School Description
Barney Ford Elementary is located in northeast Denver at 14500 Maxwell Place, and serves the Montbello neighborhood. The student population lives in the neighborhood which is bounded by I-70 to the southwest and Chambers Road to the east. The school is located a few blocks off of busy Chambers Road and is surrounded by smaller neighborhood parks with Montbello Central Park to the west and Ford Park adjacent to Ford Elementary to the south.
Barney Ford Elementary is named for a former slave who, in addition to becoming educated, also became a political and financial “King Maker” in 19th century Colorado territory. Barney Ford Elementary is located in the very diverse Montbello neighborhood. The Italian word “Montbello” means literally “beautiful mountain”. The spectacular views of Mount Evans, Long’s Peak and the Continental Divide inspired developers to name the new neighborhood area after the picturesque mountain region in the Italian Alps.
Learning Landscapes Description
The changing seasons stitch the community and school site together in celebration of color, sound, motion, growth, change, and flow.
Ford Elementary School
Construction Date
Completed August, 2010
Landscape Architect
DHM Design
School Garden Sponsor
Landscape Structures
Master Plan
Vision
The Ford campus will be the stitch that pulls together all aspects of education (academic, physical, social, and cultural) revealing and celebrating the context of the Montbello neighborhood.
Goals
- To design a landscape that facilitates learning through interactive and creative play.
- To create spaces that accommodates multiple uses.
- To provide a gathering place for the Montbello neighborhood.
Illustrative Drawing
Master Plan
Presentation Boards
Collage
Design Development
Description
The changing seasons stitch the community and school site together in celebration of color, sound, motion, growth, change, and flow.
Illustrative Drawing
Design Development Drawings
Presentation Boards
Construction Documentation
Illustrative Plan
Construction Drawings
Play Equipment
Shade Structure