North Hill Elementary School

Highline School District

Des Moines, Washington

North Hill is a 67,000 square foot Kindergarten through Sixth Grade facility in an older, suburban neighborhood. The site is relatively flat and featureless except for a forested area at the back of the property. The design solution sites the building deeply into the property against the forested area and locates the playfields in front of the building directly off the street. The strategy allows classrooms to benefit from the quiet and beauty of the woods, while the neighborhood enjoys the play areas in a park-like setting. The building itself is composed of two, two-story classroom wings plugged into an L-shaped configuration of support spaces. Influenced by the climate and history of the Pacific Northwest, North Hill is a contemporary steel frame version of traditional wood, post and beam buildings seen in our region. North Hill Elementary School was designed to meet the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol, including many sustainable, high performance strategies including; two-story massing, controlled daylighting throughout, a high percentage of recycled materials, energy efficient systems, on-site storm water infiltration and many other features.