Case Study

West Towson Elementary School (LEED-Silver)

Project: Custom millwork package for newly constructed West Towson Elementary School
Location: Towson, Maryland
Owner: Baltimore County Board of Education
Architect: Design Collective, Inc.

West Towson Elementary School is a newly constructed 69,300 square foot, 3 story building constructed to help relieve crowding at the existing elementary schools servicing the Towson area. The $22 million school is the first LEED Silver Certified school in the Baltimore County Public Schools System. The school utilizes materials from rapidly renewable sources, and contains vegetative roof, low-flow plumbing and energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems.

A/S Custom Furniture fabricated the challenging custom millwork package for the school which incorporated a number of different low-emitting materials derived from sustainable sources. Custom wall panels integrated with multi-colored glass form a striking second story lobby façade. The wall panels were constructed from FSC Certified, NAUF particleboard with Greenguard certified high pressure laminate decorative overlay. The panels were pressed in a Black Bros glue line using environmentally friendly water based adhesive.

The library and media center contain custom millwork fabricated by A/S. The design allows a great deal of perimeter storage without cluttering the space and incorporates bench seating with stained hardwood edges. Tiered bench seating makes optimal use of the space allocated to the media center adjacent to the library and provides a central gathering place for “story telling time”. Custom picture book shelving units with angled tops run along the central portion of the library. These units incorporate handsome and functional tackable framed end panels constructed from stained hardwood and Forbo marmoleum.

One of the most impressive features of the school is a 3 story curved rotunda. The rotunda contains approximately 30 windows that allow an ample amount of natural sunlight into the structure. Each window contains a custom built header and sill fabricated from Maple veneercore with a 2” radiused maple hardwood edge.

Each classroom contains custom cubby units that afford the students an individual space to hang their coats and store their books and personal belongings. The cubby units were fabricated from wheatboard biocomposite panels and clear-coated with an environmentally friendly UV hardened finish.