Hollis + Miller Architects is excited to announce Boyd Elementary School has been honored with two recent awards for excellence in design and interior architecture. Boyd Elementary, located within Springfield Public Schools, received the K12 Silver Award from IIDA Mid-America during a gala on October 21, as well as a citation award for interior architecture at the annual AIA KC Design Excellence Awards on October 27, 2022.

The new elementary school, completed in conjunction with hdesigngroup, celebrates community history and re-imagines the future for students and staff. Focusing on International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, the design centered around themes supporting an international experience broadening students’ horizons and outlook of the world, while providing roots and a sense of place within in the neighborhood.

The IIDA Mid-America Chapter hosted its bi-annual MADA Awards honoring achievement in outstanding interior architecture and design that encourages and uses innovative interior design ideas, techniques, and furnishings. Notes from the jury recognized the design’s intentional use of color deployed throughout the building with a nice balance of bright, bold colors complementing the natural wood.

Each classroom grouping is united into smaller “neighborhoods” to break down the scale of the building for young students. The various neighborhoods and individual learning spaces are identified with a wooden arch and color giving students a sense of arrival and symbolizing the beginning of their learning experience each day. This whimsical entry brings excitement and joy to students as they enter their home base, and the color groupings provide additional wayfinding for building users.

Additionally, the AIA Kansas City Design Excellence Awards recognized projects from all over the country, celebrating the best in architecture and design by local Kansas City firms. The school’s main circulation and social heart of the interior, Boyd Hall, was commended by the jury, “Boyd Hall’s generous scale and formal idiosyncrasies provide joyful punctuations and clerestory daylight an otherwise linear hallway. The space does double duty balancing daylight in classrooms.” Boyd Hall features one of the IB themes “Windows to the World” which challenges individuals to discover their own perspective of the world and how they perceive growth and change in the world around them. “The double-height hall integrates structure, natural light, color and material. Children, teachers and guests peek into other worlds through a variety of small and large-scale openings across both levels,” noted the jury.

Overall, no detail was too small to enhance the overall human experience and connect the building to the community’s rich history and celebrate a promising future.

“Boyd Elementary School is a special space for our team at Hollis + Miller, as we believe wholeheartedly in empowering our communities. Boyd is a perfect example of community values and history coming together to provide a learning environment where students, educators and community members can feel inspired to connect and contribute to the changing world around them,” said HMA Partner Kevin Nelson. “Working together with Springfield Public Schools and the community to bring this project to life was a tremendous experience.”

Thank you to all of our partners who helped bring this project to life: hdesigngroup, BP Builders, CJD & Mettemeyer Engineering, Olsson Engineers & Fellers Food Service.