School Description
Traylor Elementary is located in the Bear Valley Neighborhood in the southwest corner of Denver. The neighborhood dates from the midfifties and is generally populated by small, well-groomed single-family homes. Traylor has served as the community’s local elementary school since its construction in 1968. Eight years ago, however, Traylor became one of Denver’s local magnate schools. Magnate schools serve students and families that wish to add a particular focus to their education. Magnate schools have a choice program and are, therefore, open to students outside of the immediate district. Forty-percent of Traylor’s students are bussed in, in order to take advantage of Traylor’s status as a Fundamentals Magnate School. Traylor focuses on the fundamentals of education, placing priorities on reading, writing, and arithmetic- the basics.
Learning Landscapes Description
The plan fosters a child’s exploration of world and their place in it through discovery, learning and play. The collision of mathematical and natural geometries, organizes spaces and elements in the school yard.
Traylor Academy
Construction Date
February 2005
Landscape Architect
Design Concepts
Play Equipment Vendor
Play World Systems
School Garden Sponsor
Denver Urban Gardens
Master Plan
Vision
Education is a dynamic experience not limited to the classroom. Safety and comfort, which students and the neighborhood expect from the school experience, should occur beyond the walls of the building. The grounds around Traylor Elementary will be an integrated gateway between the neighborhood and the school experience, bringing the classroom outside and the strength of a close-knit neighborhood into the grounds. For Tralor Elementary, the vehicle of exploration and play will be the primary design principle.
Goals
- To create a diversity of areas for discovery and interaction.
- To create ecological showcases which highlight nature’s natural processes.
- To improve the experience of play by:
• Designing age appropriate play areas
• Creating a shaded central area for playground monitoring
• Enhancing the colors of the place
• Adding vertical ground plane elements - To create a sustainable, low-maintenance landscape.
Design Development
Description
The plan fosters a child’s exploration of world and their place in it through discovery, learning and play. The collision of mathematical and natural geometries, organizes spaces and elements in the school yard.
Illustrative Drawing
Design Development Drawings
Presentation Boards
Collage
Construction Documentation
Description from Architect
Traylor Elementary is a Fundamentals School with a focus on math and science which inpired the playground themes of geometric expansion and mathematics. Geometric patterns, numbers, and shapes are sandblasted in the playground pavement. A math walk greets students and visitors at the playground entrance and leads them through the playground to a central plaza. Located in the plaza is a new shade shelter with special pavement illustrating the concept of geometric expansion. ‘Kids in Motion’ is reflected in a custom gateway and metal banners fabricated by Chevo Studios.
Age appropriate playground areas with new equipment and a variety of safety surfacings were installed. Other improvments include a multi-use ballfield, basketball and tetherball courts, 4 square court, triple shoot, hopscotch, and sand play areas. Raised planters and seat walls are common elements throughout the site, defining spaces and providing seating.
Illustrative Plan
Construction Drawings
Play Equipment
Shade Structure
Architect’s Rendering