Highland Park Elementary School

Salt Lake City, Utah
Year Completed: 2006
Square Footage: 76,452
Client: Salt Lake City School District

This new elementary school was a replacement for an existing facility. Originally built in 1965 as Southeast Junior High School, the new facility incorporates natural light into all the classrooms, facilitates new technology, and provides a creative learning atmosphere for students and faculty.

NJRA Architects focused on incorporating learning tools within the building design. Basic geometric shapes were recessed in the concrete retaining wall located next to the kindergarten play area and used in the vision panels on classroom doors. A focal point of design and learning is the commons area; here students learn about geography and astronomy hands on. It has a sky painted on the curved ceiling with curved soffit edges mimicking clouds. There are also fiber optic lights in the ceiling portraying stars and resembling constellations. The picture of the world on the floor is depicted precisely with laser cut flooring material.

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