Elementary school façade will tell Connecticut town's history

The façade of Waterbury, Conn.'s planned $24.5 million North Main Elementary School, with its small sculptures and colored-brick patterns that weave in and out of windows, will serve as a graphic timeline of the "people, objects, natural forces, and histories that are pivotal to the neighborhood and city," says architect Barry Svigals, founder and managing partner of New Haven, Conn.-based Svigals + Partners, design architect for the 76,000-sf, 550-student K-8 school.

Other key design elements include a circular entry plaza and a gently curving glass entry that joins the two main building blocks. In addition to the classrooms (two per grade), the facility will contain a gymnasium, cafetorium, media center, administration offices, and service spaces.

The Building Team includes construction manager Dimeo Construction, New Haven; structural engineer Michael Horton Associates, Branford, Conn.; and MEP engineer BVH Integrated Services, Bloomfield, Conn.

Construction is expected to begin in 2010, with completion slated for 2012.