The new Westmont Hilltop Elementary School was the outcome of a prior district-wide optimization plan that called for the realignment of the district’s grade-level structure. The resulting new school is located on the site of the former Westmont Hilltop Middle School which was demolished as part of the project. The available area for the new building was extremely limited as the site also houses the high school sports field/track complex. Substantial site reconfiguration was needed to better accommodate separation between cars, buses, and pedestrians.
Located in the historic district of Luzerne Street (a nationally registered streetscape) a careful selection of materials including stone, cement board clapboard, brick, and metal panels harmonizes the neighborhood's vernacular. The resulting solution entails construction of a high performance 3-story ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) classroom building. The building is functionally configured by floor into three schools: kindergarten, grades 1 to 3, and then grades 4 to 6. Upper level classrooms “paired” by subject matter, science and math, and then, English and social studies. To contain costs, the gymnasium wing of the former middle school was retained and incorporated into the new bThe new Westmont Hilltop Elementary School was the outcome of a prior district-wide optimization plan that called for the realignment of the district’s grade-level structure. The resulting new school is located on the site of the former Westmont Hilltop Middle School which was demolished as part of the project. The available area for the new building was extremely limited as the site also houses the high school sports field/track complex. Substantial site reconfiguration was needed to better accommodate separation between cars, buses, and pedestrians.

Located in the historic district of Luzerne Street (a national registry of historic streetscapes), a careful selection of materials including stone, cement board clapboard, brick, and metal panels harmonizes the neighborhood's vernacular. The resulting solution entails construction of a high performance 3-story ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) classroom building. The building is functionally configured by floor into three schools: kindergarten, grades 1 to 3, and then grades 4 to 6. Upper level classrooms were “paired” by subject matter, science and math, and then, English and social studies. To contain costs, the gymnasium wing of the former middle school was retained and incorporated into the new building. The gymnasium itself now houses a smaller gym, performance stage, cafeteria, kitchen, and updated locker rooms. Former shop areas (from the 1977 metal building structure) made way for a new STEM Learning Center, including a vocal and instrumental music suite, computer labs, art, and library space.