• Cheviot Elementary

Our brief was to renovate the existing school and add new classrooms and commons areas that met Ohio School Facilities and Cincinnati Public School standards. The K-8 school serves 550 students.

The existing building was composed of two parts, a roughly L-shaped building designed by Samuel Hannaford and Sons in the 1920's and squarish addition from the 1970's. The latter was deteriorating. We demolished the newer addition, except for the basement mechanical area.

As the Hannaford building was very nicely proportioned we placed Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and first grade in that building. Between this classroom building and a new one for second through eigth grades we placed a commons area that includes a gymnasium, a cafeteria, the library and media center, music and art. The heart of the new building is a courtyard that contains the playground for Pre-K and K.

The orthagonal plan of the building is juxtaposed with site elements which follow the rotation of the parking lot. Hard-surfaced playgrounds for older childrens are placed at a slight remove from the building and adjacent to the north end of the parking lot. Within the arms of the legs of the new classroom building is a site for a future outdoor science lab.