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Rich Pond Elementary

Warren County Board of Education, Bowling Green, KY

The new Zero-Energy Ready and Disaster Resilient Rich Pond Elementary features a flexible commons area that can be accessed via a slide from the media center. The commons area doubles as a Practice Gym for additional after-school functions, and in the mornings and afternoons, the space is used as a staging area for students arriving and departing, as well as the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch

Project Photos

Project Details

Rich Pond Elementary is Kentucky’s next zero-energy ready, disaster-resilient public school.

Opening in Fall 2022, this replacement school will house 800 students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth. Each grade is organized as a pod, with classrooms surrounding a flexible learning resource area. Second and third grades are located on the first floor, with the third, fourth, and fifth grades on the second floor.

The central space is a flexible commons area that will double as a Practice Gym for additional after school functions. In the mornings and afternoons, the space is used as a staging area for students arriving and departing, as well as the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch. This area will also include a display wall that will include multiple LED TV’s to display to large groups and further provide a way for teachers to provide 21st Century Learning for the students.

The gymnasium opens up to the commons, featuring a stage and seating for 850. The gym is designated as a community storm shelter, able to withstand tornadic winds of 250 mph. It is designed to operate independently (ventilation, plumbing, and electricity) during and after a weather event.

On the second floor, the media center overlooks the commons and features multiple zones of flexible seating and furnishings to accommodate varied educational settings. It also houses a wireless computer lab, story-telling area, and makers space.

The building is compact in size and volume and constructed with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) to maximize energy efficiency.