Prince William County, Virginia
Fall, 2013
The new Nokesville K-8 School will replace an existing elementary school on another site and will add a middle school to a site already occupied by the Brentsville District High School. The K-8 School will share an access drive, playfields and various site features with the high school. The plan of the new building has a pair of two- story academic wings, one which contains both the administration and the middle school while the other houses the elementary school. Across the top of the two academic wings runs a main corridor that provides access to the public spaces such as the main office, gymnasium, student dining, elementary activity room and music suite. To complete an interior circulation loop, the media center and art rooms are grouped and placed at the opposite end of the academic wings from the main corridor, thus creating an enclosed courtyard for the building. This courtyard, which helps to bring in natural light, will serve as an exterior dining space as well as an outdoor art area. Another unique feature of this courtyard will be a “green roof” over the art rooms allowing for another outdoor educational space that is accessed from the second floor.
