster inquisitive thinking and promote interaction. We recognize the importance of balancing community context with modern instruction to develop customized solutions for our K-12 clients.

Classroom at Abbott's Creek Elementary School.

ABBOTTS CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Raleigh, NC

Abbotts Creek Elementary School is the thirteenth use of the Wake County Public School System prototype design. Core areas have expanded to serve 900 students, with an 800 student classroom population in 112,495 SF of space. This particular building was placed on a landfill borrow site with an EMS station, a community center, and a county park. A future skate park is also planned for the site. The joint use of the site allows taxpayer savings through sharing fields and amenities between the different local cities and county school system. The scale of the building and the choice of building materials is compatible with the existing community and the neighborhood buildings.

The media center at Abbott's Creek Elementary School.

The building has a common use area with media center, dining and physical education activities, administrative area, and specialized classrooms such as art and music, which are shared by all students and can be used by the community, while securing the remainder of the school. The building envelope was modified to also meet the requirements of a changing, more restrictive energy code. The building is arranged so that bus riders can be segregated from car pool students, which allows for a better vehicular site flow at drop-off and pick up times, resulting in greater safety for students.

Visual arts classroom at Abbott's Creek Elementary School

Inside the building, the spaces are full of color and natural light, creating an environment which supports learning, and makes school an enjoyable place to be. The rooms are spacious enough to allow movement for those students who need activity to learn, as well as space for students to be “alone” for quiet study.

Abbott's Creek Elementary School