The Pilot School

Wilmington, Delaware

Set on 50 scenic acres adjacent to 2,000 acres of public parkland, the new Pilot School was designed to celebrate nature inside and out.

The campus offers five outdoor classrooms, an amphitheater, an adventure track, natural play areas, access to trails, rooftop planting beds, and a sustainable stormwater management system with raingardens that serve as an instructional tool. Inside, the school features large view windows, warm woods, and harvested boulders that continue the connection to nature. A large stone fireplace creates a warm, welcoming environment in the lobby, while a “treetop” science lab opens to a large outdoor deck overlooking the adjacent woodland. The school’s compact footprint helped conserve the surrounding green space.

Details

  • A therapeutic, independent day school for ages 5-14
  • An 85,000-SF building set on 50 wooded acres
  • Designed to emphasize connections to nature
  • Age-appropriate settings support individualized instruction

Type

CUTTING-EDGE EDUCATION SPACES

The Pilot School has 25 classrooms; art, music, computer, and writing labs; a science lab with access to the outdoors; a library with a two-story slide; an indoor saltwater pool; two gymnasiums; and offices, therapy spaces, and tranquility rooms. The school’s infrastructure supports the use of modern technology throughout the building, including internet-based tools and interactive whiteboards. Recognizing that many students are sensitive to harsh lighting and the humming and flickering of fluorescent ballasts, the new school features dimmable, soft white LED lighting, abundant natural light, and enhanced acoustics.  

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

The Pilot School’s carefully conceived design supports individualized, therapeutic instruction within a flexible, age-appropriate environment. Administrators and faculty prioritized a building that would enable students to feel comfortable in a variety of settings that minimize insecurities and distractions; embrace differences; and support efforts to build confidence, self-esteem, and creativity. Each wing is designed to “grow” with the child. Younger students start out in cozy, intimate spaces with lower ceilings, while the progression to middle and upper wings allows for more expansive spaces, hallways with lockers, and higher ceilings.  

“Parents are thrilled with the new building, and have frequently said that their children are much calmer and happier about going to school. The tranquility and confidence that students now feel carry over to their home life, with parents going so far as to say that the new school has ‘given us our family back.'" 
-Alexandra Kokkoris, Director of the Pilot School
 

Team

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