DEL NORTE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ROSWELL, NM

Collaborating with SMPC, M+Y embarked on a replacement plan to make Del Norte Elementary School the optimal educational environment for young students of Roswell, NM.

The building’s compact 70,000 SF footprint preserves the existing gym, park, car lots, bus lanes, and play courts. Bright brick and growing foliage welcome the community into the school. With a simple “bar” plan spanning 2 stories, the project sits efficiently in the tight site and elevates visual coherency with the neighborhood. Ceiling and wall material of collaborative spaces are warm, inviting, and durable to withstand wear and tear. Generous and spacious circulation anticipate the flexibility of today’s classrooms and encourage physical activity. Fenestration is open towards the ceiling in corridors, library, and cafeteria, allow for multi-directional, diffused daylight to flood in, an ideal lighting condition for youthful study, play, and work. The project also considers the post-COVID demands of technologically-integrated learning and teaching spaces that facilitiate both in-person and remote courses and activities.

One of the project priorities is to minimize disruption of continued operations of the school during construction. Clear demarcations of bus routes, drop-offs, parking, and outdoor play areas allow for safety and minimal disruption of school operations during construction.