Explored are the above processes used to develop the goals, vision, and guiding principles for the program and design of the elementary schools. Site specific elements and program spaces for the New Elementary School and for Mt. Stuart Elementary School are included. The design team and administration will use this specification to validate each aspect of the projects to insure they meet the high standards of the Ellensburg School District and the Ellensburg Community.

Process Overview
Continuing the conversation around building organization, the design committee worked in small groups to identify potential solutions that integrated the learning neighborhoods with the heart of the school. The groups were given learning neighborhoods with options for three, four, five, or six-classroom groupings. Four potential solutions were identified. The committee then proceeded to take these solutions and apply them to either the Mt. Stuart or New Elementary site. The groups were guided through identifying the key features of the site such as student drop-off, bus loading, building front door, parking, and play activities. This process provided the design committee with the opportunity to identify priorities for connections within the building as well as throughout the sites.

Purpose of Project
The Ellensburg School District currently has four hundred and seventy-fi ve unhoused elementary school students located on three existing elementary school sites. The students are currently in thirteen portable structures distributed between those schools. Ellensburg’s current and future growth is projected in the northwest region of the city. For this reason, the District acquired a twenty-nine acre property in the proximity of anticipated growth to house a new elementary school.

The current elementary schools also have significant safety, security, and maintenance issues. In response to these issues, the District planned and passed an approximately $60M bond in November 2018. The design and construction of a new elementary school, replacement of Mt. Stuart Elementary and the renovation of Lincoln Elementary will provide outstanding educational facilities that are responsive to the specific needs at each location of the District and community. The new facilities will support the evolving attitudes to teaching, learning, and respond to the rapid changes in technology, alternate teaching techniques, curriculum, program, and current building and energy code requirements.

School Project Overview
The original 34,100 square foot building was constructed in 1967 and has had several modifications since. A 4,001 square foot annex was added in 1972, and a 6,730 square foot gymnasium was added on in 1993. The original construction was funded in part by a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Conditions of this grant include maintaining 18 acres of conservation land for recreation purposes. This land may be maintained on the site or moved to the adjacent new elementary site.

The new Mt. Stuart project is proposed as an approximately 500 student, 57,500 square foot K-5 school on the existing Mt. Stuart site. The new school would contain general classrooms, special education/resource rooms, library, kitchen, gymnasium, commons, music room to accommodate the music and orchestra program, administrative, counseling, and educational support spaces.

Once the new Mt. Stuart is complete, students and staff will move to their new facility and the existing structure will be abated and demolished. After students and staff move into the new building, final site and playground landscaping will be completed, approximately in the location of the existing school.

Value Analysis
Prior to the planning and visioning process, the District charged the project/construction manager, OAC Services, and Integrus Architecture with evaluating the original 2018 bond plan and validating the budgets and projects proposed. During this process the renovation of Mt. Stuart was identified as a potential cost risk due to unknown conditions within the building.

The District project/construction manager, architect, and structural engineer have reviewed in detail the original building construction documents to assess potential design and construction challenges. Of particular note is the existing structural system and it’s lack of seismic and lateral support. The load-bearing masonry walls in the building also create challenges for the rearrangement of space to meet the goals and vision of the District for teaching and learning space. Accounting for these issues OAC Services and Integrus Architecture worked with a third-party cost estimator to review the construction budget established in the bond and establish a potential cost model for both renovation/addition and for replacement of the building. Because of schedule and risk savings the replacement option was found to be significantly more cost effective than renovation and addition. These options were presented to the community and School Board for review and the District chose to provide a new school in lieu of modernization and addition.

As part of this process, the design team reviewed the building condition assessment report for Mt. Stuart Elementary and determined that the original 1967 construction has little remaining residual value. The existing structure and systems would require significant alterations and updates. The 1972 Annex has continued value to the community and District and is to be removed from the District’s roles and will be used as a Pre-K facility. The existing 1993 gym is in good condition and does not qualify for state match until 2023. This structure has significant remaining value to the school and it is assumed that a small capital investment will extend this value. It is proposed that this structure remain.

Engagement Process: Overview
The engagement process is typically the first step in the design. This process, and ultimately the Educational Specifications document, serves as a form of communication to the Architect and Engineering Design Team. The information found in this document also assists the School District in understanding the size of the total project in relation to the budget.

Specifically, the Educational Specifications outlines in detail the needs, goals and objectives of the School District as they will be reflected in the building itself. Educational Specifications are also required by the State of Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public instruction (OSPI) as part of their K-12 School Construction Assistance Program’s D-form process, which assists districts with funding for new construction and modernization of existing buildings.

The following identifies the basic steps in obtaining the information required to successfully understand the parameters of Educational Specifications:
Goals: Identify the goals established by the District
Facts: Collect and analyze the facts and information provided by the users
Concepts: Present and test concepts
Needs: Identify and understand the needs of the user.

This process provides a framework to classify and document all the required information. The end result, therefore, is an Educational Specifications utilized by the design team for creating a school that not only addresses the goals and philosophy of the District, but also meets the needs of students, faculty, staff, and the community, while generating a sense of pride and ownership for all.

Education Specifications

Listen. Collaborate. Clarify.

The design of a new school cannot begin without first establishing a common vision and direction confirmed with all the stakeholders. To achieve this, Ed Spec meetings were organized around a series of visioning presentations, discussions, and exercises.

The process started with an understanding of Ellensburg School Districts Mission and Values:
“All students will graduate prepared for life’s opportunities. We believe that learning opens doors and gives students the chance to open doors throughout their lives. We strive to cultivate habits of excellence that stay with our students long after they leave our district.”

This vision and mission were reviewed along with the current district educational approach, curriculum, and future curriculum goals. The discussion started with, “How could these new facilities support and enhance teaching and learning in the district?” To help the design team and committee answer this, the first meeting revolved around two different exercises “Blink” and “Hopes & Fears”. “Blink” gives an often unexpected snapshot to show a common ground perspective as it relates to various types of spaces in and outside a building. For the exercise “Hopes & Fears,” the design committee first gave comments on post-it notes on a variety of topics, then later chose images that resonated with their hopes, dreams and/or fears for the new schools and captured the committee’s thoughts and priorities on boards.

The comments from the “Hopes and Fears” exercise were documented and presented at a final group presentation that included an exercise to identify goals of the project as well as guiding design principles. Information gathered as a result of these presentations help the design team and stakeholders establish the overall design statement which guides the next phase of the project.

Other exercises included activities such as “A Day in the Life” which charted the path of building users throughout the day through the lens of Howard Gardner’s Eight intelligences. The Environmental Workshop captured ideas about responsible design solutions for Ellensburg’s elementary schools. The workshop covered four major areas of sustainable design including site and water usage, materials selection, building systems, and renewable energy.

The guiding principles presented on the following pages are the culmination of all the engagement efforts synthesized into four main topics including: Image & Identity, Outdoor Learning/Play, Maintenance & Durability, and Community Use & Evolving Trends. These represent the foundation for the design and intended outcomes for the new Elementary School facilities.

The Ed Spec Planning Committee and the design team discussed hopes and fears surrounding these topics. As they talked, committee members wrote down their feelings on sticky notes and posted them on each general topic.

The design team then brought out a variety of images both of the existing Mt. Stuart and Lincoln Elementary schools as well as images of physical space and activities that would inspire further discussion on each of the topic. The design committee was asked to add these images to the existing hopes and fears boards and further their comments with images that were relevant to their thoughts on each topic. At the end of the exercise, a comprehensive documentation of the committee’s hopes and fears remained.

Group Exercise: Day in the Life
Howard Gardner in his book: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences proposed eight different learning intelligences: Naturalistic Intelligence, linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.

Gardner states, “recent cognitive research has shown how each student learns and understands differently and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways.”

The Day In The Life exercise helps the design team understand how students experience their school throughout the day. The participants approach to this process is guided by the random assignment of a particular learning intelligence. This randomness stretches the participants perception of students and helps them see through different eyes. The activities and perceptions suggested by the committee help the design team realize differentiated spaces for each type of learner. This then serves as a reference check for space-making opportunities during the design process to better serve all students.

Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner

Naturalistic Intelligence
Strengths: Finding patterns and relationships to nature
Naturalistic is the most recent addition to Gardner’s theory and has been met with more resistance than his original seven intelligences. According to Gardner, individuals who are high in this type of intelligence are more in tune with nature and are often interested in nurturing, exploring the environment, and learning about other species. These individuals are said to be highly aware of even subtle changes to their environments.

Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Strengths: Visual and spatial judgment
People who are strong in visual-spatial intelligence are good at visualizing things. These individuals are often good with directions as well as maps, charts, videos, and pictures.

Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence
Strengths: Words, language, and writing
People who are strong in linguistic-verbal intelligence are able to use words well, both when writing and speaking. These individuals are typically very good at writing stories, memorizing information, and reading.

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Strengths: Analyzing problems and mathematical operations
People who are strong in logical-mathematical intelligence are good at reasoning, recognizing patterns, and logically analyzing problems. These individuals tend to think conceptually about numbers, relationships, and patterns.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Strengths: Physical movement, motor control operations
Those who have high bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are said to be good at body movement, performing actions, and physical control. People who are strong in this area tend to have excellent hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

Musical Intelligence
Strengths: Rhythm & music
People who have strong musical intelligence are good at thinking in patterns, rhythms, and sounds. They have a strong appreciation for music and are often good at musical composition and performance.

Interpersonal Intelligence
Strengths: Understanding and relating to other people
Those who have strong interpersonal intelligence are good at understanding and interacting with other people. These individuals are skilled at assessing the emotions, motivations, desires, and intentions of those around them.

Intrapersonal Intelligence
Strengths: Introspection and self-reflection
Individuals who are strong in intrapersonal intelligence are good at being aware of their own emotional states, feelings, and motivations. They tend to enjoy self-reflection and analysis, including daydreaming, exploring relationships with others, and assessing their personal strengths.

Ellensburg staff asked their students to re-imagine their school and draw what it might look like. The focus for students was their experience throughout the day. They were encouraged to draw their favorite activities and things such as eating lunch, playing, reading in the library and working in their classroom. This exercise gives the design team the child’s-eye perspective on what it’s like to spend a day at school. The students in these images are engaging with their school building as part of the learning process. As such, the concepts of play as learning and exploration are key themes to include in the design process.

The Mt. Stuart Elementary site shares boundaries and easements with local, state, public, utility, RCO, and federal stakeholders. Existing bus and student drop off configurations conflict with each other and do not work well. Both activities share a southern access from West 15th Avenue. The shared traffic access at Mt. Stuart Elementary requires the parents to park, walk across the bus lanes, and drop off/pick up students at the front of the school creating significant morning and afternoon traffic congestion and safety concerns.

The existing Mt. Stuart Elementary School will be occupied while the new facility is under construction. In order to avoid conflict with existing RCO lands, the most logical buildable area on the site is south of the existing Mt. Stuart Elementary school. This location will make it easier to maintain a connection to the existing gymnasium and annex buildings that are to remain when the existing Mt. Stuart Elementary School is demolished.

Listen. Process. Draw. Repeat.
There were a variety of programmatic and site constraints that helped guide the site diagrams and special arrangements for the new Mt. Stuart Elementary.

Many of the committee's and students' favorite elements from the Educational Specifications are carried into the Schematic Design phase of the new Mt. Stuart Elementary school. Natural daylight, flexible teaching areas, a comfortable building scale for kids, views to the outside, landscaping, greenery, and courtyards where kids have a protected area to explore, learn, and engage in an outdoor learning environment are fundamental to the design of the new facility.

Exploration Sketches

The proposed landscape treatment for the replacement Mt. Stuart Elementary is intended to meet the current City of Ellensburg ordinances for landscape development both in City right-of-ways and as applied to new parking lots and site landscape requirements. The remainder of the grounds will be responsive to the anticipated school programs and pedestrian movement to and through the site while addressing the maintenance abilities of the District grounds crews throughout the year. Where existing shade trees and conifers are removed, new plantings of similar species and varieties will be installed where possible.

Mt. Stuart’s landscape will have several unique features that respond to the site program:

• Construction of the site will be phased to allow for construction of the new school while the existing structures are still occupied. Playfields and playgrounds may not be constructed until after the existing school is demolished. This will require temporary play facilities on the site during the transition and phasing of construction.
• A trail or pathway will link to the existing outdoor learning forest located northwest of the existing school

Numerous site diagrams were studied with the District to better understand the best ways to access and efficiently utilize the site. Two significant decisions which shaped the conceptual site diagram process were providing bus access/parking from the newly developed Cora Street and maintaining access to the existing gymnasium, which is to remain. This configuration will also accommodate a student drop off/parking area and main entry oriented to the east. The bus lane will be able to be separated from the student drop off and parking and provide better main entry hierarchy and image for the school and parents.

Generally, the building is organized around a courtyard that opens to the north and new proposed playfields. The courtyard becomes the heart of the building providing both daylight and views from classrooms, breakout spaces, and learning spaces. The courtyard concept is supported by the Mt. Stuart staff. Many of the Mt. Stuart students spend significant time participating in outdoor activities. The outdoor learning activities are envisioned as an extension of these personal activities at the new school. The classrooms are organized in “neighborhood” groupings to enhance and help create the courtyard concept while providing flexibility and identity in how classrooms and grades could be organized. The main building entry is flanked by the kindergarten grouping and the commons and gymnasium with the administrative and reception areas in the center. The lobby/waiting space provides daylight and views directly into the courtyard. This space is intersected by double loaded corridors which runs around the courtyard. The multi-purpose room/gymnasium, administrative suite, and support rooms are all accessed from this circulation spine. The front of the school highlights the front door for easy and logical way finding. The main classroom circulation can be secured after hours allowing for community access only to the public spaces and restrooms.

The building exterior will consist of a masonry wainscot, hardboard siding, storefront glass, and metal panel as appropriate, materials that are enduring, cost effective, and easily maintained. Colors and tones will be warm and inviting and overall the materials will be sustainable and appropriate for an elementary school. Overall building image, scale, and proportioning become important as it should relate to the Mt. Stuart neighborhood and overall community.

The main public parking is to be accessed from Cora Street. This was important to the staff to help with their school’s identity, image, and being able to better see who’s coming and going. The playground is located for easy access and visual security. The service drive and small staff parking area will be located to provide easy access to the kitchen and service. The courtyard offers great opportunities for student gardens, outdoor learning, and play. This outdoor space will consist of a combination of simple landscaped areas, hardscape, and lawn and will be easily accessed and maintained by District staff. The general orientation of the building takes into account sun angles and proper shading where needed, as well as reducing cooling loads and operational costs.

II. Structural Design Criteria
All construction will conform to the requirements of the 2015 Edition of the International Building Code (IBC) as amended by the State of Washington.

Filters and fans serving the classroom will be coordinated for access from mezzanine or ceiling. Equipment will not be located within 10 feet of the roof edge and equipment will be equipped with removable access panels for ease of cleaning.

Fire Protection
The building will be fully sprinklered with a wet-pipe sprinkler system throughout. Seismic bracing will be provided as required. Water will be supplied from the municipal water system and is adequate to supply the sprinkler system without a booster pump. A strainer will be provided for the fire protection system as required by City of Ellensburg.

Plumbing
Basic Plumbing — A domestic hot water distribution system will be provided from gas fired, high efficiency, central water heaters. One system will be dedicated to general use delivering 120°F hot water and one dedicated to 140°F for kitchen/laundry use. Thermostatic mixing valves will be provided at public lavatories to limit water temperature to 105°F to prevent scalding. New wall hydrants will be located on building exterior for maintenance at a minimum of every 100 feet.

Plumbing Fixtures — Classrooms will have sinks with bubbler drinking fountains. Restroom sinks will be commercial grade with automatic sensor faucets. Water closets and urinals will be commercial grade with automatic flush valves. Sinks in other locations shall be commercial grade. Fixtures shall be “low flow” for water conservation. Refrigerated drinking fountains will be provided with bottle fillers.

Mt. Stuart Existing Gym — When the existing Mt. Stuart Elementary School is torn down, the gymnasium will function as a standalone building. A new natural gas service and meter will be required as both of these utilities are currently fed from the elementary school. The existing plumbing systems are anticipated to remain to continue to service the gym.

The heating water system will be provided from a central natural gas fired heating plant with 96% efficient condensing boilers supplying 140° water. The plant will contain two high efficiency gas fired boilers. Heating water circulation will be provided by two redundant floor mounted pumps with VFDs to reduce energy consumption.

The cooling system will consist of one air cooled chiller with scroll compressors and will be located in an equipment yard. The chilled pump will be variable flow by using a VFD, floor mounted and sized for 100% capacity.

Mt. Stuart Existing Gym — When the existing Mt. Stuart Elementary is torn down, the gymnasium will function as a standalone building. HVAC scope will include minor tenant improvements to the west lobby particularly at the adjoining wall to the existing school. The existing system consists of a single zone, gas fired, single zone air handling unit with standalone electric controls. The existing mechanical systems are anticipated to remain to continue to service the gym.

Option 1 HVAC Approach — The same as the base approach except the air terminal units in the class rooms shall change from 4-pipe fan coil units to 4-pipe fan coil ventilation units mounted on the classroom walls. These fans are low energy motors and with 24V power. This approach filters from the classroom units reducing service and maintenance, but does place service in the classroom. The fan coil would utilize a single coil for heating and cooling with a six-way valve to switch from heating to cooling.

Option 2 HVAC Approach — The classrooms will utilize fan coils with refrigerant for heating and cooling with back-up electric heat. Fan coils will be located above ceiling or mezzanine mounted and ducted to the classroom. Fan coils will be zoned into groups and connected to outdoor air source heat pumps. Heat pumps will be modular in nature and will feed the fan coil zone to meet their heating and cooling needs. Heat pumps will be equipped with low ambient controls and will have heat recovery compressors to reduce compressor work when some rooms are heating and some rooms are cooling. A dedicated outside air unit with heat recovery demand controlled ventilation will be provided and ducted to each fan coil. Demand controlled ventilation will be regulated through pressure independent controls consisting of electronic dampers and airflow sensors.

Gym and Multipurpose — Single zone rooftop heat pump air handling units with heat recovery on the ventilation air and back-up electric heat. The unit will be equipped with an air side economizer and demand controlled ventilation.

Water Treatment — For hydronic systems, provide high efficiency air/dirt separator in each closed loop hydronic system. Introduce chemicals through tap at air separator.

Air & Hydronic Balancing — Systems shall be completely balanced to ±10% of design values in accordance with Associated Air Balance Council or National Environmental Balancing Bureau.

Indoor Air Quality — General Exhaust will maintain a minimum of 10 air changes per hour exhaust in toilet rooms, custodial rooms, and locker rooms. Building fresh air intakes will be separate from exhaust. The building facility personnel shall have the ability to override the air handling unit ventilation controls to shut off outside air to the building when the outside air quality is not acceptable such as during roofing projects or area fires.

Acoustics — Systems will be designed and installed to meet the maximum noise criteria established for each space use. Special acoustical considerations of the mechanical systems will include locating of air compressors away from acoustically sensitive areas and limiting the noise affects of the air-cooled chiller on adjacent spaces. Where this is not possible, acoustically treated walls will be required.

Building Automation System — The building will have direct digital controls. Room thermostats shall be electronic wall sensors locally adjustable in all areas. Room thermostats will also have carbon dioxide sensors. System shall have alarm, trend logging, and remote adjustment capability. The HVAC system will require thermal zoning to meet individual heating and cooling needs of spaces. Each classroom, commons, and the gym will be provided with their own thermostat and have individual scheduling.