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
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.
With their experience of working with multiple funding sources and familiarity in navigating federal programs, Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects is working with Dawson Springs to deliver a modern, affordable housing community with market-rate amenities.
Three Sherman Carter Barnhart -designed schools — South Green Elementary School, Cumberland Trace Elementary
School, and Rich Pond Elementary School — are featured in this month’s ICF Builder Magazine.
