Open Window School

Bellevue, Washington

ROLE: landscape architecture

SCOPE OF WORK: campus planning and design through construction administration

STATUS: completed 2002

CONSTRUCTION COSTS: $7 million (total project costs)

CONSULTANT TEAM: 

	Miller|Hull Partnership (architect)
	Johnson+Southerland (as MEJLA, landscape architect)

CONSTRUCTION TEAM: E. Kent Halvorson, Specialized Landscaping

CLIENT: Open Window School

Open Window School is an elementary school near the top of Cougar Mountain east of Lake Washington. Johnson+Southerland worked with the project team to plan a functional campus that makes the best use of its unique site and enjoys its fabulous view of the Puget Sound Basin. Challenges presented by the rural site and its increasingly suburban neighborhood included steep slopes, wetlands, views and traffic. Part of the firm's job was to enrich the site with objects and spaces that provoke "learning moments," such as trails providing access to study the wetlands and boulders marking the watershed boundary that divides the property. A paved and shaded commons joins the main school buildings and provides seating, gathering areas and a view belvedere. A stone "compass" identifies the peaks, lakes, and cities that students will see every day.