The new 6,600-square-foot cafeteria/kitchen addition was designed to accommodate 500 students and incorporated existing masonry materials and vocabulary from multiple buildings into a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing facility. The south wall of the cafeteria was opened, with a curtain wall of various glazing colors, to the grade school playground in order to provide a visual and emotional connection to the exterior.

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The dining room floor tile pattern is the result of a student competition administered by Basalay, Cary & Alstadt. Eight grade students were given a design brief prepared and presented by Basalay, Cary & Alstadt. Their teachers then prepared class projects resulting in proposed pattern designs.

A team of school board members along with Basalay, Cary & Alstadt judged the preliminary proposals and selected three finalists who gave an oral presentation from which the final design was selected. The selected team worked with Basalay, Cary & Alstadt to finalize the design for the installation. The result of incorporating the students’ design into the project was to instill a sense of community ownership and pride in their school.

Budget:

$1,100,000