/ Buildings / MHTN ARCHITECTS WINS LEARNING BY DESIGN’S GRAND PRIZE FOR WEST BOUNTIFUL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

MHTN ARCHITECTS WINS LEARNING BY DESIGN’S GRAND PRIZE FOR WEST BOUNTIFUL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Parul Dubey on October 13, 2021 - in Buildings, News

The Student-Centered School Promotes Collaboration, Creativity, and Sustainability

 

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH— OCTOBER 13, 2021— MHTN Architects, a nationally recognized, multidisciplinary architecture firm specializing in student life and educational design, received Learning By Design’s Grand Prize for designing West Bountiful Elementary School in Utah. The 65,000-square-foot, two-story school features several learning studios with sliding doors and portable furniture to provide more flexibility and opportunities for social distancing. The building also includes a media center and an ‘Imaginarium,’ a combination of an art studio and a makerspace for students to explore and express their creativity. 

“Remote learning has emphasized the importance of collaborative and healthy spaces that also prioritize students’ and educators’ wellbeing,” said Scott Later, Principal of MHTN. “Our design process throughout the West Bountiful Elementary School represents MHTN’s commitment to working with various stakeholders, enhancing clients’ values through architecture and design, and creating sustainable spaces.”

MHTN collaborated with numerous stakeholders when designing the school beyond students and staff, including local community leaders, school parent councils, and the city council. When meeting with West Bountiful’s students, the design team created a special activity asking each child to imagine what the world should look like in 50 years and how the new school could fit within that vision.  These conversations fueled MHTN’s design concepts, including creating a public space in front of the school for recreational activities and custom-designed graphics to inspire playful and imaginative mindsets. 

MHTN and the local community also prioritized sustainability when designing the school, as the new facility is a zero energy building. The school features a photovoltaic array on the roof to generate the building’s entire electrical demand, classrooms specifically oriented to maximize natural daylight, and high-tech mechanical systems that improve efficiency.   

The Learning By Design Award is a national competition that judges submissions on six categories: innovation, 21st-century learning, community needs, functional design, interior design, and sustainability. Learning By Design Award. 

 

About MHTN

Established in 1923 as a local Salt Lake City practice, MHTN Architects is a leading full-service architectural firm with a widely-respected reputation for design excellence, sustainable design ethics, professionalism, and integrity. Founded on values of leadership and innovation, MHTN offers a team of over 80 professionals serving clients regionally and across the country. 

MHTN believes design excellence comes from listening carefully to clients to understand their needs and

expectations. By understanding our clients, we can provide planning and design which is not only cost effective, but is also of the highest quality design to meet current and future needs and leave a design legacy to the community. We believe achieving success in design involves people from all disciplines and at every level working together in the unified effort to create inspiring environments that enhance the human condition.

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