Parker Elementary’s design implements building and site features that incorporate the school’s focus on music and how that is experienced within the community. This includes a large entry plaza for performances as well as outdoor spaces for teaching and student art pieces. The new school is replacing an existing 50-year old building and will create a new landmark that seeks balance between new and old within the established neighborhood. To accomplish this, the majority of street trees were maintained and the school was placed next to the city park to the west, opening up a large green space to the east. This future SPARK Park completes the design’s ambition of creating a “school within a park.” The 21st-century school focuses on the multi-functional use of interior and exterior spaces. The school’s design enhances this concept by activating hallways to become teaching spaces, enabling the corridor to be more than just a passageway. Teaching will occur throughout the school and not just within the classrooms.