Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School
- Type: Renovation / Addition
- Size/Area: 76,819
- Owner: Charles County Public Schools
- Location: 820 Stone Ave, Waldorf, MD 20602
SEI Architects collaborated with Charles County Public Schools
and community to plan and design a project to modernize and expand the aging
Samuel Mudd ES from a state rated capacity of 404 to a 76,819 SF sustainable
LEED Gold certified facility for 21st Century Learning serving 542 students.
The design approach utilized the majority of the existing
building with strategic additions to maximize natural light in teaching spaces
and provide an intuitive plan arrangement. The new plan appropriately separates
public and private zones of the building with the gymnasium, cafeteria, and
media center consolidated near the main entrance and all classrooms along the
perimeter wings. In the building’s core lies the special programs serving all
students use such as art, music, and science.
Each grade is organized in a 3-classroom pod which surrounds a
collaborative learning area (CLA). To capture circulation area for additional
instructional space, the CLAs are strategically planned at corridor ends to
eliminate through traffic. Each CLA is carefully crafted as an extension of
every classroom through the use of glazing for supervision, teaching walls,
furniture, flooring and ceiling details.
To enhance the elementary student experience, color is assigned to
grades which act as a wayfinding system and is used as space defining elements
in both the CLA and classrooms through the teaching wall and floor patterns.
The project also incorporates some unique programs such as a
special education regional center and a Judy Center. The special education
program includes classrooms for the Transition Academic Adaptive Skills Class,
the Multiple Intensive Teaching Program, and the Life Skills Program for
students who are moderately delayed cognitively along with delays in motor,
adaptive skills, and communication. The special education classrooms are
arranged in the building’s core for inclusion and are supported by a resource
room, office, sensory room, transition room, and outdoor learning. The Judy
Center is prominently located adjacent to the main entrance with its own
dedicated entrance for community use off-hours. The program features a
reception area, two offices, and a learning space connected within the early
education neighborhood of the school.
photography by Lester Escobal
