A close partnership between community, district and architect led to the strategic design of the Union Furnace Elementary School. The district chose to locate the new building on the same site as the existing elementary school. To do so, a creek had to be rerouted and land leveled to provide enough space for the school. Future plans for the creek include a surrounding nature preserve. Equipped with walking trails, the preserve will be utilized for outdoor learning spaces and social gatherings.

The site will also incorporate separate parent and bus drop-off areas to alleviate traffic congestion. For security and supervision purposes, the principal's office overlooks the bus drop-off and main entrance. The administrative offices are located adjacent to the main entrance for further security.

The school's state-of-the-art media center promotes supervision as well. It includes windows that overlook the adjacent computer lab so that instructors can view both rooms. An exposed sloping ceiling, pendant light fixtures, and large-scale windows accent the space. The media center houses the central media retrieval system, which connects televisions throughout the building.

In addition to having computers in the lab, each classroom contains four computers with Internet access and the latest educational programs. Each room also includes an integrated phone and speaker system.

Classrooms are separated by grade level with PreK, 1 and 2 located on the first floor and grades 3-5 on the second floor. To address the community's concerns about adequate storage, each room includes base cabinetry, student cubbies and teacher wardrobe storage. Several teacher prep rooms and additional storage rooms are located throughout the building as well.

MANUFACTURERS/SUPPLIERS
DIV 07: Built-Up Roofing: Carlisle Syntec.
DIV 08: Entrances & Storefronts: YKK AP America; Windows: Traco.