September 25, 2025
Twenty-five feet of grade change, 100 years of history: re-imagining SPS’ most complex site
By TODD FERKING and LILY SIU
Special to the Journal
Ferking
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Siu
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With 25 feet of grade change, zero lot line constraints, and just 1.65 acres, Montlake Elementary’s addition and historic preservation presented challenges more typical of downtown construction. Under the urban site conditions emerged a design serving current and future needs, while honoring the historic character.
IT STARTS WITH THE STUDENTS
“Every student. Every classroom. Every day,” says Richard Best, executive director of Capital Projects for Seattle Public Schools, describing the district’s strategic plan motto. With 50,000 students speaking 150 languages and 5% of the student population experiencing homelessness, each design decision carries weight. “How am I creating academic success for students? What types of supports do they need?” Best asks.
For Montlake, that meant addressing nearly a century of barriers while building for the future. The original entrance was accessible only by stairs, leaving the site non-ADA compliant for its 100-year history. For nearly as long, portables had also occupied the grounds. The new design eliminates both issues, while prioritizing flexible learning spaces and secure single-entry access.
Support also includes energy efficiency. Money not spent on utilities can be redirected to curriculum and teacher resources, and healthy indoor air quality enhances learning outcomes. Montlake’s combined projected Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 20.2 will significantly outperform typical schools, with the new addition targeting an ambitious 15 EUI.
EMBRACING TOPOGRAPHY AS A DESIGN DRIVER
The site’s constraints demanded solutions you’d typically see in downtown commercial construction, not elementary schools. However, the challenging topography provided an opportunity to connect with the regional history. The nearby Montlake Cut a man-made canal built in 1916 to connect Lake Washington and Lake Union shaped both the physical and cultural importance of the Montlake neighborhood.
This transformation of terrain inspired the design team’s approach to the school site. Rather than fighting the topography, they embraced it, applying a design concept they called “Carve.”
A courtyard level was created by cutting into the site, solving multiple problems: at-grade loading access, an accessible plaza entrance, and integration between the historic building and new addition. The excavation at Montlake carved away layers to reveal new paths of flow and circulation. The 4,000 cubic yards of soil removed was shipped to John Rogers Elementary School (also designed by DLR Group and LPD Engineering) to build their fields.
ENGINEERING FOR CONSTRAINTS
The historic building required shoring on three sides during excavation, and coordination with Urban Forestry to preserve mature street trees led to various sidewalk and utility configurations that protected the existing canopy while maintaining functionality. Close coordination between the design team, GC/CM contractor Skanska, and the city was essential to navigate the complex site constraints, excavation in the right-of-way, and community concerns.
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DESIGN
The design process included over 75 community engagement points, resulting in the project vision of a “verdant garden of changemakers” organized around four key themes: inclusive neighborhood network, spirit of place, holistic health and cultivating a resilient future.
Each theme came to life in the form of deliberate design decisions. Inclusive neighborhood network placed all community amenities at the accessible courtyard level. The spirit of place concept shaped both the material palette and the “Carve” design approach, drawing from indigenous traditions and regional history.
Holistic health prioritized natural daylight in 95% of spaces, and visual connections to nature, guiding the placement of the addition on the north side of the site, maximizing daylight for play areas. Cultivating a resilient future led to building systems designed for 100-year life with advanced energy management systems and controls, solar panels, and heat pumps to support the district’s clean energy goals.
Special attention was paid to social-emotional learning, with every nook designed as a space where students can regulate themselves when needed. The Family Room provides meeting space and storage for supplies, currently supporting PTA activities and staff development while being designed to accommodate families experiencing food or housing insecurity demonstrating how flexible design can anticipate changing community needs.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION: INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR
Montlake’s landmark designation protected not only the historic building’s exterior but also the interior classrooms. While modernizing the facility and its building systems, the team had to maintain the historical integrity of original spaces while providing equity in amenities compared to new classrooms.
The original flooring, casework, doors, pulleys and handles were all refurbished and restored to working condition. The historic windows were refurbished rather than replaced, and the feature arched windows were completely removed, restored and reinstalled.
By lowering the addition to create the courtyard, the new addition is held to the same height as the original historic building. This prevents it from visually overwhelming the original historic building, while respecting the overall scale and feeling of the surrounding neighborhood, preserving sunlight access for neighboring properties.
LESSONS FOR URBAN SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT
On a site smaller than a typical city block, every square foot counts. The project quadrupled the building’s footprint, growing from the 16,500-square-foot historic building to 90,500 total square feet with a 74,000-square-foot, three-story addition that includes a gym and multiple levels of play space.
This approach provides ~25,000 square feet of additional outdoor play space across ground level, learning terraces, and a rooftop field above the gymnasium the first one Seattle Public Schools has ever built. The courtyard playground structure is mounted on the lid of the underground stormwater detention vault, exemplifying the project’s efficiency and coordination across disciplines.
Large operable folding glass doors between the dining commons and the courtyard enable seamless indoor/outdoor flow, creating one large flexible space for dining and activities.
As students settle into their new classrooms this fall, Montlake Elementary shows that site constraints can drive innovation rather than compromise quality. For a school district serving one of the nation’s most diverse student populations, the project illustrates how thoughtful design can serve both immediate needs and long-term educational goals.
In a city where development pressure continues to intensify, Montlake Elementary offers a roadmap for maximizing educational opportunity on every available square foot.
Todd Ferking is national K-12 education design leader and principal at DLR Group with 25 years of experience creating student-focused learning environments that integrate emerging technologies through collaborative design. Lily Siu is a senior project manager and civil engineer at LPD Engineering with nearly 15 years of experience and a focus on sustainable civil engineering solutions for urban infill and constrained sites.
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