SHP was tasked with completing the Winton Woods South Campus with spaces for learning in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Built on the foundations of trust, respect, and responsibility, the Winton Woods South Campus Elementary provides 1st through 6th grade students with spaces to explore their hopes and dreams. Serving 1,900 diverse students who speak 31 different languages, deeper learning experiences ensure a more level playing field for their futures. This campus is the new home of four aging buildings across the district.

Having committed to Project Based Learning in 2011, the district recognized that their kids were the experts on what their new school should be. These student visionaries identified four themes that drove the design of their new school: Community & Culture, Show & Tell, Eat & Learn, and Inside & Outside.

Sited in the Village of Greenhills, a 1950’s FDR Greenbelt Community, this new school is bounded by a protected greenspace and the footprint of a vacated (now raised) school facility. In an effort to reduce the emotional scale, the building is divided into four pieces. Three academic houses serve primary, elementary and intermediate students. The identity of each is reinforced by a wayfinding scheme featuring graphics that celebrate aspects of the broader community. Houses are anchored by the core which supports shared functions of administration, community wellness services, music, physical education and performance space. These four masses are organized around an expansive learning courtyard which features an amphitheater and an outdoor proscenium to the main stage.

The three academic houses are again divided into four small learning communities (SLCs), each serving 160 learners. These four SLC’s are united by a central learning stair and media center functions. Instead of a large cafeteria, SLC’s are paired around smaller dining spaces which double as additional learning space. In order to best support deeper learning, each SLC is composed of a spectrum of high-fidelity environments – a central collaborative zone, a large seminar space, a hands-on lab, two smaller and adjoining studios, small group spaces and a teacher co-work suite. No single space is the domain of a teacher. Rather, they work as a team, assigning each space to best support learning on any given day.

Design: SHP
Design Team: Allison McKenzie, Jeff Parker, Brad Witzman, Jenny Gallow, Russell Miller
Contractor: Skanska, Megen Construction
Photography: JH Photography