J+S has had a long relationship with Epiphany School, a private K-5 elementary in Seattle’s Denny Blaine neighborhood, starting with a major master plan and construction project as a subconsultant to the Miller|Hull Partnership. That project helped separate the school from the adjacent church, establishing its own unique identity and expanding the campus. The master plan unified new and old facilities around a central commons that has become the primary gathering and play space for the school. The site design includes a parking garage, expanded play areas, outdoor learning areas and a school garden. The project “gives back” to the neighborhood by providing a generous streetscape with artwork, a bus-stop pocket park, and access to the new pre-K playground which is on the roof of underground staff parking. The project achieved LEED Gold, including an innovation point for J+S’s sustainable soils and landscape maintenance plan. Johnson+Southerland provided landscape architectural services as well as site planning, and public meeting support from concept design through construction administration. Completed in 2010, total construction costs were $10.3 million.

J+S has continued to work with Epiphany School through 2018 to renovate 2 playgrounds, add a new nature/adventure style playground, provide seasonal planting guidelines, and design a hillside nature trail.

Client: Epiphany School
Location: Seattle, WA