Cuningham Group Architecture designed Boulder Valley School District’s Meadowlark School located in Erie, Colorado.

Boulder Valley School District recently celebrated the completion of the new Meadowlark School on with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house. Meadowlark is the first Boulder Valley school to be built in Erie, Colorado. Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. (Cuningham Group®) partnered with Fielding Nair International to design the 101,750-square-foot school on a 15-acre campus adjacent to a new city park.

FCI Constructors, Inc., completed the first phase of construction with the Learning Communities, Dining, and Administration areas, which allowed Meadowlark to welcome its first students in August. The second phase with the Gymnasiums, Music areas, and remaining site construction finished in October.

Meadowlark is a collaborative community illustrating 21st Century learning environments. Glass sliding doors, folding walls and small-group spaces allow students and teachers flexible education spaces throughout the school. The most significant space, located in the center of the school, is the “Heart.” It is intended to unite different educational programs and serves as the primary space for dining, presentations and informal gatherings. The space connects to the Curiosity Center with views to the outdoor amphitheater and the Flatirons.

Designed to exceed energy code and be Net Zero Energy Use-ready, Meadowlark follows the District’s Green Guiding Principles. The campus features daylighting devices through the roof, solar chimneys, displacement mechanical ventilation, and in-floor heating and cooling. Students and teachers can take an active role in their thermal comfort with a natural ventilation system that signals when it is a good day to open the windows. These strategies will allow the building to operate more efficiently and save energy.

The distinctive exterior design pays homage to Erie’s coal mining past with contrasting dark brick while also featuring very contemporary textured precast concrete and rusting steel façade panels. Meadowlark offers students and teachers inspiring views of the outside environment and fosters a relationship with the neighborhood by connecting to the adjacent park and pathways that link to regional trails.

Architect: Cuningham Group Architecture
Photography: Fred J. Fuhrmeister