Concord International Elementary School

Seattle, Washington

ROLE: landscape architecture

SCOPE OF WORK: campus improvement master plan, playground and playfield improvements

STATUS: completed 2011

CONSTRUCTION COSTS: phase I (playground):$50,000, phase II (playfield):$70,000

CONSULTANT TEAM:

	Johnson+Southerland (landscape architect)
	Laurie Pfarr(civil engineer)

CLIENT: Concord Elementary PTSA & Seattle School District

Concord Elementary School is a historic building on a hill in South Park, one of Seattle's poorest neighborhoods. It is also Seattle School District's newest international school, with a full-immersion Spanish program and an emphasis on world citizenship. Parents at Concord wanted to increase the play capacity of their playground as well as provide other aesthetic and functional improvements to their campus to better meet the needs of Concord students and to make their school a recreational focal point for the community. In a community where many families don't speak English, the project team was innovative in drawing families into a community participation process. The master plan addresses critical pedestrian access issues, a new amphitheater, public entries, and a variety of artwork and improvements reflecting the theme of connecting the local neighborhood to the world. Phases I & II, updating the playground, adding a running track and renovating the playfield, have been completed.