Learning Landscapes Description
This plan addresses immediate adjacency of the Interstate 70 over pass, the continual building additions that give little thought to the remaining open space, and the student body of 600 with a high percentage of English as a second language learners. The plan calls for drastic revisions including purchasing the adjacent motel for play fields.
Swansea Elementary School
Construction Date
2001
Landscape Architect
GPD Land Design
Play Equipment Vendor
Rocky Mountain Recreation
School Garden Sponsor
Denver Urban Gardens
Community Garden
Master Plan
Vision
The purpose of the Master Plan is to define and detail Swansea Elementary School’s vision for their school grounds. That vision is defined by the following goals.
Goals
- Reconnect to the Community: The school and grounds should be a place of civic pride. The school should be a focal point of the community.
- Create Opportunities for Participatory Learning: The school and grounds should be an extension of the learning environment, with interactive opportunities in an outdoor setting.
- Imporve Recreational Opportunities: The school grounds should be a great place to play and have fun. Quality, quantity and arrangement of play opportunities are critical for optimizing discovery and fun for a play area.
- Green the School: Fields of asphalt, dirt, and pea gravel create a negative image for the school. By transforming the school grounds with grass, trees, and landscaped activities, you create a positive image for the school and the surrounding neighborhood.
- Create a Safe Site for Learning, Discovery and Fun: The school grounds should be a place where children can learn and play without danger or risk.
- Celebrate Cultural and Historical Character of the Neighborhood: The school grounds should represent the cultural diversity and historic character of the neighborhood.
Design Development
Description
This plan addresses immediate adjacency of the Interstate 70 over pass, the continual building additions that give little thought to the remaining open space, and the student body of 600 with a high percentage of English as a second language learners. The plan calls for drastic revisions including purchasing the adjacent motel for play fields.
Illustrative Drawing
Design Development Drawings
Presentation Boards
Illustration
Construction Documentation
Description from Architect
Swansea Elementary school was designed as a learning landscape, a design concept that incorporates participatory learning elements with recreational play. The site is a functional park for the surrounding urban neighborhood which is primarily surrounded with industrial zoned areas and a major highway viaduct intersecting the neighborhood. The project scope included design development through project closeout.
Illustrative Plan
Construction Drawings
Play Equipment
Shade Structure