Newtown?s new school offers a model for an educational space with a subtle defensive posture Editor?s note: With safe spaces in schools top of mind in the wake of the recent shooting in Parkland, Florida, we thought it worth reconsidering lessons from the rebuilt Sandy Hook Elementary School, featured in this article published as it was opening in 2016.
When the new Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, opens this week, the design will be as notable for what it is?a community response to a terrible tragedy?as what it isn?t?a complete rethinking of school design. As showcased during a somber media day in late July, the school exudes a commitment to openness and a connection to nature, all while keeping issues of safety and student performance paramount. In an age of heightened anxiety over school shootings and gun violence, the reopening of this school offers potent symbolism as well as a look at how educational design may evolve. The design for the new Sandy Hook ?hides? its security features in plain sight, offering improved natural surveillance and increased situational awareness through an extensive series of windows, as well as a gradual, guarded approach from the main road. Despite its roots in a tragedy, the new school offers a bright, optimistic learning environment that?s inviting, not institutional.
?As architects, we aspire to opportunities like this, to be involved in the design of a building like the Sandy Hook School, a meaningful and sym...