Hazel Wolf K-8 E-STEM School

Seattle Public Schools

Seattle, Washington

Hazel Wolf K-8 E-STEM School has been recognized by Learning By Design magazine for its architectural and interior design and for having benchmark type attributes. Learning By Design's distinguished Fall 2017 jury of six architects and end users scored Hazel Wolf on six measures: Innovation, Community Need, Interior Design, Sustainability, Functional Design, and 21st Century Learning. Jury comments on Hazel Wolf included, "Love the outdoor learning and play areas. Very relevant program and mission."

This K-8 school uses the environment as the lens for their focus on their E-STEM program. Maximizing use of the site for environmental learning was a critical design generator, and the site is conceived as a lab with a variety of indoor/outdoor learning areas. The landscape design encourages a range of exterior space uses by providing diverse landscapes each designed to support a specific curriculum. The integrated design of this site and the building creates a "space flow" where a multitude of non-traditional learning environments can accommodate planned deliberate teaching opportunities while also creating spontaneous opportunities for informal and/or unplanned activities, indoors and outdoors.