School Description
Smedley Elementary is one of 86 elementary schools in the Denver Public School system. It is situated in the northwest corner of the Denver Public School’s district, located between Zuni and Pecos Streets. The boundaries of the 2.28 acre site are: 42nd St. to the north, 43rd St. to the south, Raritan St. to the east, and Shoshone St. to the west, which is in the Sunnyside neighborhood. Sunnyside is a nice, old neighborhood, and most residents take pride in their homes. The community is diverse in nature with a mixture of older citizens and younger families. Chaffee Park is directly northeast of the school. Smedley is a walk-in, Bi-lingual school, with curriculum encompassing ECE (Early Childhood Education) through fifth grade.
Learning Landscapes Description
The master plan calls for enhanced local and cultural connections, participatory learning opportunities, and a safe site for fun recreational play and addresses the challenges of redesigning this historic school with a very small playground area.
November 2002
Landscape Architect
GPD Land Design
Master Plan
Vision
The purpose of this Master Plan is to specify and describe Smedley Elementary School’s vision for their playground. This vision can be defined by their goals:
Goals
- Create a Safe Site for Discovery and Fun while Improving Circulation. The school grounds should be a place where children can play without danger or risk.
- Establish Opportunities for Participatory Learning. The playground should be an extension of the learning environment, providing interactive opportunities in an outdoor setting.
- Improve Recreational Opportunities for All Children, Including those who need Handicap Accessible Play Equipment. The quality, variety, and arrangement of the play opportunities are critical to optimize discovery and fun in the play area.
- Reconnect to the Community by Celebrating the Cultural and Historical Character of the Neighborhood. The school and its grounds should be a place of civic pride, a focal point of the community, while representing the cultural and historic character of the neighborhood.
Design Development
Description
The master plan calls for enhanced local and cultural connections, participatory learning opportunities, and a safe site for fun recreational play and addresses the challenges of redesigning this historic school with a very small playground area.
Illustrative Drawing
Presentation Boards
Hand Renderings
Construction Documentation
Description from Architect
The campus at Smedley Elementary school was designed as a learning landscape, a design concept that incorporates participatory learning elements with recreational play. This project used artists from the community to work with parents of the students to create a poetry walk with phrases both in spanish and english. The project scope included design development through project closeout.
Illustrative Plan
Construction Drawings
Play Equipment
Shade Structure