Paul Ecke Central Elementary School is being reimagined as a contemporary school in a garden, a campus rooted in Leucadia’s character, history, and creative spirit. Our design draws on the area’s coastal identity and the horticultural legacy of Paul Ecke, celebrating cultivation, growth, and stewardship. It invites students to learn with nature, not just next to it. Open, fluid architecture connects seamlessly to the landscape, with classroom clusters arranged around gardens and outdoor learning studios. Sliding glass walls and natural materials dissolve indoor and outdoor boundaries, while the natural landscape guides students through living laboratories, learning areas, and courtyards.

The design retains a historic schoolhouse as a community landmark and reorganizes the campus to support environmental literacy, hands-on science, and storytelling. The campus continues to host events like the Leucadia Farmers Market, further positioning it as a civic anchor. High-performance strategies, such as a cross-laminated timber structural system, passive cooling, daylighting, photovoltaic power, all-electric infrastructure, and drought-tolerant landscaping, advance sustainability and resilience.