Hammerschmidt Elementary School had outgrown their existing administrative space and expressed the need for a more secure main entrance. The existing entrance was obscure and did not offer a welcoming school identity. More notably, the existing entry did not allow for multiple security checkpoints at the school’s main point of control.
The new Main Office houses space for Reception, a Mail Room, the School Nurse, Principal’s Office and Conference Room. Visitors enter the school in a secure entry vestibule with access controlled at the main reception desk and are screened before being allowed to proceed into the secure reception area. Only then, are they admitted into the “display hall” to continue into the building. While providing required security and increasing the safety of students, staff and visitors, the new main entry is also open and inviting.An entrance canopy defines the main entrance while generating shelter for visitors. Engaged piers and stone seating delineate an exterior gathering space for students and add rhythm and visual interest to the south building façade. The vaulted entry vestibule and curtain wall bring natural light into the space and create a welcoming environment while the use of interior brick and stone warms the main entrance hall and creates a connection with the exterior. The new addition updates the aesthetics of the building, while fitting seamlessly into the existing school architecture.
