Site Work Begins to Make New Sandy Hook School a 'Welcoming Environment'

Sandy Hook School site work has officially begun for the new elementary school, WLAD reports. The new school replaces the demolished building where 20 children and six educators were were fatally shot nearly two years ago.

Consigli Construction Co. officially received the job and a Newtown building permit on Tuesday. There was not an official groundbreaking, The News Times reports, because Architect Bob Mitchell said they want to protect the privacy of the families in the community.

The construction will not begin until March 2015.

The Public Building and Site Commission of the Town of Newtown (PB&SC) supervises the construction of the building project, according to the new Sandy Hook School website, and will oversee the development of the state-of-the-art PreK-4 school at 12 Dickinson Drive.

Svigals + Partners has created a design and project management team to create a welcoming environment for students and staff. According to their plans,

“As students from grades Pre-Kindergarten through Fourth grade arrive at school, they will be embraced by the curving plan of the school reaching out across the site as arms in a welcoming gesture. The undulating wood facade creates a backdrop to the rain garden in front of the building as students cross three metaphoric bridges into the school. Gabled “houses” emerge above this facade evoking the Town image from afar while the rain garden and bridges recall the Pootatuck River and its bridge in the center of Sandy Hook. Overlooking the central courtyard from the second floor are two breakout spaces – imagined as treehouses to create an alternate intimate learning environment for the students.”

To learn more about the new Sandy Hook Elementary School and see site plans and final floor plans, click here.

Photo: The Kids Build program was developed by Svigals + Partners to educate school children about the design, construction and maintenance of their new schools.

Photo Credit: The New Sandy Hook School website.

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