Kaleidoscope

The new Coweta Heritage Intermediate Grade Center houses 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. It contains 22 classrooms, a full-size gymnasium, music room, band room, media center, and a large centrally located commons space.

Celebrating the youth and vibrancy of the children that attend, the "kaleidoscope" concept is reinforced throughout the interior with the use of dynamic and diverse colors, textures, and patterns, as well as a blend of curvilinear and angular architectural forms. The finishes include red, blue, and yellow hues that combine together to create the secondary color palette of orange, green and purple. Custom millwork, unique walls with slanted furr-outs, traversing aluminum gypsum board reveals, and multicolored, curving suspended ceiling elements strengthen the volumetric experience of the space.

The classroom wings or "pods" are arranged by grade level and connected by a central arced corridor that serves as a unifying element between the pods and shared educational spaces. Each pod is identified by its own unique color palette, radiating from the colors and patterns experienced in the main commons space. The classrooms within each pod share a small commons area to facilitate group learning and interaction. All colorful pods are identified by a welcoming and unique angular display wall.

By mimicking the elements present in a kaleidoscope, each space is individually identified but overall connected, which creates a dual sense of both specific and communal space. The school inspires students to feel a sense of accomplishment as they move through grade levels, as well as a connection to where they have been and where they are going in their educational journey.