Designed with some of the latest technologies, project officials said the concepts are geared toward the future of education.
"Well, it's all about educating the kids. Philosophies change, you know, when you went to school they taught you a different way than they do here and we're always trying to find a better way to educate our kids," President of DAG Architects Jack Baker explained.
An innovative media center, state-of-the-art labs, and courtyards for outdoor learning spaces are just a few of the progressive concepts built into this plan.
"We've got to give the educators and the students the tools they need to excel and that's what we're trying to do here with the way that we designed the functional learning environment," Baker added.
Aside from making the most out of every space, much of the design and materials used will maximize the school's efficiency.
"The physical part of the building is built with ICF, insulated concrete forms, which makes it super energy efficient, in fact the electrical load on this school is about 50 percent less than some of the recent schools they built in Walton County and in Northwest Florida," said Baker.
"The orientation of the building is north and south which maximizes the solar heat gain and loss as well also the natural lighting has proven to be more effective with children's learning environments and thirdly our insulation factor with the insulated concrete form is basically were creating a Yeti cooler," Gardner said.
The innovative design is not only leading the way for the classroom but also safety and security.
"Security is something [the] Walton County School Board has been very proactive about for many years not just starting today," Baker said.
Insulated impact glass, limited access points, and even the landscaping all contribute to providing a secure campus.
Spreading over 150,000 square feet of land, the facility will house 1,000 student stations for the expanding South Walton population.
"We don't just build for now, we're building for the future," Gardner added. "So this will hopefully satisfy that need for hopefully five to six years from now maybe ten."
Officials said they expect the project to be complete by spring 2019 and open to students in fall 2019.
Dune Lakes Elementary designed for the future of education
The project is estimated at $35 million.
"Well, it's all about educating the kids. Philosophies change, you know, when you went to school they taught you a different way than they do here and we're always trying to find a better way to educate our kids," President of DAG Architects Jack Baker explained.
An innovative media center, state-of-the-art labs, and courtyards for outdoor learning spaces are just a few of the progressive concepts built into this plan.
"We've got to give the educators and the students the tools they need to excel and that's what we're trying to do here with the way that we designed the functional learning environment," Baker added.
Aside from making the most out of every space, much of the design and materials used will maximize the school's efficiency.
"The physical part of the building is built with ICF, insulated concrete forms, which makes it super energy efficient, in fact the electrical load on this school is about 50 percent less than some of the recent schools they built in Walton County and in Northwest Florida," said Baker.
"The orientation of the building is north and south which maximizes the solar heat gain and loss as well also the natural lighting has proven to be more effective with children's learning environments and thirdly our insulation factor with the insulated concrete form is basically were creating a Yeti cooler," Gardner said.
The innovative design is not only leading the way for the classroom but also safety and security.
"Security is something [the] Walton County School Board has been very proactive about for many years not just starting today," Baker said.
Insulated impact glass, limited access points, and even the landscaping all contribute to providing a secure campus.
Spreading over 150,000 square feet of land, the facility will house 1,000 student stations for the expanding South Walton population.
"We don't just build for now, we're building for the future," Gardner added. "So this will hopefully satisfy that need for hopefully five to six years from now maybe ten."
Officials said they expect the project to be complete by spring 2019 and open to students in fall 2019.
Dune Lakes Elementary designed for the future of education
The project is estimated at $35 million.