Projects - Infrastructures
Civil Engineering: Land Development and Utilities

Prairie Hills Elementary School

Thornton, Colorado

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Prairie Hills Elementary School No. 29, Thornton, CO:   LORIS provided a unique site design for this new 63,000 sq. ft. elementary school, located on seven acres adjacent to a 17 acre-foot regional stormwater detention pond. Design was complicated by the fact that the school site was significantly sloped, with over 15 feet of elevation difference from front to back.

LORIS engineers worked closely with the School District, the building architects, and the City of Thornton Parks Department to develop a site consisting of multiple playfield areas and an onsite parking lot sharing access with adjacent city park.   Incorporating ADA access around the entire site, adjacent park facilities including access to the play fields and wetland educational areas located at the base of the detention pond, made the design challenging.   The resulting design achieved the desired, but somewhat difficult, objectives of providing a site design meeting the needs of the different type of users.