North Ridge Elementary School

Raleigh, NC

This new elementary school facility for a well-established neighborhood consolidated programs which were previously scattered across multiple campus buildings. The outdated facilities were challenging to navigate and separated various educational functions in disparate locations; replacing the buildings with a unified design prepared the beloved campus for a new generation of use.

The new 130,000 SF design accommodates 750 students with teaching spaces grouped by grade levels. Students enter a welcoming open lobby which branches off into classroom and resource spaces. The design merged community input with county standards for site-specific strategies, resulting in better architectural integration with the neighborhood, improved traffic flow and stormwater management, preservation of a mature grove of campus trees, and better wayfinding and security.