HMC Architects and Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District celebrated the topping out of Anna Kyle Elementary School’s new administration and kindergarten building in Fairfield, California. The HMC design team, contractor partners SB James, district representatives, faculty, staff, and students signed their names on the building’s final beam to celebrate the construction milestone.
Anna Kyle Elementary School serves 750 students in grades TK-5. The new 10,775 SF project upgrades this legacy campus with a new administration and kindergarten building and site work, including a redesigned parking lot, student drop-off, and landscaping.
The entry into the existing campus was not apparent upon approaching the school, so the design creates a welcoming environment with a strong visual hierarchy. The administration building features a large canopy that slopes down to the scale of the student, so it feels comfortable while still having a large visual presence. The soft landscaping and tree-lined promenade between the new and existing building will welcome students onto campus and encourage them to socialize before and after school in a safe and comfortable setting.
The new kindergarten classrooms center around a collaboration space, dubbed the “Learning Street.” Learning Street is designed to accommodate many different learning styles within a single space and encourage collaboration and interaction between kindergarten classes. Doors along the east side can be opened to create a connection between outdoor learning and indoor learning spaces, supporting collaboration and various learning styles. The redesigned parking lot features a long one-way drop-off with two lanes to increase the available queuing space, relieve traffic congestion, and provide safe access to the campus. Anna Kyle Elementary School is named after Anna Kyle, who taught music in Solano County for 39 years before retiring in 1960. The interior color palettes were developed with music in mind—specifically, the pattern and harmony of the materials and colors selected. The intent is to create moments in space that give a nod to music and Anna Kyle’s legacy.
Students and teachers took a break from the day to watch the beam placement, and some lucky students had the opportunity to sign their names on the beam. When the beam was placed, cheers erupted from the students, excited to see the new building come to life. The new school will be complete later this summer and ready to welcome students for the 2025/26 school year.
