Alice West Fleet Elementary School Arlington Public Schools
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Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Project Overview Standing fourt stories tall, the school is infused with light and views to the surrounding community landscape. The result is a building that, while located on a dense urban site, feels and acts like a neighborhood school. Sited adjacent to a middle school, park, and recreation center, Alice West Fleet Elementary School transforms a former parking lot into an educational landscape that improves accessibility, connectivity, and environmental conditions for the entire 20-acre site. The second of three net zero energy schools for Arlington Public Schools, Fleet Elementary School features a 500kW solar array with geothermal heating and cooling as well as numerous design innovations that reduce the school’s carbon footprint while maximizing energy savings for the school district. The school embraces the community scale of the residential neighborhood with a welcoming double-height entry while situating a four-story educational wing on its compact, triangular site. In deference to the neighborhood context, the building “steps back” as it “goes up” – placing the 4th story portion of the building closest to the center of the site and as far away from houses as possible.
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Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Net-Zero Energy Design
Thomas Jefferson Park
Existin
Reflecting a strongly-voiced desire to “build up, not out,” Fleet Elementary School is Arlington’s first four-story elementary school – and one of the first in the Commonwealth. Fleet Elementary School is the second of three net zero energy schools designed for Arlington Public Schools (APS). In part because of APS’ commitment to net zero energy, Arlington County was the first locality in Virginia to commit to 100% renewable electricity by 2035. In April 2020, Virginia became the first state in the South to commit to a 100% clean energy agenda. The building’s massing carefully steps up from two stories where it fronts South Old Glebe Road, to three and four stories in the middle of the site. This configuration works with the context of the Arbors of Arlington buildings and steps the roof shapes up from south to north – providing optimal surfaces to harvest southern sun for solar power.
The school’s standing seam roofs all tilt five degrees due south and hold 1,532 photovoltaic panels – enough to produce 728,900 kWh annually and make Fleet Elementary School the County’s second net zero energy public building. To empower a culture of environmental stewardship, interactive technology – including LED lights color-coded to illustrate when the building is producing energy and using energy – creates an immersive educational environment that doubles as a teaching tool.
View of Front Entry at South Glebe Road
Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
ng Middle School
Arbors of Arlington Fleet Elementary School
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ALICE WEST FLEET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE
EXISTING
SCHOOL
57.7% IMPERVIOUS
2014
MIDDLE
59.3% IMPERVIOUS
2019
ALICE WEST FLEET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
EXISTING MIDDLE SCHOOL
Before Aerial Before (Aerial)
After (Aerial)
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Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Site Transformation Fleet Elementary School embraces the community scale of the residential neighborhood with a welcoming double-height entry while also situating a four-story educational wing on its triangular site. The school has a compact footprint of 38,720 SF, yet still locates a full sized gymnasium, stage, dining commons, kitchen, administration, and all PreK and Kindergarten classrooms on the ground floor with direct access outside. Grades 1 and 2 are located on the second floor, grades 3 and 4 on the third floor, and the 5th grade is on a smaller fourth floor. In deference to the neighborhood context, the building “steps back” as it “goes up” – placing the 4th story as far away from houses as possible. The school sits on a podium over a single level of structured parking for 228 spots. The “pedestrian mall” between the parking structure and existing middle school allows three building entrances used by the students to become fully accessible and bring more natural light into the lower levels of buildings. What was previously a surface parking lot is transformed into an engaging landscape for students, neighbors, and the community.
Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
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Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Heavy Timber Porch Overhanging Play Turf + Terrace
Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
“ This is the greatest green school I've ever seen. It is fully integrated with the educational program and serves as a pedagogical tool. VMDO does a great job at partnering with educators to ensure the educational aspect is a leading thought, not an afterthought.” R ac h el G u t t er Direc t o r C e nte r fo r Green S c h o o l s
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Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Building as a Teaching Tool
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POLAR BIOME
TROPICAL BIOME
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TEMPERATE BIOME
MARINE BIOME
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Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Environmental Graphics + Wayfinding Colors are Tied to Biomes Found Throughout the World
Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
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Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Arlington Public Schools Discovery Elementary School
Health + Wellness The building’s design was influenced by the WELL building standard, which supports the wellness of building inhabitants and the environmental health of the site. The building uses a palette of red brick, terra cotta, fiber cement, heavy timber and gluelaminated beams. Sunshades provide pops of color accents that correspond to the building’s wayfinding system. Fiber cement roof soffits are painted goldenrod yellow to symbolize the sunlight being collected to power the building. Daylighting, views outside, and connections between spaces infuse the school with life and vibrancy. Environmental graphics and wayfinding colors are tied to biomes found throughout the world, from the coral reef to the arctic tundra – inspiring stewardship and learning about the world’s natural resources. The building’s design was influenced by the WELL building standard, which supports the wellness of building inhabitants and the environmental health of the site. Manufacturers’ transparency commitments were a primary criteria for material specification, resulting in over 50 installed building products with verified declarations of their chemical ingredients. The project is one of the first LEED v.4 buildings in Arlington.
Daylighting Strategies
Movement Center
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VMDO Architects vmdo.com | 434.296.5684 200 E Market St Charlottesville, VA 22902 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 7000 Washington, DC 20006
For more information on K-12 Education work please contact:
For more information on Fleet Elementary School please contact:
Rob Winstead, AIA, LEED AP BD+C winstead@vmdo.com
Wyck Knox, AIA, LEED AP BD+C knox@vmdo.com
Wyck Knox, AIA, LEED AP BD+C knox@vmdo.com