LEARNING SPACES
A New Generation of
Active, Healthy, &
Responsible Stewards
in Schools
Mary Beth Lineberry | VMDO Architects, P.C.
L
ocated in rural Dillwyn, Virginia,
Buckingham County Primary and
Elementary Schools, is an integrated school project providing flexible spaces, incorporating nature, designing for
health, and optimizing learning opportunities at every scale and surface for the
collective benefit of students, teachers,
and the Buckingham community alike.
Indoor/Outdoor Connections:
The newly-designed K-5 campus takes
advantage of every space and surface
to support teaching and learning both
inside and outside the schools. Inside,
the campus features a reconceived central dining commons that – through the
promotion of healthy eating habits, food
stewardship, and transparent dining
operations – serves as a major source of
community food-based education. Outside, kitchen and teaching gardens, play
terraces, and landscaping encourage engagement with nature and the food-production process. Signage and wayfinding
techniques feature factoids about native
natural life, health, and physical activity
as well as playful colors and icons that
collectively reinforce grade-level identity
and students’ connection to the natural world. The holistic indoor-outdoor
learning campus promotes active, integrated learning opportunities and fosters
healthy FoodSmart™ children.
Flexible Spaces: In the schools’ academic areas, educational opportunities
spill outwards from classrooms into corridors, where various reading nooks and
small-group study stations transform
circulation pathways into child-centric
20 essentials | FALL 2013
“learning streets.” These spaces are intimately scaled with soft seating and fun
colors that help activate thought and play
throughout the school day. Moveable,
interchangeable furniture supports rapid
re-configuration of the teaching environment. Ergonomic HOKKI stools and VS
America chairs and tables both support
and accommodate student movement
to help increase student concentration
and engagement in the learning process.
Large-scale active design elements such
as hallways, open gathering spaces, and
outdoor gardens and walking paths
encourage movement, interaction, and
a sense of community among school
users. Sustainable features – including
well-ventilated and naturally lit learning
areas, locally-sourced materials, and
flexible, durable furnishings – enhance
the educational experience and support
the health of all building inhabitants.
Site Initiatives: Buckingham County’s pine and oak forest habitat, water
sources, and rock formations feature
prominently throughout the architecture
and active landscape of the school campus. Indeed, the site design promotes the
importance of the natural environment
in the daily experiences of students.
Natural resources such as Buckingham
slate, kyanite (a locally mined mineral),
and regional wood species are specifically showcased in the built environment
to encourage place-based learning and
support the use of local materials. As
much as possible, the designers tried to
specify materials located within a 100
mile radius of Dillwyn, VA, in order to
support the local economy and reduce
the carbon footprint of the school.
Educational opportunities abound
in the landscape, particularly in the gardens. The cultivation of edible plants and
other crops allows students to learn the
science of horticulture and supports the
lunch menu with nutritious options. A
pollinator garden teaches students about
native pollinating insects and animals
vital to our ecosystem and multiplies the
productivity of the gardens. A science
garden based on a 3-5 year succession
cycle demonstrates the transitions and
seasonal shifts of the Virginia Piedmont.
The campus landscape supports the
school’s core curriculum and fosters
teachable moments, providing students
with interactive experiences in the
classroom, kitchen, gardens, and the
surrounding environment.
The Dining Commons – One Big
Classroom: While nature is earth’s great
classroom, the dining commons serving
both Buckingham County Primary and
Elementary students, as well as the wider
community, functions as the campus’s
one big classroom. An enriched learning environment, the dining commons
includes a teaching kitchen, innovative
food and nutritional displays, open
serveries that promote transparency, a
food lab/lounge for small group labs and
demonstration cooking, a scratch bakery, dehydrating food composter, natural
daylight, flexible seating arrangements,
an outdoor student dining terrace, and
kitchen gardens.
The commercial kitchen was