Fleet
Elementary School
The wayfinding package at Fleet Elementary School encourages students to appreciate their natural environment, making use of the building’s architecture as a tool for teaching young students about Earth’s many varied plant and animal habitats.
Client
Arlington Public Schools
Architect
VMDO Architects
Location
Arlington, VA
Scope
Wayfinding, Signage, Environmental Graphics
Architecture as a Teaching Tool
The building’s four stories were each assigned a climate zone by latitude—marine, tropical, temperate, and polar—and the two wings on each floor were divided by dry and wet habitats within each climate. Large murals with iconic images from each environment draw attention to individual native species and help students absorb broader differences in flora and fauna as they move through the different latitudes and climates.
Welcoming colors and graphics encourage curiosity, exploration, and stewardship, all while also helping young children find their way around their school.
A Focus on Sustainability
The net-zero energy building is itself also deeply concerned with appreciating the environment and its species. The architecture team used the WELL Building Standard as a guideline for building materials. Our team followed suit with PVC-free wallcoverings and low-VOC materials.
“Let nothing and no one stop you.”
– Alice West Fleet
Related Work