Connecting the Community

Trillium Creek Primary 

Tandus Centiva Powerbond is one colorful element of Trillium Creek Primary School that makes it an inviting and engaging place for children to learn.

Trillium Creek Primary School in West Linn, Ore. is the kind of place you just want to be. It includes lots of open spaces to invite collaboration and a library that looks like a forest. Splashes of bright colors adorn the floors and walls. Natural finishes bring the outdoors in. And a giant slide connects students from the second to the first floor because, why not?

The school redesign represents the successful culmination of an inclusive planning process with the district and community — an expansive approach that invited everyone in to reimagine the learning environment, especially the students themselves. In fact, one fifth-grader’s quote became a sort of mantra for the whole school’s design: “I want to be the captain of my own learning.”

Underneath it all, Tandus Centiva Powerbond is there, grounding the design with a wonderfully durable soft surface that can seamlessly integrate bright color inlays while transforming even the floorplane into a place where kids` can hang out and learn. And it helped achieve a primary objective: A sustainably designed environment that models responsible stewardship of resources. Because Tandus Centiva Powerbond performs so well for so long; because it stays looking good for 20, 30, even 40 years (and beyond); and because when it finally does need to be replaced, it’s easily recycled.

Trillium Creek won the National 2014 James D. MacConnell Award, which recognizes excellence in comprehensive planning in educational design. But even more importantly, the school’s a winner with the students, teachers and whole community. As one student put it, “The fun things kind of inspire you and the cool things make us want to come to school.”

www.tandus-centiva.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.