Birchwood Elementary School Update

Last Updated: January 23, 2013

Construction of the new Birchwood Elementary School will begin in spring of 2013 and open for students in fall 2014. View the designs and plans for this energy efficient school.

Beginning in early 2012, district staff and a design team from Dykeman Architects gathered input from staff, community, city officials and consultants, all of which was helpful in shaping the initial design schematics. On December 5, 2012, the Dykeman design team presented a design development package to the team. In this stage of the process, the design becomes more refined, materials are selected, and engineers coordinate the mechanical structural and electrical systems.

The Birchwood Elementary Educational Specifications and Design Advisory Ad Hoc Committee, which includes representatives from the Birchwood neighborhood, parent community and staff, has been meeting since March 2012. They review and help update the criteria that architects use when designing our elementary schools. The committee’s input has been in addition to a series of neighborhood/public meetings to gather input, which has influenced the design process. The committee has completed most of its work.

A summary of the work to date includes:

• Seven committee meetings were completed to draft educational specifications for Birchwood.
• Birchwood neighborhood and public meetings have involved gathering input to better understand the vision the local neighborhood residents have for the project (see right column for presentations shared at the meetings and architects' responses to community feedback).
• A survey and geotechnical report of Birchwood's site is complete.
• The building assessment/structural evaluation is complete.
• The pre-application meeting with the City of Bellingham is complete.
• Recommended design schematics are complete and were shared with the public for additional input through Aug. 22, 2012.