Sparrow Academy hired obrARCHITECTURE to re-imagine their existing K-8 campus, which shares space with an existing church on site. The new design provides a dedicated and separate campus for the school, with a new 3-story 18,000 SF tiered building that nestles into an existing hillside.
12 dedicated classrooms allow Sparrow to double their capacity, new administration spaces provide a space for school operations that the facility currently lacks. The school’s pedagogy reinforces connections to nature and unique learning methods, the design reflects this with outdoor hallways, a large gathering space for outdoor learning, and three outdoor rooftops that can serve as classrooms or cafeteria space.
A bright color palette and curving wood screen system will contrast with the nearby church and reflect the goals of the school. A joint use playfield and playground for the church & school is being added at the southeast corner of the site. The playground and playfield are around 2,000 SF larger than currently on-site and have been designed with natural play elements, slides and tunnels that are inserted into the natural site topography.
The church will receive a new community service building that will have the church’s food bank and a caretaker’s home. The entire parking lot will be revised, and 40 spaces will be eliminated in the process. The parking lot reconfiguration will eliminate current confusion for navigating the site as both a pedestrian and a driver and provide a safe drop off space for the students at the school. A new fence will be constructed around the site, and roughly 40 trees will be added. The elimination or parking lot square footage and the addition of a more natural play surface will equal a reduction in hard-scape coverage on-site even as a new 18,000 SF building is constructed.
