It may be December, but Osborn Consulting is still in back-to-school mode as we celebrate the recent grand opening ceremonies at John Rogers and Montlake Elementary Schools that provide new outdoor learning and play spaces for students. These schools are two of the PreK-12 school projects we’ve completed or are currently working on as part of the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) BEX V Levy program approved by voters in February 2019 to fund major construction, renovation, and maintenance projects.
Osborn is deeply appreciative of our fruitful partnership with SPS because, for the district, schools are seen as so much more than just classrooms. They’re the heart of our communities, where we make our first friends and gather and connect with our neighbors. This community element made these projects particularly rewarding for the Osborn landscape architects who worked on them.
From creating new outdoor learning nooks to unique terraced playgrounds, Osborn is thrilled to have played a role in bringing these projects to life in collaboration with our partners.
MONTLAKE ELMENTARY SCHOOL
At historic Montlake Elementary School, Osborn led the design for a new and improved main entry plaza, a rooftop play field, flexible classroom spaces that allow teachers to bring learning outside, a terrace to maintain and protect the cherished community garden, and a courtyard featuring seat walls to facilitate informal gatherings and connection. Best of all, these updates mean more outdoor play areas for the student population, which is expected to double over the coming years.
One unique element of the new outdoor courtyard is the traffic gardens. These specialized spaces are designed to teach students essential biking and pedestrian safety skills in a hands-on, engaging environment. Each traffic garden was tailored to reflect the unique character of the school community while equipping students with the knowledge and confidence to be safe and responsible bikers and pedestrians.
School projects typically involve substantial community engagement, and Montlake was no different. “It’s great to have the opportunity to talk to teachers and the school community early on,” explained Martina Wirtl, PLA, who led the design. “We are able to get an understanding of what the kids enjoy, what their wish list items are, and then help make that happen.”
JOHN ROGERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
At John Rogers Elementary School, Osborn led landscape design and implementation of multi-level sloped play areas, outdoor classroom areas set in native plantings, a central courtyard, and an expansive playfield.
The school’s natural environment provides no shortage of opportunities for creative problem solving. The site is a former farmstead, with steep slopes on the north and east edges which lead down to Thornton Creek. With help from our partners, Osborn navigated tree and creek management to make sure students stay safe while outside, and elevation and grading challenges to ensure universal accessibility.
“Thinking through all the layout challenges given the natural landscape and not letting these be defeating but instead seeing them as an interesting puzzle to put together leads to great results,” said Jennifer Mundee, lead landscape architect. One example of this is the terraced synthetic turf playgrounds Osborn designed, instead of relying on traditional, less play-friendly solutions like guardrails, walls, ramps, and stairs.
Notably, John Rogers is also SPS’ first “Net Zero” school, aligning with the district’s broader goal to be carbon positive by 2040. This factored into all of Osborn’s landscape design decisions, from installing geothermal wells underneath the grass field to finding ways to take advantage of natural light.
Both ribbon cutting ceremonies offered a chance to celebrate with the community and partners whose collaboration was so integral to the success of the projects, and revel in the excitement of the kids who have new play and learning spaces to enjoy.
Of course, Osborn couldn’t have brought the vision for these two schools to life without the help of our architectal engineering and design teammates who were with us every step of the way. A big thank you to all our partners and of course Seattle Public Schools for giving us the opportunity to apply our expertise to these creative and meaningful projects!
