Project Overview
Faced with a state mandate to provide full-day kindergarten and a need to accommodate growing capacities, the Mukilteo School District recently established its first kindergarten center at the Fairmount Elementary site. With a total of 65,000 SF, the Pathfinder Kindergarten Center serves approximately 600 students and is nestled between the existing school building and a series of wetland areas that border the kindergarten center and play areas.
Our goal was to create a welcoming, safe surrounding for the school and enhance the connection of the ecologically rich wetland environments to the indoor and outdoor learning areas. Four different play areas and multiple outdoor learning plazas create a transition zone between building elements and nature, encouraging active and passive play and outdoor learning.
Plant materials focus on northwest native and drought tolerant shrubs and trees to provide wildlife habitat and highlight natural processes.