This article first appeared in the 200901
issue of BD+C.
The 50,000-sf Springfield (Pa.) Literacy Center was designed with several goals in mind: to immerse students in reading, instruction, and the act of learning, and to evoke a connection to nature as a way to inform, encourage, and promote literacy. In keeping with the values of development, architect Burt Hill, Washington, D.C., designed the center so that nearly every square foot of classroom, circulation, and public space could be used as instructional space. Flexible classrooms facilitate integration of different grades, and the building itself, which is LEED registered, will provide an example of sustainability as a teaching tool.
