VMDO Architects's video: Supporting Equity and Promoting Community: Harrisonburg s Bluestone Elementary School

Harrisonburg City Public Schools has experienced one of the highest school enrollment growth rates in Virginia. To meet the needs of this growing and increasingly diverse student body, the design of Bluestone Elementary School emphasizes a variety of spaces and scales for differentiated learning opportunities while creating welcoming public areas that embody the school’s commitment to learning in an inclusive environment. An active landscape and wayfinding system celebrating Harrisonburg’s unique geography and ecology empower the diverse population of students to become stewards of this special place while feeling connected to the larger world around them. In 2019, the project was named the top Livable Buildings Award winner by UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment's and a Project of Distinction winner from the Association for Learning Environments.