The 82,000 sf Jefferson County Public Schools facility design is inspired by the existing culture of Indian Trail Elementary School which emphasizes hands-on learning and incorporates outdoor spaces in the student experience.

Although the available area for the new school is limited by the existing school footprint, the location of the new school preserves and highlights the existing natural landscape to create a park-like setting and preserves woodlands located at the north end of the site. The existing trail through the woodlands is integrated into the design and connectivity to the surrounding neighborhoods has been enhanced. The existing school will be replaced with parking and sports fields.

The building is organized around a large outdoor courtyard with a two story classroom wing to the east and west wing including administrative offices, gymnasium, cafeteria and tornado storm shelter. The main entrance with secure vestibule to control visitor access and centrally located Media Center create a welcoming community face to the south. The Media Center can function as a community gathering space while the Gymnasium provides space for events and sports leagues.

The large outdoor courtyard allows views out to the woodland area of the site from the interior and provides multiple types of outdoor learning opportunities. The wide corridors create a “commons” with a series of nodes where key functions can ‘spill over’ or be programmed with break-out space for small group learning. Flexible Classrooms are incorporated to support “maker spaces” that can be adapted and evolve over time.

Energy efficiency and sustainability were key considerations in the building design. Durable and energy efficient materials and systems have been incorporated throughout the project including brick and metal exterior cladding, high thermal resistant insulated concrete forms (ICF), energy efficient windows, sun control devices and energy efficient “cool-roof”.