Lake Mills Elementary School

CASE STUDY

LAKE MILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

EMBRACING CHANGE: The impact progressive thought can have on the future

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EMBRACING CHANGE:

A CASE STUDY ON THE IMPACT PROGRESSIVE
THOUGHT CAN HAVE ON THE FUTURE

The way we communicate and work is changing drastically, and with this, the way
we teach future generations needs to evolve. This understanding, along with the
Lake Mills Area School District’s (LMASD) mission of “inspiring students to
be responsible citizens with integrity, and life-long learners in an
ever-changing world,” were cornerstones for the Elementary School design.
When Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) began working with the District, it was clear
LMASD understood the impact of their decisions on the school’s future. By envisioning
the future of learning and incorporating flexibility, the school can evolve with future
pedagogies. Supporting the mission, the new building acts as an environmental
teaching tool and a positive example of leading change for the future.
Participating as the only K-12 school in the Midwest in the US Green
Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED® v4 Beta program, the building also infuses
sustainable design and promotes awareness of environmental best practices for
students and staff.

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Gaining Community Support

In 2011, LMASD hired EUA’s team to assist with a facilities
study, design services and pre-referendum planning to address
its aging, overcrowded elementary school. EUA’s Public
Outreach Specialists offer a unique value proposition
to K-12 clients in comparison to most architecture
firms; they understand strategic tailoring of communication,
messages and processes, ensuring alignment with community
values and priorities to ultimately gain funding support.

To foster engagement in Lake Mills, a community-based
committee was formed to determine needs as part of
a long-term facilities plan. The team identified project drivers
to guide decisions throughout the process including:

• Academic excellence • Security + safety
• School / community • Sustainability
• Improved overall
relationship
• Cost-effective / practical environment / aesthetics

solutions

Above: “My New School” Student Design EUA helped the committee use these drivers to establish clear
Contest Winner featured on the job sign priorities and preliminary options. Options were then tested in
Below: The groundbreaking ceremony in a community-wide survey to gather feedback. In November
May 2013 engaging all students + staff 2012, a referendum for a new school was approved for
$18.7M, an important accomplishment for LMASD only four
years after the approval of a significant middle school renovation.

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Learning Neighborhoods: flexible furniture solutions focus on student comfort and allow
multiple configurations.Transparency enables easy supervision of a variety of spaces.

Learning Environments with Potential for Change

Contrary to traditional design processes where veteran
staff guide decisions, EUA established a visionary team
of progressive teachers to encourage ‘out of the box’
thinking for improving the learning environment.
Through the review of similar case studies and extensive
furniture trials, staff were able to realize how a new
environment could facilitate student learning.

Throughout the process, EUA challenged the teachers
to think beyond how they currently use their classrooms
and instead think without limitations.

Lake Mills ES secure main entrance “We helped Lake Mills understand that this
learning environment needed to work for
students today, while remaining flexible
well into the future.”

Eric Dufek, EUA Senior K-12 Designer

This hands-on design process resulted in a learning
neighborhood design that features transparency,
flexibility, and variety, with the ability to accommodate
future pedagogies.

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SPACES THAT FLEX “Learning occurs in a collection
of spaces, well beyond the
Classroom setups and flexibility of breakout spaces were 900 square feet classroom.
designed to influence how students learn, develop trust This design allows students
and foster peer-to-peer learning. The ample variety of to learn throughout the school,
spaces allows staff and students to remain engaged in the choosing spaces appropriately
learning process while working in an assortment of group designed for the activity.”
configurations. Break-out areas allow teachers to provide
personalized instruction within the classroom, addressing Eric Dufek, EUA Senior K-12 Designer
the needs of all learners.

Break-out areas: The transparency of adjacent break-out NATURAL LIGHTING
space provides small group or specialized instruction and
work space for students and teachers. When you enter the school you are
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with levels of transparency, daylighting
from external windows flows through
a profusion of internal glass, dissipating
light to all areas. The building is also
positioned in a way that takes advantage
of sunlight as much as possible, using
daylight sensors in every classroom
to help control energy costs.

LEARNING In this transformative school, learning is no longer restricted to the
WITHOUT classroom, it happens throughout the building. EUA strategically created
BOUNDS small group educational opportunities adjacent to circulation paths and
under stairwells using flexible and built-in furniture. Throughout the
media center you find cubbies and fun furniture where children can play,
read, socialize and relax. These unique spaces and furniture encourage
learning to happen anytime, anywhere.

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Design with a Connection
to the Community

From discussions with community and staff,
the EUA team quickly discovered Lake Mills’
points of pride. In response, the building’s interior
design incorporates water and lush vegetation
elements creating a physical connection and
learning experience illustrating the local
landscapes of Aztalan State Park and Rock Lake.

To further the connection to the Lake Mills
community, a local artist was commissioned
to create a featured nature-based mural (left).
The concept brought forth by EUA’s design team
was to feature a tree as a symbolic element
for education and sustainability, acting as a
metaphor for a child’s learning path through
life. The roots represent the foundations and the
branches represent a continual cycle of growth
and change.

BRINGING THE The media center features large windows on three sides to evoke an
OUTDOORS open, bright feel, tying students to nature and the outdoors, exuding
INSIDE the sensation of visiting the surrounding Aztalan State Park.

Wave-like finishes and textures in the cafeteria create a
‘watering hole’ representing the elements of Rock Lake.

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Security that is Transparent

Security remains a top priority for schools and community alike.
Creating safe, affordable learning spaces goes deeper than simply
keeping unwanted persons out of the building.

Safety and security is important to today’s • Bullying • Family relationships
learning environment because students • Harassment • Sexual orientation
perform better when they feel safe, from • Nutrition (hunger) • Other factors
fears or concerns related to: • Personal relationships

EUA’s solution focused on safety and security in all aspects of the building’s use, including:

Site: The site is designed around the separation Learning Neighborhoods: A new challenge
of parent vehicle, bus, and walking student when designing modern learning environments
traffic; the access to and from the site for each is creating a security strategy for flexible and
category heavily influenced the location of the transparent spaces. EUA purposefully located
building and entrances. the individual learning neighborhoods off
a main street corridor design that allows for
Entrances: The entrance and exterior doors are fire doors to electronically close and lock if an
specifically designed around passive and active intruder were to get past the secure entrance
security. All exterior doors are monitored with sequence, each classroom pod area can be
electric strikes and cameras. The main entrance individually locked down.
was dramatically improved from the existing
school, utilizing a secure entrance sequence with Transparency: The extensive use of glass
five separate opportunities to make visual and within the school allows teachers to monitor and
verbal acknowledgment of a visitor before they supervise students over an expansive area in an
are allowed into the main school. effort to reduce bullying and disruptive behaviors.

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Appropriately sized furniture in every classroom Above: Flexible furniture for the future

A Focus on Performance and Comfort

Throughout the design and construction of the
elementary school, there were multiple interactions
with staff and students to apply ergonomic principles
to daily functions, in an effort to improve the user
experience. Discussion topics included:

• Tasks
• Workflows
• Adjacencies
• Physical constraints
• Equipment usage
• Storage needs
• Desired functionality of spaces

During this time, a user assessment was conducted,
including students of varying age groups, to
determine appropriate storage reach, student cubby
dimensions and ideal student chair and table sizes;
ensuring appropriately-sized furniture for all students.

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FLEXIBLE FURNITURE FOR THE FUTURE

Performance goals for the learning environments were established by District Officials ensuring
recommendations were cost-efficient, practical, durable, flexible, and easy to maintain. In addition
to utilizing fun and playful colors, textures and shapes, the furniture was ultimately meant to optimize
the space design, providing the following key elements to staff and students:

Mobility: Furniture is easily moved to encourage multiple methods of instruction;
using casters on tables and chairs, or sectional tables to connect for group learning.

Flexibility: This is exemplified through 6-foot wide pocket door openings in the
learning neighborhoods, allowing multiple classrooms to connect to ‘team teach’
or when closed function as white boards. Also, each classroom features 25 feet
of mobile cabinets and bookcases, allowing teachers to customize layouts.

Versatility: This is seen through the variety of furniture, such as the integration
of lounge chairs with table arms (left) vs. the traditional chair and table model,
or creative sized book nooks in the media center providing students with a fun
atmosphere to read and learn. Teachers were given three workstation options
(left) to meet their needs; each featuring different storage, mobility and height.

Ergonomic: The furniture solutions focused on options that would aid student
comfort such as the height adjustable tables found in each classroom allowing
students to stand while learning, minimizing fatigue and physical strain. Backless
options with balance mechanisms like the buoy chair (left) allow children to wiggle;
a solution intended to benefit students with ADHD or ADD. Three different sizes
of student chairs throughout the building address the diversity of elementary age
student proportions to improve the comfort and in turn, the performance of students.

FURNITURE TRIALS + TESTING 4th grade furniture option

In order to ensure appropriate use, buy-in and fit
of all furnishings, EUA completed an extensive trial
process. Classrooms were outfitted with a variety of
mock-up furniture for several months where teachers
and students determined which type of seating and
tables best met their needs and preferences. The EUA
team was committed to finding solutions that met
this new school’s pedagogy needs and went through
twelve table trials and seven different task chairs to
gain teacher agreement. After use, an ergonomics
survey was done to determine which task chair best
suited their needs.

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Media Center: cubbies and fun furniture where children can play, read,
socialize and relax encourage learning to happen anytime, anywhere
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Students interact with the school’s Going Beyond
energy use on touchscreens Traditional Sustainability

pLaikeloMtillspErleomjeentcarty School As one of only 122 projects participating in the LEED®
1 of only 122 projects v4 beta program, the project team made strategic
decisions with sustainable design solutions – focusing
on what matters the most in regards to payback.
Each proposed solution was vetted to ensure it was
improving learning outcomes or ensuring responsible
stewardship of the community resources, with the final
solution modeled in advance, using clash detection
to keep construction cost and waste to a minimum.
The sustainable results centered on practical, efficient,
translatable and ‘value-based’ sustainable solutions
supporting the district’s mission, and acting as
a learning opportunity for students and staff.

LEED® FOR SCHOOLS

LEED® for Schools addresses design and construction
factors for school buildings, recognizing the unique
nature of K-12 schools and addressing issues such
as classroom acoustics, daylight and views, mold
prevention and environmental site assessment (items
not addressed under other LEED® rating systems).
As part of the beta program, the team was able to sit
down, in person, with USGBC representatives, allowing
for enhanced communication and helping to shape
future requirements for the next LEED® program.

Vegetated green roof

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VISIBLE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

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aLAlloKwEiMngILsLtSudEeLnEtMs EtoNsTeAeRtYheSCbuHiOldiOngL,oLpEeErDatiVo4nsBaEnTAd eTnEeSrTgINy GusaPgReO. GORthAeMr sCusAtaSEinaSTbUleDaYctions taken
towards LEED® certification include:

A sustainable project is more than simply a collection of green features. It begins with a team approach to identify

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but woorkuitnogf ttohgeebthueilrdfionrggreater impact. • Daylight sensors in every room to control energy

• Operable windows so teachers can open and costs
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including the classroom furniture to reduce
• Significant recycled content in building materials,
respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies
such as the structural steel
SUSTAINABLE FEATURES:

Gray roof membrane Solar hot water panels Photovoltaic panels
bridges the continental supplement traditional water produce 13,000+ kWh/yr
climate by reducing solar heating equipment
heat gain during summer Daylighting passes light to the center
and increasing heat gain Touchscreens allow students of the building through large exterior
during winter to interact with and see how windows and glass wall sections on
the school’s sustainable the interior
systems impact energy use

Bicycle racks produced Green Roof filled with vegetative trays Building Envelope
by a local artisan create provide water absorption, visual interest commissioning will be
a level of community and a learning opportunity done by a third party to
involvement and promote ensure the enclosure
alternative transportation Closed-loop geothermal system circulates liquid keeps moisture out and
solution underground providing 100% of the conditioned air in
school’s heating/cooling
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Change is Happening Every Day Plans are in place to reassess the design,
furniture and sustainable solutions after the
Since the use of the new school began it has first semester and first year of occupation.
been a transformative experience for the students, EUA is confident that this instrumental project
staff, administration and community at large. will help share 21st Century K-12 design and
Administration and the visionary team are sustainable integration best practices.
working with teachers to adapt teaching methods
with an understanding of the potential the new “The new school is incredible,
variety of spaces offer. everyone is excited about the fresh
start, EUA’s vision and design will
School visitors are seeing first-hand the diversity make a tremendous difference in
of teaching styles that can be supported with the our instructional delivery model and
innovative spaces and furniture as they witness fostering a collaborative learning
students spread throughout the school in small environment for our students.”
learning groups. With time, via touchscreen
monitors, the students will learn even more about Amanda Thompson, Lake Mills Elementary School Principal
the performance and operation of their school
and how it compares to other schools. Watch for updates as we gather metrics
and performance data for this one of a kind
elementary school!

333 E Chicago Street | Milwaukee, WI 53202 | 414.271.5350
milwaukee : madison : des moines eua.com

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First Year Occupancy Data

While the data is currently limited from only one year of collection,
modestly encouraging results can be seen in the metrics below.

100.0% WKCE TESTING
–  PROFICIENT/ADVANCED
 – 4TH GRADE

100.0% 96.8% 97.5% 98.9%
95.0% 90.0%
90.0% 95.9%
85.0% 2014-­‐2015
80.0% 90.6% 1.4%
75.0%
70.0% 89.2% increase in
65.0% Social Studies
60.0% 86.0%
55.0% 6.1%
50.0% 83.9%
increase in
Percent
  Proficient
  or
 Advanced FIRST YEAR
 IN
 NEW
 FACILITY Science

Science 2011-­‐2012 2012-­‐2013 2013-­‐2014 1.0%
Social
 Studies Academic
  Year
increase in
2010-­‐2011 Math

MAP
 TESTING
 -­‐ PROFICIENT/ADVANCED
 – 2nd, 3rd,
 and
 4th Grade 6.0%

80% increase in
Reading
71% 70% 71% 72%
70% 17

60%
60%

Percent
  Proficient
  or
 Advanced 50% 46% 44%

40% 37% 37% 38%

30% FIRST YEAR
 IN
 NEW
 FACILITY

20%

10% 2011-­‐2012 2012-­‐2013 2013-­‐2014 2014-­‐2015
Math Academic
  Year

Reading
0%

2010-­‐2011

MAP
 TESTING
 -­‐ Reading
 Growth
 Goals
 -­‐ 2nd,
 3rd and
 4th Grade

80%

Percent
  of
 Strudents
  who
 Met
 their
  Reading
 Growth
  Goals 70% 67% 7.0%

60% increase in
60% Reading

50% 47% Growth Goals
45%
5.0%
42%
decrease in
40% 65th Percentile

30% FIRST YEAR
 IN
 NEW
 FACILITY for Math

20% 11.0%
increase in
10% 65th percentile

0% 2011-­‐2012 2012-­‐2013 2013-­‐2014 2014-­‐2015 for Reading
2010-­‐2011 Academic
  Year

MAP
 TESTING
 -­‐ 65th
 Percentile
 Target
–  2nd,
 3rd,
 and
 4th Grade

80%

70%

Percent
  of
 Strudents
  who
 tested
 at
 65th
 Percentile
  or
 Better 60% 55% 55% 56%

50% 48% 49%

48%
40% 44% 36% 37% 37%

30% FIRST YEAR
 IN
 NEW
 FACILITY

20%

10% 2011-­‐2012 2012-­‐2013 2013-­‐2014 2014-­‐2015
Math Academic
  Year

Reading
0%

2010-­‐2011

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Number
  of
 days
 Missed
 Divided
 by
 Total
 Enrollment 1.00 AVERAGE
 SICK
 DAYS
P  ER
 STUDENT 8.0%

0.95 0.89 decrease in
0.85 Average Sick
0.90 Days per Student
0.85 0.83
0.77
0.85 FIRST YEAR
 IN
 NEW
 FACILITY
2014-­‐2015
0.80 2011-­‐2012 2012-­‐2013 2013-­‐2014
Academic
  Year
0.75

0.70

0.65

0.60

0.55

0.50
2010-­‐2011

140 Communicable
  Diseases 136 FIRST YEAR
 IN
 NEW
 FACILITY Noticable
130 2013-­‐2014
120 Strep
  Throat decrease in
110 Lice/Third
  Strike
Pink
 Eye number of
113 Influenza
100 Fifth
 Disease communicable
Impetigo
90 Chicken
 Pox diseases
80 Hand
 Foot
 Mouth
70 Scabies
60 TOTALS
50
Numbe r
  of
 Incidents 40 92 81
30 74
20
10 2010-­‐2011 2011-­‐2012 2012-­‐2013 32
0 2014-­‐2015

2009-­‐2010

Academic
  Year

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“The new school is incredible, everyone is excited
about the fresh start, EUA’s vision and design will
make a tremendous difference in our instructional

delivery model and fostering a collaborative
learning environment for our students.”

Amanda Thompson, Lake Mills Elementary School Principal

Watch for updates as we gather more
metrics and performance data for this

one of a kind elementary school!

333 E Chicago Street | Milwaukee, WI 53202 | 414.271.5350
milwaukee : madison : des moines eua.com
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