Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, and the outcome is impactful.
Learning and working is a lot more fun when the space you’re in is designed to inspire, motivate and propel people to new heights. Students, faculty and staff of Bedford Elementary School in Baltimore County are experiencing this phenomenon for themselves with their new building, which opened in August and had its ribbon cutting in October.
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, which serves Pre-K, Kindergarten, and grades 1–5. The original school building was constructed in 1962 and has now been replaced with a completely new building on the same property more than six decades later.
“Though we have done numerous Baltimore County elementary schools in recent years, every project is different and exciting,” says Lisa HB Clemens, Senior Interior Designer at the Murphy & Dittenhafer Interiors Studio. “A new set of teachers and administrative leadership, expanding technology and teaching standards, provisions for safety and well-being make design ever-changing — but that’s what gets me up in the morning.”
Two different worlds
Where the old Bedford E.S. was one story, the new one is two. Where the old Bedford had exceeded capacity in its 46,000-square-foot building, the new one is more than twice the size. And where the old Bedford was dated, the new building is anything but.
Bedford Elementary now features an administration office suite located immediately inside a secure main entrance vestibule for optimum visibility, control, and security. The building uses steel columns with non-load-bearing classroom wall systems, enabling long-term adaptability for changes in technology and other educational needs.
More pressing for today’s students is the inclusion of a Digital Learning Classroom with video production capabilities and a Learning Commons, which Clemens says is “the school library of today” and is broken into a few different learning spaces to accommodate students of varying ages and interests.
There are also Makerspaces, which are a set of modern art classrooms with sturdy high-top tables and stools, large shared storage rooms and a kiln room between them. Classes may include technology in addition to classic drawing, painting, and sculpture instruction. “All furniture is on lockable casters and can be easily moved allowing flexibility to accommodate different project needs and layouts,” adds Clemens.
Exterior site features of the new Bedford include increased parking, an outdoor classroom, two playgrounds, a hard surface multi-purpose court with tennis and pickleball, two new baseball fields, a grass multi-purpose field, and new pedestrian walkways for student walkers. The cohesion and thoughtfulness will be life-changing for the school’s community.
Flexibility is more than just a buzzword
Clemens, who has experience working on schools (including a range of schools throughout Maryland), says requirements continue to evolve right to the end. She adds, “Flexibility is the central word in designing education spaces that work at all levels.”
Features like flexible furniture and easy-to-maintain finishes help schools adapt to the future on the fly. At a deeper level, the primary building structure is flexible for future renovations. As Bedford teachers and staff continue to serve young generations, Clemens remarks, “I’m in awe of what they do.” If there’s any way to make their jobs easier and more effective from the standpoint of Architecture and Design, rest assured M&D has done it.
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Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, and the outcome is impactful.