“Designing schools is difficult: Engaging students, bringing in light, and developing spaces to learn and play are challenging. With the current language around guns, lockdowns, and ‘secure’ spaces, it is a joy to see the openness and light that this school provides.”
— Monica Chadha, AIA

Location Dallas
Client Dallas Independent School District
Architect Glenn|Partners
Design Team Patrick Glenn, AIA
Contractor Imperial Construction
Civil Engineer Glenn Engineering
Structural Engineer Alpha Consulting Engineers
MEP Engineer Solare Engineering
Kitchen Consultant Foodservice Design Professionals
Roofing Consultant Armko Industries
Landscape Architect SMR Landscape Architects

Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary presents a reserved facade to the neighborhood, while a journey within reveals a hive of activity surrounded by layers of shade and protection. The building consists of three striated bars and two floors, with the school’s public programs in the center protected by private academic spaces at the periphery. Porosity along the exterior is achieved by pulling apart the brick masses based on programmatic needs to reveal outdoor classroom areas and playful color relief on the exterior brick shell. The use of color and geometric patterning within supports wayfinding and branded identity rooted in the hive concept.

Leave a Comment