Forest Lake Elementary render
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Forest Lake Elementary

By harnessing the health benefits of mass timber, we created a space that nurtures both mind and body. The layout encourages community interaction, with distinct areas for play and private study, all connected by communal spaces.

architecture structure material study

Crafting a Natural learning environment.

Concept

The studio brief was simple — design a school from a forest. Forest Lake Elementary takes it literally: the mass timber that frames the building is left exposed greeting children every morning.

Northwest and Southeast elevations
Northwest and Southeast elevations.
Site

Balancing the preservation of the site's existing forest-like ambiance with new research on learning environments — and the use of innovative mass timber — posed the central challenge of the project.

Forest Lake Elementary site plan
Site plan — the school tucks against the existing tree line, keeping the forest as the campus's front yard while parking and play push to the open edge.
Materiality

Three materials carry the entire building. Exposed glulam and cross-laminated timber do the structural work — warm, tactile, legible at a child's scale — while glass dissolves the edge to the forest and daylight does the rest.

01

Mass Timber

Exposed glulam columns and CLT panels form the primary structure — the building teaches how it holds itself up.

02

Glass Curtain Wall

Floor-to-ceiling glazing pulls the tree line inside and dissolves the boundary between classroom and courtyard.

03

Daylight

Sawtooth clerestories rake even, north-facing light deep into every room across the day.

Space

The result is a harmonious blend of nature and education that promotes health and well-being — classrooms turned toward the trees, complemented by outdoor rooms like the patio and commons that enrich the everyday experience of the school.

Exploration and play space opening to the forest
Exploration spaces open straight onto the tree line, blurring the line between classroom and woodland.
Upper-level commons in exposed timber
Upper-level commons — a daylit gathering space framed in exposed timber.
Lower-level commons reading street
A quiet reading street threads between the classroom wings.
Adaptable classroom opening onto the commons
Adaptable classrooms open directly onto shared space.
Drawings

Elevations and sections register the building as a low timber ridge against the forest — gabled roofs stepping with the land.

Ground level floor plan
Ground level — commons, cafeteria, gymnasium, media center, and the lower classroom wings.
Second level floor plan
Second level — advanced-learning studios, administration, and the upper wings above the commons.